Photos by Chris Sullivan
I ride mountain bikes regularly with a guy who runs a time attack car (an S13). He got into time attack, because he loves to drive/compete ANNND because he loves to build his own race car. He’s a pretty damn crafty mechanic & fabricator… that just does it in his own garage, for hobby. Not for a living. But he really enjoys the process of building a top-tier time attack car. He puts A TON of thought into the engineering aspect of the sport. And basically – he gets his thrills seeing if he can build a car in his garage/basement as a privateer… that will put up competitive times with the bigger budget teams out there.
Now, unfortunately – that’s getting more & more expensive to do as time attack is evolving & breaking records. The ‘career’ teams/drivers have built-up race programs & sponsorships to start separating themselves from the privateers. Engines that are running on the absolute edge of the limit. But they can afford to do that because they have more budget, more social media presence, and a team of techs & mechanics & car haulers, etc.
It’s taking more & more of my buddy’s financial resources… just to build a car that sees the track maybe 4 times per year?! The car’s going faster & faster, but at the same time… becoming outclassed & less competitive. So you get to a point where you start to sigh & wonder, “Should I just ditch it all together & buy a nice street car that’s also a mild track day car?” Something that’ll give you more seat time & more free time… & financial freedom? AND something you can actually enjoy on the street? Lord knows he could daily something like a 997 or Type R & track it every other weekend… and still take a vacation with the leftover money he would’ve put into the S13 lol.
The epic thing about time attack is: It’s a sport where engineering & driving blend together as one. Where parts, theories, and strategies are tested. And those results absolutely filter their way down to create better aftermarket products. The only drawback is – as time attack evolves… it’s becoming a sport that fewer people can afford to be competitive in. While the cars & teams are getting insanely, record-breaking good… it’s only a few cars/teams who have the funding to get to that level.
And a lot of brilliant minds & concepts aren’t making their way to the surface. The answer I guess… is that the aftermarket industry needs to be savvy enough to put more of their marketing dollars BACK into the sport/culture so that we can strengthen the sport/culture… rather than sending all that money/revenue OUT of the sport/culture by throwing it all at Facebook/Instagram on a daily basis. But what do I know?
The point is… THIS right here is the beauty of time attack! This car! I mean – just look at this damn thing! Look at what time attack creates when it’s unleashed! Scotty Mofab drives this Dorito Subaru… a car he built with his own hands & brain. Again – reemphasizing the fact that time attack is a sport where engineering, fabrication, insane creativity, and killer driving skills all play together in symphony. The car is a GC Impreza. The engine is a rotary 13B turbo. The swap, the build, the tune, the downforce, the ducting… it’s all the brainchild of Scotty Molitor & his shop called Mofab, in the Denver area. If this damn car doesn’t give you goosebumps, you’re dead.
Scotty’s is a privateer. He does this for the sport, the thrill, and the pure challenge of it. And for every one of him at any given event, there’s 3 more like him somewhere… that juuuuuuust couldn’t get the funds together to make it out.
This car falls into the Track Mod class at most time attack events. But it’s starting to edge on the Unlimited class. Most competitive forms of motorsports have rules that limit & coral performance. But as long as time attack has those Unlimited classes… it’ll always be intensifying. I truly think that time attack is creating some of the most iconic/legendary cars of our generation. I WANT TO SEE MORE OF THEM!! And I don’t want to see time attack’s Unlimited classes become an exhibition of just 2-3 cars… because it’s priced itself damn near to extinction.
Mofab is a speed shop out of Denver, CO that does a lot of tuning, fabrication work, installs, and race prep. They’re known for Subaru stuff… but honestly, that’s not even the focus.
Scotty decided a rotary engine would be a fun track experience & sound suuuper cool. Keeping the car AWD was a must! He totally went over the budget by not cutting corners… but you know. 13B.
This car has a twin-turbo setup with Garrett G25 660s, a Tial 60mm wastegate, and a full titanium 3.5in exhaust that Scotty made using Vibrant parts.
A stock STI 6-speed tranny retains all-wheel-drive & uses an adaptor plate that Scotty Mofab made for the 13B engine, with a custom Exedy twin-plate clutch.
The car runs Toyo R888 tires in 295/30/18 on Enkei RPF1s in 18×10.5 +15. STI Brembos & BC Racing coilovers.
