Michael Satterfield
The Subaru Crosstrek Desert Racer program with Crawford Performance and Grabowski Brothers Racing is back to take on Baja. The Class 5 Unlimited off-road buggy powered by Subaru will take on the grueling Baja 500 off-road race, bringing the iconic blue and gold livery back to Baja to attempt to improve on last year’s second-place finish.
The Subaru Crosstrek Desert Racer has racked up a number of podium finishes since the program launched in 2017, including a Class 5 Unlimited win at last year’s 550-mile Vegas to Reno race, America’s longest off-road event. Powered by a 2.5L non-turbocharged SUBARU BOXER engine built by Quirt Crawford of Crawford Performance, similar to the engines power the popular Baja Challenge buggies that have been providing reliable race performance for years.
“The Crosstrek Desert Racer’s results over the past two seasons speak for themselves,” said William Stokes, Motorsports Manager for Subaru of America. “We’re proud to renew our support for Crawford Performance and Grabowski Brothers Racing, and bring our iconic blue and gold motorsports colors to the off-road racing world.”
The 2019 Baja 500 will kick off Saturday, June 1 and will feature a total race distance of 487.11 miles in a single loop on Mexico’s Baja Peninsula. Grabowski Brothers Racing will continue the 2019 Crosstrek Desert Racer campaign by defending their class title at August’s Vegas to Reno event before moving on to the Baja 1000 in November.
