The Underdogs documentary is back with an intense 2nd episode highlighting the recent Redline Time Attack event at Willow Springs.  Watch as brothers Adam and Noah Levy prepare the Takata Time Attack Impreza for battle.  This episode also provides some background into the brother's humble beginnings, and the creation of LIC Motorsports.  Is their experience enough to translate into a win as they push for perfection at Willow Spring's fast and unforging track?  Tune in to find out.

To leave your feedback about The Underdogs and find out about future episodes, visit The Underdogs on Facebook.

The first episode of The Underdogs has been released!

The Underdogs is an episodic journey into the lives of brothers Adam and Noah Levy, owners of LIC Motorsports, the company behind the build and preparation of the Takata Time Attack Impreza.  Watch as they prepare the Takata Impreza for battle in the Redline Time Attack race series. In each episode, they will stand face to face with teams many times their size and funding. Will they fall behind the competition, or can they accomplish the unthinkable? The odds are against them. They are the underdogs.

Episode 1 introduces the brothers and their shop, and follows them as they prepare the car for the next race at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California.  You will also meet driver James Elterman and watch as he attack the track from some of the most dynamic and unique camera angles imaginable. 

Episode 1 is only the first of this multi-part documentary.  For more information on The Underdogs, visit TheUnderdogsDoc.com.

The Takata Impreza was honored recently with a spot in the Nitto Tires booth at the Sport Compact (SPOCOM) event held at the San Mateo Convention Center on Saturday May 1, 2010. Adam and Noah Levy of LIC Motorsports were on hand to answer questions about the car. For more photos from the event, visit LIC Motorsport's gallery.

As the original Takata Time Attack Impreza prepares for retirement, it is fitting that the many accomplishments of car and driver are documented in print. Takata Time Attack was very fortunate to connect with Richard Fong, photographer and writer for the industry's premiere publication, DSport magazine. The May 2010 issue reached over 600,000 readers and features an incredible 6 page feature by Mr. Fong on the original Takata Impreza. Visit DSport's website at dragsport.com.

March 5th, 2010: Takata Time Attack announced today the winner of their contest to design the livery of the Takata Impreza using the Forza Motorsport 3 video game. Coinciding with this announcement, SEIBON Carbon has partnered with Takata Time Attack to provide the Carbon Fiber body panels necessary for the Takata Impreza to realize this livery.

The Takata Time Attack Impreza Version 1, which has now retired from the Time Attack circuit, was made famous by a livery contest in 2008 involving Microsoft's hit racing video game, Forza Motorsport 2.  The Takata Time Attack Impreza Version 2, currently underdevelopment by Subaru specialists LIC Motorsports, needed a new livery.  Driver James Elterman once again turned to the Forza Motorsport community to design a new livery for the car.

The contest, which utilized the series' latest version, Forza Motorsport 3, generated 262 design submissions, approximately 150 more than the contest conducted in 2008.  Ten finalist designs were announced on February 26, 2010, and included gamers from the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, and Australia.  The winner of the contest, Jason Dakins, of Ontario, Canada, was announced today via a YouTube video of driver James Elterman personally introducing the 3 top designs.

"Jason's design immediately stood out due to his incredible attention to detail in replicating the Takata Racing Harnesses in the livery with incredible accuracy" said Elterman.  "The design also incorporates some of the design elements from the outgoing design, making it easily recognizable to our fans, while still having a fresh new look for our racecar."

For his efforts, Dakins will be the recipient of a Takata Racing Harness, as well as other prizes from Takata Time Attack and Forza Motorsport publisher Turn 10.

To turn Dakin's design from virtual to reality, Elterman turned to SEIBON Carbon, the leader in high quality aftermarket carbon fiber body components.  SEIBON Carbon's doors and other body components will be used to achieve the look of Dakin's design, which included exposed carbon fiber.  In addition, the use of carbon fiber will significantly reduce the weight of the Takata Impreza.

Takata Time Attack, which was recently announced as a franchised team in the Redline Time Attack series for 2010, will debut the Takata Time Attack Impreza at a Redline Time Attack in the Spring of 2010 with Dakin's livery design.

Complete Press Release after the jump...

