SubieFest California

In the second event (out of six events total), Subiefest California was nothing short of an amazing success. It’s no secret anymore that SubieEvents with Subaru of America have become an even more cohesive collective. In the past few years, I’ve had the amazing opportunity to be an employee of SubieEvents/SOA either working the Ricmotech Rally Simulators or helping managing the SOA event space. As an enthusiast of the brand from my first Subaru SVX in 2009, it was more than a dream come true. It was a living fantasy.

Being a member of 845Subie was the gateway to this new career path. I owe so much to the club for the support and encouragement to take on such a massive undertaking. Bringing the club along for the ride is a way to reward the loyalty and love shown within the community.

Coming off the success of Wicked Big Meet, we knew that we wanted to keep our club momentum up. What better way to keep our engines running than to have our Sponsors and supporters from the major aftermarket vendors see us wear 845Subie merch and greet our friends in sunny California. Art and Owen from Overtake USA and The Subimods crew instantly had big smiles and it generated the feeling that no matter how far away we are from home, it’s all still familiar.

Arcadia , California Subiefest

Working with SubieEvents/SOA

The whole trip started with a six hour plane ride from New York to LAX. Our event team is the Brand Activations arm and we welcomed the addition of my buddy Awais (better known as HeavyMetal WRX), to the SubieEvents Team! Our first stop was at The Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles where 43I Institute and the Petersen gave our team access to the Ken Block People’s Champ tribute. There is no other person more responsible for the rise of Rally and Motorsport and it was a great way to honor that. Thanks 43I and The Petersen!

HeavyMetal WRX

Ken Block #43 Subaru STi

The event was the first evening hour timeline for the series, and it was not without its challenges. The weather was a wonderful 86 degrees and went down to 70 in the evening. Another first was a competition between Scott Speed and Travis Pastrana on the Subimods Autocross course. The teams attention to the involvement of the enthusiasts and maintaining the safety needed to run the events gave us great feedback from the places we needed it most.

This season at SubieFest, SOA is treating us to the 22B on Display with a rotating group of New and Classic Subarus. Vermont Sports Car and Subaru Motorsports USA will also have a different experience with Athletes and vehicles at each event depending on their availability. Of course, a staple of the events are the ride alongs with Bucky Lasek in our favorite GRC car Betty. Rhianon Gelsomino, co-driver to Travis, gave a Rally 101 course as an introduction to the sport and answered your great questions. Local ASPCA and other vendors came out to support the event. As always there were great deals from the aftermarket favorites like Cobb and Leencustoms pins, Falken Tire, ACT Clutch, and Spider Roof Racks. Don’t forget the Beat Bucky challenge where I took 3rd behind Patrana and Bucky in P1.

Impreza 22B

SubieFest 2025 Sponsor Photo Op

As an enthusiast myself, bringing these events around North America, making connections, and working with the SubieEvents/SOA team is the best experiences in car culture, right alongside my involvement in 845Subie. The bonds the clubs members have made and excitement behind our future with Subaru car culture have ignited the passion and drive to share these amazing experiences we are having. The hope is that it inspires yourself to work for your dreams, you never know when they may come true.

Next stop is Boxerfest in York PA and you can bet we are gearing up for a wild weekend once again. Look out for the 845Subie Podcast soon where we will discuss all the details of our exciting updates.