2015 Subaru Impreza WRX STI sets new Isle of Mann TT lap record

British rally champion Mark Higgins has broken the lap record for the legendary Isle of Mann TT course in a 2015 Subaru Impreza WRX STI. The 59.5km lap was covered by Higgins in the near stock Impreza in an astonishing 19 minutes and 26 seconds at an average speed of 187.44kmph. The earlier lap record, also held by a 2010 Subaru Impreza with Mark Higgins behind the wheel stood at 19 minutes and 56.7 seconds.

Speaking on the occasion, Mark Higgins said, “It was quite a lap we did today and I am really happy to have another record in the bank. The chassis on this new car is so much better it really allowed me to pick up time in each sector in the more technical parts of the course.” While Higgins was happy with the new record, he said "I lost time on the second part of the track, overshooting my braking point at Sign Post corner. I actually hand-braked the turn in the end, so I feel we can definitely do better.”

Although this is the fastest lap time for any car ever at the legendary Isle of Mann TT course, the overall lap record stands at an astonishing 17 minutes 11.6 seconds held by ace rider John McGuinness on a special Honda CBR1000RR with an average speed of about 209kmph over the complex mountain course. According to Subaru, the car used for the record was essentially stock with the exception of new springs and dampers to handle the high speeds and the bumps of the tough TT course. According to Subaru, speeds during the lap ranged from as little as 40kmph to over 260kmph