Text & Photos by Jesuel Rivera
There are a lot of reasons why people get hooked into this scene. But at the core, it always starts with exposure. Right time, right place, right atmosphere, stage set… and then ‘flick’… all the dominos start falling & you’re in this thing. Well – Roel Mallari is living to spread that joy. He’s a 1st domino.
Roel was born and raised in Toronto, Canada. He grew up playing with legos and locking-up the back wheels of his bicycle to slide marks on the streets of the 6. Like most Filipino youth, Roel was encouraged by his parents to go into the medical field as a nurse or doctor. But his experience with legos and getting sideways translated into something more. After high school, Roel started working at a tire shop and bought his way into the seat of a Nissan 240. Naturally, his 240 led him into drifting for fun. In 2012, Roel capped out on the tire shop & got himself hired with the team at Cam-Jam Racing. It was odd for a Nissan guy to be dropped into a Subaru shop. For the most part, the Nissan world is a lot more budget friendly than the Subaru world. But it didn’t take long for Roel to get behind the 5 stars.
Roel caught the eye of a Forester that had been sitting outback at Can-Jam (get it… Outback??). It was easy for him to envision the Forrester modded-out… and it wasn’t long until he worked a deal & made it his daily. But missing the enjoyment he got from drifting his 240, Roel and the Can-Jam team did a RWD swap. His comfort kicking-out the rear end of the SF grew… along with added mods like a WRX turbo, STI trans, and Nissan r200 diff. During a Canadian Sport Compact Series event in 2018, Roel wrecked the car. Being a drifter, most would just rebuild as much as possible & not worry about the scars. But Roel & the team saw this as an opportunity to start something new with their Forester experience.
After seeing Chris Forsberg drifting around Road Atlanta 4-seats-deep, Roel made the move to make a reinforced Forester built to share the G’s with passengers. He found a 2nd-gen Forester, known as the SG, and decided to go all-in with Can-Jam Motorsports. They put together what looks like a hundred point roll cage to safely hold 4 buckets seats. Even with a helmet on, the violence of the fully-built EJ25 pushing 600whp screams like nothing I’ve ever heard. (Check out our S3 Magazine Youtube channel for the ride-along.)
When I asked Roel what’s next?, his response was important for everyone to hear… “To just keep having more fun, you know? It’s a party car.” You gotta love that attitude. It sets the only true expectation for the season.
Owner/Driver: Roel Mallari
Vehicle: 2003 Subaru Forester
Built By: Can-Jam Motorsports
Location: Toronto, ON, Canada
Engine: EJ25
Horsepower: 604 whp / 591 ft-lb tq
ENGINE / DRIVE
● Custom Can-Jam MOtorsports (CJM) 2.5 – sleeved closed deck gas ringed block
● JDM Ver8 ported heads w/ +1mm oversize valves
● Cosworth camshafts
● Omega high comp pistons
● Arrow rods
● Arrow lightweight crankshaft
● 14mm RCM head studs
● BorgWarner EFR 8374 Turbo
● Custom CJM intercooler & piping
● Rotated JDM Ver8 intake manifold
● C&R racing radiator
● Dual SPAL fans w/ custom shroud
● Setrab oil cooler
● Motul 300v 15w50 engine oil
● MoTeC M800 ECU
● JDM STI 6-speed transmission modified
● Carbon driveshaft
● Nissan R200 rear diff w/ 350z axles
WHEELS / BRAKE / SUSPENSION SETUP
● Enkei RPF1 – 18×10 +35 front / 18×10.5 +15 rear
● STI brembos w/ twin rear calipers
● Wilwood hydro handbrake
● Performance Friction brake pads
● Ohlins coilovers
LOOKS
● JDM Cross Sports kit
● Fender flares
● CJMxML24 roof scoop
● Voltex Type 5 GT-Wing
PARTNERS
● Can-Jam Motorsports
● Autokloak
● TiAL Sport
● Valino tires Canada
● Motovicity Distribution
SIDEBAR PHOTO
Twin rear-caliper setup with Wilwood’s hydro handbrake!