James Elterman and Takata Time Attack, the 2008 Redline Time Attack Modified AWD Champion and 2009 runner-up, have announced a new partnership with Northern California based Subaru specialist LIC Motorsports to campaign a Time Attack car in the 2010 racing season. Takata Time Attack will field the new Takata Impreza in the Modified/Limited class at west coast Redline Time Attack and Super Lap Battle events where it will be piloted by James Elterman.

"Partnering with LIC Motorsports as opposed to campaigning my own car will finally give me the opportunity to focus on driving and being an excellent spokesperson for the companies that support us." said James Elterman, owner of Takata Time Attack. "I am pleased to have partnered with LIC because they have the same level of commitment and professionalism that I have, combined with the talent to be successful. Additionally it gives me the chance to extend my lasting relationship with Subarus in which I find great pleasure in driving."

Companies supporting the Takata Time Attack 2010 Campaign include

Takata Racing Products
LIC Motorsports
Nitto Tire:
SEIBON Carbon
Solo Performance
Wheeldude
Cobb Tuning
JE Pistons
Deatsch Werks

The Takata Impreza Version 2 is scheduled to make its debut at the Redline Time Attack season opener at Buttonwillow Raceway in Buttonwillow, California at the end of March.  The full press release is after the jump.

Each year the SEMA Show in Las Vegas attracts over 100,000 automotive industry professionals and showcases the industry's hotest cars and new products.  The Takata Time Attack Impreza was honored at the show by earning a place in the SEIBON Carbon outdoor display in a very prominent location just outside the main hall.  SEIBON Carbon is the industry leader in lightweight carbon fiber and fiberglass replacement panels.  The Takata Impreza uses SEIBON carbon fiber hood, fenders, and trunk as well as fiberglass doors to reduce weight.  This marked the 3rd time our Impreza has been in the show.  The first was in 2005 with Nukabe/Cusco, and the second in 2006 with Go Fast Bits.

Check out our SEMA photo gallery by Budski Photography on Flickr with over 200 photos of our favorites from the show.

Takata Time Attack Impreza in SEIBON Carbon display

Some of today's most talented drivers emerge from the sport of autocross.  Takata Time Attack's own James Elterman is a product of the St. Louis Region's SCCA Solo program where he honed his skill before progressing to road course events.  To promote the development of future local talent, James has coordinated the sponsorship of the St. Louis Region's Index Championship by Takata.  The Takata Index Championship is a season long battle across all Solo racing classes to determine the top driver in the region.  A photo contest was recently conducted to promote the championship in which both the car owner and photographer were the recipient of a Takata Time Attack T-Shirt.  The winners of the contest were Geoff Sneddon and Greg Havener.  In the photo below, Greg is 3 wheeling his Honda CRX while sporting the Takata Index Championship logo in the rear.  To view all of the submissions, follow this link to the official St. Louis Region SCCA Forums.

Congratulations Geoff Sneddon and Greg Havener!

With only one event in the St. Louis Region Solo series remaining, there is a tight battle at the top of the Takata Index Championship.  The top 5 with one event remaining are below.  The point leader after the final event will be the recipient of a Takata Multi Point Harness!

Position	Driver	Best 5 of 7 Events
1	Matthew Huntman	49856
2	John Powell	49412
3	Dave Montgomery	49346
4	Kyle Langley	49333
5	Kia Gharib	48678

The Takata Time Attack Impreza has a brilliant shine thanks it pearlescent white paint.  But this beautiful paint also serves as camouflage for a secret weapon.  Helping the Takata Impreza achieve it's low competition weight of only 2,750 lbs. are Carbon and Fiberglass panels from the industry leader, SEIBON Carbon.  The fenders and hood are both carbon, whilst all four doors are fiberglass.  The hood serves as the only clue as the carbon fiber is exposed in the middle to reveal the beautiful weave of SEIBON's high quality carbon.  The Takata Impreza was recently honored by SEIBON by it's inclusion in advertisement currently gracing the pages of many sport compact magazines.  The advertisement includes photos of some of the fastest cars sporting SEIBON lightweight body panels.  Special thanks to SEIBON for including us in the ad. 

To view the ad, follow this link.  To find out more about SEIBON products, visit SEIBONCarbon.com .

