BANCROFT, ONT. -- Deep within a stand of tall pines overshadowing a narrow gravel road, there is the sound of a subtle hum in the distance.
A few seconds later and the hum breaks into a guttural snarl as Subaru Rally Team Canada's brand-new competition car bursts into view.
Sending up a spray of gravel, it slides around a corner and heads for the mobile service garage that's been transported to the heart of the forest near Bancroft for two days of vehicle testing.
Six-time Canadian rally champion Tom McGeer rolls the 2004 Impreza WRX STi to a stop under a tent in front of two well-stocked cube vans and climbs out over the roll cage. It was the car's virgin run and although its performance isn't flawless yet, McGeer is pleased.
"It's a nice drive," he says, peeling off his helmet and loosening his fireproof driving suit. "I like the way it handles."
It's an assessment that team mechanics from Can-Jam Motorsports of Thornhill, Ont., were hoping to hear.
They've customized the new vehicle throughout, but the most notable change is the new electronic centre differential, which can be adjusted on the fly. It's expected to make a huge difference for McGeer's ability to throw the vehicle around corners in competition.
Among the other key adjustments is the vehicle's weight and stability. With an eye to getting the best balance possible, the team has pushed the driver's seat and pedals back.
"Instead of having regular hang-down pedals, the pedals are now mounted from the floor and they can be put in any position," says technical director Stewart Hoo.
Much care has been put into making the car lighter with plenty of aluminum and carbon fibre, so the 300-horsepower engine has less to push around.
There's an incongruity about the high-tech mechanical activity happening in this remote location, but these are rally mechanics and they're used to it. Just like during a race, they'll spend the next 48 hours coping with whatever challenges the two team vehicles and Mother Nature send their way.
Right now, something's wrong with McGeer's new engine and the fuel pump on the other car -- a 2003 Impreza WRX STi driven by Pat Richard -- isn't working. It also looks like it might rain and the buzzing swarms of black flies all but drown out the din of the mechanics' tools.
"We do this every year. I don't know why we put ourselves through this punishment," Hoo says wryly, waving at the insects flocking around his head.
Such testing is a fantasy for the majority of Canadian rally competitors, who empty their own pockets to prepare and race a car. But Subaru is a key player in the sport around the world and has taken home the top prize in Canada for the past three years.
It's this high-level preparation that enables them to show the brand at its best in a motor sport notoriously tough on cars.
In a typical rally, as few as a third of the entries in a race make it to the end. Teams, consisting of a driver behind the wheel and a co-driver who navigates, can reach speeds of 200 km/h on bumpy, snaking roads most people would hesitate to tackle at much faster than 30. Races last all day and into the night and drivers must be alert to jumps, rocks, trees and water hazards around every blind corner.
Given these obstacles, it's amazing anyone crosses the finish line at all, especially considering many cars in the field aren't too far removed from what the average commuter takes to work every day.
Even Team Subaru's newest car, worth about $150,000 and competitive in the open class where the rules permit many modifications, still retains many off-the-line parts. Hoo says much of the vehicle, including the braking system and the drive train, are stock -- with upgraded components.
The other factory team in this year's series is Suzuki, who recently announced its return after an eight-year hiatus. The company's two Swift+ rally cars will compete in a production class where little modification is permitted.
Those vehicles are being prepared at noted rally shop Four Star Motorsports in Georgetown, Ont., and are expected to debut at the Rocky Mountain Rally in Calgary at the end of the month.
With two factory teams and a crowded field of competitive entries, this season is widely anticipated to be one of the most exciting in years. Going head-to-head are a pair of six-time champion drivers, McGeer and Frank Sprongl, who, after a few years off, has made a return to serious competition in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI.
Ready to block both driver's quest for a seventh championship is Richard, an up-and-comer who has returned from spending last season as Canada's only entry in the World Rally Championship circuit to focus on the North American competition.
Richard won the first rally of the Canadian championship for Subaru in February -- besting Sprongl by 26 seconds -- and has swept every event he's entered in the United States so far this year. And there are other top contenders who will be pushing the pace.
But, as he heads out to his new car for another test run in these quiet woods, McGeer says he's quietly confident about his chances in what is sure to be a thrilling season.
"We'll just have to see. The big unknown is what the rest of the competition is going to be like -- everyone else is raising their game, too."
Rally schedule
Rallye Perce-Neige-Maniwaki
Maniwaki, Que., Feb. 6 to 8
(Winner: Pat Richard, Subaru)
Rocky Mountain Rally
Calgary, May 28 to 30
Rallye Baie-des-Chaleurs
New Richmond, Que., July 2 to 3
Rallye Défi Ste-Agathe/
Duhamel
Ste-Agathe, Que., Sept. 10 to 11
Pacific Forest Rally
Merritt, B.C., Oct. 15 to 16
Rally of the Tall Pines
Bancroft, Ont., Nov. 19 to 20
Subaru rally car
2004 WRX Impreza STi
Engine: 2457 cc, horizontally opposed, four-cylinder, 16-valve, turbocharged/intercooled
Power: about 300 brake horsepower with 34-mm inlet restrictor
Transmission: Six-speed manual (straight-cut gears) dogbox (a non-synchromesh gearbox strong enough that a driver can slam it into gear at just about any time; the clutch is only necessary at the starting line)
Suspension: Front/rear MacPherson struts with Reiger 60-mm coils over rally shocks
Wheels: 15-inch Speedline rally
Fuel: 109-octane unleaded
Weight: Roughly 1,290 kg
