Watch this: Subaru WRX STI jumps back into Gymkhana 11

Christmas has come early with Gymkhana 11 dropping onto YouTube. It sees Travis Pastrana take over from Ken Block and get behind the wheel of a WRX STI.

Kill all tyres. That’s the Hoonigan motto and Gymkhana doesn’t fail to live up to the motto. It sees a passing of the baton (temporarily) from Block to Pastrana and a return of the WRX STI to Gymkhana action.

Indeed, it’s the one-off 862hp WRX STI built by Subaru Motorsports USA just for Gymkhana 11 that steals the show. Given that Pastrana is the master Subaru wheelman he was the obvious choice…and surely a stack of cash changed hands to get Block to hand over the wheel for one film. We’re not complaining.

“Making my first Gymkhana video has been an incredible experience!” said Pastrana. “I’m so thrilled to finally have the chance to do it, especially in my hometown, so I could bring these ideas I’ve had for years to life. Plus, Subaru built me the perfect STI for it. It’s unbelievable how much power and grip this thing has, and it took all the punishment I could throw at it!”

While other instalments of Gymkhana have seen Block travel all over the world, this one takes place in Pastrana’s hometown of Annapolis, Maryland. That’s why it’s called ‘Ultimate Hometown Shred’.

You’ve got to watch the film, words don’t do it justice. But, in short, expect huge jumps and I mean huuuuge jumps, long drifts, some Redbull planes and so much more auto goodness. We’d go so far as to say this is the best Gymkhana in a long time. Agree?

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The WRX STI was wrenched by Subaru’s partners Vermont SportsCar. The base vehicle was lightened (it weighs 362kg less) and fitted with aero-tuned fibreglass panels to ensure it would glide through the air. A full cage was fitted, an active wing was fitted along with long-travel suspension. The engine features a custom billet block and heads taken from Subaru’s rallycross program.

You can watch the build video below.

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