After a long off season, James Elterman and the Takata Impreza are anxious to return to the Redline Time Attack series to defend the Modified AWD Championship.  With 2 west coast rounds already on the books for 2009, there are high hopes for a strong debut at Round 3 at Autobahn Country Club just south of Chicago.  Throughout the off season leading up the 2009 debut, Paul Szuba and his crew at P&L Motorsports were tasked with refreshing, repairing, and upgrading the Takata Impreza.  Paul and James were faced with many surprises and challenges throughout the off season, all of which climaxed with serious problems that arose just 36 hours before the event. 

On Thursday evening prior to the event, pro tuner Jorge Carillo was dyno tuning the Takata Impreza's fresh new engine, when unknown to anyone, injector #3 began to fail at high rpms.  The result was a blown engine, and a very long night for P&L's die hard crew.  By Friday morning the Takata Impreza had a borrowed stock engine, and by afternoon was tuned for just over 400 whp with fingers crossed that the engine would last the race.  As a fierce storm rolled through Chicago Friday evening, P&L's shop lost power.  The final touches were applied by the light of generator powered drop lights.

James Elterman was recently honored with two special awards during the off-season.  The first was the 2008 Award of Excellence presented by the St. Louis Region Sports Car Club of America.  This award was presented to James in recognition of his continued support of the St. Louis racing community.  Although James rarely finds time to compete in St. Louis region events, he continues to contribute to various programs throughout the year.  The second award was presented by the St. Louis Auto Racing Fan Club in recognition of James' performance in the 2008 Redline Time Attack series to become the Modified AWD National Champion.  Each year the St. Louis Auto Racing Fan Club recognizes national champions from the St. Louis area at their annual Banquet of Champions.

For more information on the St. Louis Region SCCA, visit STLSCCA.org
For more information on the St. Louis Auto Racing Fan Club, STLFanClub.com

The 2008 Time Attack Season is in the history books, and James Elterman and his Impreza once again had an incredible year.  Thanks to a new partnership with Takata Racing Products, our Impreza has taken on a new persona which is barely recognizable as the former ShimmySideways STi.  With our excellent showing in the Redline Time Attack series in 2008, we can finally be recognized as a National Champion.  Before looking forward to 2009, we would like to recognize the efforts of some individuals that helped us achieve this new level of success.

• Bret and Takata: Thanks for the opportunity.  It has been a pleasure.
• Paul and the P&L Motorsports crew: Your knowledge and talent built a capable and reliable race car without which this would not be possible.
• Kirk and the Nukabe team: I wouldn't have made it this far without you. I owe it all to you.
• Dave and Solo Performance: Always a pleasure to do business with a good business minded individual such as yourself.
• Nitto Tire, Seibon, Hans, & Girodisc: I am fortunate to be sponsored by companies that make the best products in the industry.
• Landin Williams of Forza Motorsport/T10: The livery contest was a big success for both of us.  I'll never forget it.
• Andre Guerrieri: You designed what can be described as no less than the sexiest car on the Time Attack circuit.  I can't thank you enough.
• James Schmidt aka Budski: Incredible photos that have made the car famous.
• Eric Deford: Graphics, Logos, and more.  You are a pro Eric, and you bring professionalism to my team.
• Ben Ott: You challenged me, and I will continue to exceed your expectations.
• Arshad, Jeff, Jeef, Jianxiong, and all who turned a wrench: Thank you.
• Jan Rick and Eileen von Hatten: Likely my two biggest cheerleaders outside of my family.  You are a source of encouragement.
• St. Louis Region SCCA: My home, my friends, & my family, thanks for your support.
• My Competition: Because of you I have had to work harder at this than I have anything else in my life, and because of that winning feels all the more worth while.
  and of course...
• Holly and Gracie: My beautiful and supportive wife and daughter, because of you I am truely the luckiest guy in the world.
  
  Lets do it again in 2009!

Turn 10, the publishers of Microsoft’s hit video game racing series Forza Motorsport, recently conducted various contests within Forza Motorsport 2 to celebrate the debut of the Takata Time Attack Impreza.  The contests focused on the Takata Impreza which was designed by Forza Motorsports player Andre Guerrieri earlier this year.  Turn 10 was generous enough to create thousands of copies of the virtual Takata Impreza for distribution to Forza players worldwide.  In addition to looking good, the virtual Takata Impreza also featured a fine tuned setup for the virtual Road Atlanta road course courtesy of Tuning AG.  Turn 10 invited Forza Motorsports players worldwide to grab a copy of the car and participate in a variety of contests.

In the spirit of Time Attack, the first contest was a hotlap competition in which players competed for the fastest lap time around Road Atlanta using the Takata Impreza.  With thousands of participants worldwide, the competition was intense.  In the end, user R2P JED earned the fastest lap time of 1:19.472.  R2P JED was the winner of a Takata Race Harness, Takata T-Shirt and Hat, 20 Million Forza 2 credits, and more. 

The second contest utilized Forza Motorsport 2’s photomode to challenge players to take the most dynamic photo of the Takata Impreza.  The winning player was mnkpro with the photo submission below.  mnkpro received a Takata hat and 5 million in Forza 2 credits.  Click here to view all of the submissions.

Additional contest winners included player DeathlikeRoom, who posted a similar time in the hotlap challenge to James Elterman’s real life lap time at Road Atlanta recently.  Darth Eletius also won a bonus prize for submitting a photo that closely resembled a photo taken of the Takata Impreza at Road Atlanta.

Thank you to everyone that participated in the Forza Motorsport contests!

Takata Time Attack is proud to announce our latest partner, SEIBON Carbon!  Seibon Carbon, a division of Seibon International, Inc. specializes in the design and manufacture of high-quality carbon-fiber automotive body components such as hoods, trunks, fenders, doors and aerodynamic body additions such as rear spoilers and side skirts.  The Takata Impreza will feature the following components from Seibon...

SEIBON Carbon Fiber Hood
SEIBON Carbon Fiber Fenders
SEIBON Fiberglass Front Doors
SEIBON Fiberglass Rear Doors
SEIBON Fiberglass Trunk

In addition to the new Seibon components, the Takata Impreza will be getting a facelift curtesy of P&L Motorsports.  The front of the car will be converted to the MY06 style, and will include a new INGS+1 style front bumper and complimenting side skirts.  In addition to the weight savings provided by these components, they will also lend to improved aerodynamics, better heat exchange for the intercooler and engine compartment, and increase tire clearance curtesy of the wider Seibon fenders.  The rendering below created by Andre "dRizZe" Guerrieri using Forza Motorsport 2 illustrates how the Takata Impreza will look with the new equipment.

The Time Attack debut of the Takata Impreza is less than a month away!  To follow the build of the Takata Impreza, please visit the build thread at the Forza Motorsport.net Forums.

With great enthusiasm we bring you news of our new Title Sponsor, Takata!  Takata, a leading global supplier of automotive safety systems, has partnered with out team to increase the exposure of their Multi Point Racing harness to the racing market.  This new alliance will usher in a new era for our team.  The ShimmySideways Team will henceforth be known as Takata Time Attack.  We invite you to add our new web address to your bookmarks, TakataTimeAttack.com.  With the support of our subsidiary sponsors P&L Motorsports, Nitto Tire, and Nukabe, you can expect the Takata Time Attack Team to be one of the most competitive teams on the Time Attack circuit.  For 2008 we have an aggressive season planned with appearances at many Redline Time Attack, Super Lap Battle, and NASA Time Trial events.  Just as in 2007, our Impreza will compete in the Modified/Limited class at Time Attack Events.  In NASA TT, we have jumped from TTA to TTS due to our projected horsepower gains.

To welcome Takata as our new Title Sponsor, one of our first orders of business is to replace the livery on the ShimmySideways STi with graphics that promote Takata and their products.  To design the graphics for our car we enlisted the help of the community of artists and gamers in Microsoft's hit videogame racing series, Forza Motorsport.  With the assistance of Turn 10's Landin Williams, a community manager for Forza Motorsport, we conducted a contest which yielded nearly 100 submissions for the design of our Impreza; View them all at this link.  Andre Guerrieri, aka dRizZe of Tuning AG, was recently announced the winner.  The concept art based on his design is illustrated below.  Congratulations Andre!  Thank you for helping us develop the new image for our team!  And thank you to everyone that participated in the contest.

The response to this contest by the Forza Motorsport community has been so great that ForzaMotorsport.net will be publishing multiple features throughout the year regarding the build of the car and the racing campaign.  The first of these articles, a feature about James Elterman, has been posted here.  Stay tuned to ForzaMotorsport.net for upcoming features.

Nukabe's efforts in the Time Attack circuit are getting great press thanks to some excellent results in recent months.  The Nukabe / Cusco Evo 9, recently Overall Street Class Champion at the GIR Redline Time Attack, appeared in a two page spread in the November issue of Super Street magazine.  Photos for the spread were taken at the 2006 Super Lap Battle at Buttonwillow Raceway.  Additionally, the ShimmySideways STi, recent Overall Modified Class Champion at the GIR Redline Time Attack, appeared in both Modified (November) and Super Street (December) magazines with coverage of the 2007 Super Lap Battle qualifier at Road Atlanta, where James and the ShimmySideways STi set the TTA lap record!  Both articles include multiple pictures of our STi.  See for yourself by clicking on any of the magazine thumbnails below to view a PDF excerpt.  Keep your eye on future Primedia publications such as Super Street, Modified, Import Tuner, eurotuner and Siphon magazines for more coverage of Time Attack events; and if you happen to spot us, drop us a line!  Special thanks to David Pratte and Elliot Moran for their continued support of Time Attack!

Click an image for a preview

The ShimmySideways Racing Team would like to congratulate Jeff Templeton and Cody Caringer on their recent victory at the 100 Acre Wood Rally of Salem, Missouri.  Jeff Templeton, who drove for the ShimmySideways Team in 2005 and 2006, is making his transition from Autocross to Performance Rally and is off to a tremendous start.  After just 2 rallies in 2006, Jeff was invited to compete in the National Regional Championship event at the 100 Acre Wood Rally.  Competing in Production GT with an Impreza 2.5 RS, which is at a power disadvantage compared to the Impreza WRX’s also in PGT, Jeff earned a handful of trophies over the weekend.  His performance on Friday earned him 2nd place in the Trespassers Wil event, and on Saturday he earned 1st place in the 100 Acre Wood.  Jeff’s combined timed over the two days was the fastest in classes earning him the National-Regional Champion title.  This is a tremendous accomplishment considering that it was only his third full event, and further impressive that it was all done on the same set of tires.

Riding shotgun with Jeff throughout the event was Navigator Cody Caringer.  Cody is also new to the sport with only a few rallies under his belt.  This victory with Jeff is his greatest achievement and will surely pave the way for his continued success.  Cody’s racing career will be on a slight hiatus as he serves for the United States Navy.  Look for Cody’s return to rally in a few years when he hopes to swap seats.

Jeff and Cody’s crew included Crew Chief Jeff Selig, Philip Cline, and ShimmySideways’ own James Elterman.

For an excellent recount of the event from Jeff Templeton’s perspective, please visit this thread at Solo2.org. You will also find a few photos from the event here in our gallery.  You can find other photos at Special Stage.com, NASIOC.com, DavisCG.com, and Cstryker86’s Photobucket.

Indoor karting facility Grand Prix Speedways of Earth City, Missouri was recently host to a stop on the 2007 Indy 500 Fan Tour. In addition to a full-size Indy Car simulator and a display of various IndyCar series collectables, the event featured a Celebrity Kart Race. Representing IndyCar was 1999 Indy Rookie of the Year Robby McGehee, and Indy Pro Series driver Logan Gomez. Other local celebrities were on hand to compete in the race such as Mark Anelli of the St. Louis Rams, Scott Rizutto of 105.7 The Point, Greg Damon of KMOX, and Rob Desir of Fox 2 News. With half the karts for this Super Track race filled by the celebrities, the remainder were filled with the top Super Track qualifiers of the day. In a close race the winner of the Celebrity Race was ShimmySideways' own James Elterman with a mere .020 second gap in front of Joseph Winkelmann in second place.  The top placing celebrity was Indy Pro Series driver Logan Gomez in fifth.

To find out if the 2007 Indy 500 Fan Tour is coming to your area, click here.

Although the ShimmySideways STi has remained mostly idle since the close of the 2006 racing season, it is still popping up in various places in the media.  In the February issue of SubieSport Magazine, our STi is included in a feature highlighting all of the Subarus at the 2006 SEMA Show.  More notably though you'll also find it on page 10 in a FastWRX.com advertisement.  Big thanks to Dan of Mach V Motorsports and FastWRX.com for choosing our car to represent his company.  Dan tells us that the ad will likely run for a few months.  Click here to get a better view of the ad. 

In addition to this great print exposure, you'll also find our STi at a new place on the internet thanks to Mike Cox of Wicked Stickers.  Mike and company are responsible for the recent (and temporary) Go Fast Bits makeover for the SEMA Show.  Mike was very pleased with the result and feels that our car “represents the Wicked Stickers name better than any”.  We couldn't be happier with the result either and we are happy to recommend Wicked for all of your vinyl and tinting needs.  Be sure to visit the Wicked Stickers gallery to view many of their customers' cars.

Further proof that the sport of Time Attack is increasing in popularity, the Redline Time Attack conducted at Summit Point's Shenandoah circuit early this year was recently featured in Modified Mag and S3: Speed Style and Sound Magazine.  At the event, James Elterman piloted both the ShimmySideways STi and the Nukabe Evo 9.  A photo of the Nukabe/Cusco camp appeared in Modified Magazine.  The editors of S3 magazine also apparently liked the ShimmySideways STi as it appeared twice in the issue.  Neither issue available on news stands any longer but you can preview the coverage from Modified in this attached PDF and from S3 in this attached PDF.  Special Thanks to David Pratte of Modified Mag and the editors of S3.

ShimmySideways Team owner James Elterman and wife Holly would like to announce the birth of their first child, Gracie Ann Elterman.  Gracie was born on October 6th at 9:42pm.  She weighed 9 lbs. 2 oz. and was 21 inches long.  Gracie and Holly are doing very well.  For more photos of baby Gracie please visit James Elterman's Bebo page.

The ShimmySideways Team's Martha Lou Haddon was recently picked by SCCA's official publication, SportsCar Magazine, as the driver most likely to win B-Street Prepared Ladies at the 2006 Solo Nationals later this year. Martha Lou is no stranger to the sport.  Martha Lou has campaigned various cars over the years with her husband and mechanic, Joe Haddon.  Martha Lou became a National Champion in 1982 in an E-Prepared MG Buyeye Sprite, and again in 2004 in a Honda CRX also in E-Prepared.  Although the transition has not been easy from lightweight prepared cars to the comparatively heavy and powerful ShimmySideways STi, Martha Lou is clearing showing potential to be a serious competitor at this years Solo Nationals.  For more information about Martha Lou, visit our driver's page.

Participation in the Redline Time Attack series has greatly increased the exposure of the ShimmySideways Team. The ShimmySideways STi is pictured in the September 2006 issue of Modified Magazine in both an article about the Redline Time Attack at BeaveRun and on the back of the protective wrapper the magazine is shipped in. In the article, James Elterman also gets a mention for his 2nd place finish in Modifed All-Wheel-Drive at the event. Pickup your copy of Modified Magazine today! In the meantime, you can view the attached PDF for an excerpt of the Time Attack coverage. Be sure to pick up the December issue of Modified Magazine which will feature coverage of the recent Redline Time Attack at Summit Point.  Special Thanks to Author, Photographer, and Racer, David Pratte who has been covering the series.

The Cusco/Advan racing team has returned to the Japan Super GT Championship with a more potent Impreza for the 2006 season. The new car is the first ever All-Wheel-Drive with a Transaxle gearbox to compete in Super GT. It has been 10 years since an All-Wheel-Drive car competed in the Super GT/JGTC, which was the Skyline GT-R in 1996. In seasons prior, the Cusco/Advan team has utilized a Rear Wheel Drive Impreza to avoid a weight increase. On this new 2006 model, the engineers were able to reduce weight by developing a new body and chassis, and redesigning the roll cage. The 2006 Cusco/Advan Super GT Impreza will make its debut at Sugo on July 22nd-23rd. This Impreza will certainly be a strong competitor in the series with the added traction that Subaru's Symmetrical All-Wheel-Drive system offers.

For more information about the Cusco/Advan Racing Team, visit CuscoRacing.com

In a story relating to the recent SCCA National Tour event in Walnut Ridge, Arkansas, the ShimmySideways STi appeared in photo.  The story appeared on the front page of SCCA.com, and also in the motorsports section of SpeedTV.com.  In the photo, Martha Lou Haddon is at the wheel of the ShimmySideways STi. 

The ShimmySideways Racing Team would like to extend their Congratulations to Jeff Templeton who recently made his Rally debut at the Trespassers Wil / 100 Acre Wood event in Salem, Missouri.  Jeff has been anxious to get involved with rally for many years, and despite less than ideal circumstances he has accomplished this goal.  Jeff was faithful to the racecar which has been good to him for the last few years, earning him many accolades in the sport of Solo2 and Rallycross.  His Subaru Impreza 2.5 RS was modified to conform to Rally-America's Production GT class.  Despite the now minimalist interior and roll cage, the vehicle is still street legal and also serves as Jeff's daily driver.

For the Trespassers Wil and 100 Acre Wood rally, Jeff recruited Heath Nunnemacher to navigate.  Heath's prior experience as a navigator was a great asset for Jeff's first rally endeavor.  Jeff's crew consisted of James Elterman, Ben Ott, and Jeff Selig.  Jeff's result for the rallies were 3rd in class for the Trespassers Wil and 2nd in class for the 100 Acre Wood. A very impressive result for his first rally.  Jeff's first rally was made possible in part to Jeff's sponsors, Izzy's Custom Cages, Solo Performance Specialties, and 321 Go Video.  For a full recount of the event from Jeff's perspective, visit this thread on Solo2.org.

Jeff Templeon co-drove the ShimmySideways STi in 2005, and although he will be focusing his efforts on rally in 2006, expect Jeff to join James to pilot the ShimmySideways STi at many of the key autocross events of 2006.

For the first time ShimmySideways merchandise is now available. To celebrate we are going to give away one free 2006 12-month wall calendar full of great photos of the ShimmySideways STi in action. To enter is simple! All you need to do is post a comment on any news article during the month of December 2005. If you aren't already registered, you will need to become a registered member before posting a comment. On January 1st, 2006 we will randomly choose one eligible person to receive the calendar. For more details about this contest, including eligibility, please click the read more link. Please note that multiple comments will not increase your chances of winning. If you simply can't wait to win one, you can also purchase a calendar from our online store for the unbelievable price of $17.99.

The Shimmy Sideways Racing Team is very happy to announce the addition of Jeff Templeton as a co-driver for the 2005 racing season!  Jeff is well known and liked among the St. Louis region SCCA, and also among the Subaru community.  In addition, he has many significant accomplishments in the last few years; including a ProSolo SuperChallenge victory in 2004, and a 1st in class season win backed by a 3rd place finish in the Index Championship in the 2003 St. Louis Regionals.  Jeff has been campaigning his 2000 Subaru Impreza 2.5 RS since 2000 in both autocross and rallycross events; so he is no stranger to Subaru's.  We are excited to have him join us.  For more information about Jeff, check out the Driver's page.

The 2004 racing season has ended.  Considering this was our first year developing this car, we had an excellent run.  There are only a few short months until the 2005 season begins so we are busy preparing the car.  The Shimmy Sideways 2004 DVD which highlights the 2004 racing season will be available in Summer 2005.  The results for 2004 are as follows...

The regional Index Championship win is James Elterman's second consecutive win.  Robert's finish of 4th is his best ever.  In the Midwest Division, the Shimmy Sideways Team certainly made its mark capturing 2nd and 3rd place with James only 1 point out of 1st.  Unfortunately at the Solo2 National our STi had a failure which rendered it uncompetitive, yet we still finished in respectable positions.

So what is in store for the 2005 season?  For starters, Robert Jennings will be returning to the Jennings Motorsports' Honda S2000; and James has recruited a new co-driver for the STi.  Who is this mystery driver? Stay tuned...