Flatirons Syndicate Motorsports Podcast

In this episode, our guests are Justin Grimm and Art Petrakov of Overtake USA. We start out discussing the origin of Overtake USA, and what Justin's inspiration was to get back involved with the Subaru market. From there, we talk about the current state of Subaru, and what we think the future holds for both new and old Subaru models alike. And what does the Future hold for Overtake USA? We get...

The Loam Ranger, aka Ryan Kelly, is our guest on this episode of the Flatirons Syndicate Podcast. Ryan fell in love with Rally Racing at almost the same time as he found Mountain Biking. Because Mountain Biking was much easier to get involved with, that is where he started, but he always dreamed of trying his hand at Rally... Now that Dream is turning into a Reality Ryan had already started down t...

This is a short episode of the Flatirons Syndicate Podcast. For Episode #176, I wanted to give a quick update about the state of the Podcast, and a hint about some of the guests that we have in the works to bring on.2026 also seems like it is going to be a crucial year for Subaru, and may determine the direction that they go in the years to come. With the new models coming out like the Uncharted a...

Pikes Peak 2025 was one of our most challenging years yet. We decided to move to a new Engine and Turbo package this year, running a Turn in Concepts De-Stroked EJ234 engine, and while we saw glimpses of greatness, we were chasing a lot of head gasket issues this year. We have talked about what happened through the course of getting ready for Pikes Peak, and then the engine change during Pikes Pea...

We love our 2024 WRX shop car. The more that we live with this car, it is clear that this is the best WRX that we have ever had on offer, but could this be the end for the WRX?No one is buying WRX's now after Subaru had to adjust pricing due to Tariffs...With sales numbers sinking to BRZ levels, can Subaru continue to make the WRX? Can they make a small change to get enthusiasts excited about...

All ready this year, Tariffs have started to have an effect on both Auto Manufactures and the Automotive Aftermarket. There has also been a fair amount of confusion around possible changes in the way that the EPA is going to enforce regulations as well which has left shops and enthusiasts alike with questions. SEMA is always at the forefront of any of these changes that affect the Automotive After...

The 2026 Subaru Outback and Outback Wilderness have now been revealed. But Subaru has another new car up their sleeve. The 2026 Subaru Trailseeker EVThis looks a lot like a Legacy Wagon of old, but this new EV will be both the most powerful and fastest Subaru ever if it actually hits the advertised performance markers of 375 hp and a zero to 60 time of 4.3 seconds. In this episode we talk about th...

There is a good chance that you know Dewey from IAG's Thursday Thing. Or Devin Giles from Professional Awesome. But did you know that these two guys (and James Houghton) have now formed another Podcast called Heat Exchanger where they talk about everything that is going on in Grid Life. Devin and Dewey have been building cars and driving competitively for a long time now, and for this episode,...

When a car is fun to drive and fast on track, it doesn't typically stay a secret for long. As a car gets a reputation with enthusiasts, they quickly become more expensive because they are more sought after. With the lack of new fun cars to choose from at a reasonable price for the last couple of years, there has been a lot of focus on cars that are 5 - 10 years old. It can certainly seem like...

Damien Bradley of Team Legacy UK is entered to run the 2025 Pikes Peak Hill Climb. He will be piloting a 1992 Legacy that has been setting hill climb records in the UK.Damien has been working with Roger Clark Motorsports, AET Turbos, and Alcon brakes and many others through the years as he developed and improved his Hill Climb Monster, and we had the opportunity to chat with him about competing in...

There are a ton of things to consider if you are looking for a new car. Do you want a car or an SUV? What transmission are you looking for? What features do you definitely want? And what features do you want to avoid? On this episode of the Flatirons Syndicate Podcast, we have Mike Pettiford as a guest, and we talk about all of these questions and more. Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned! For more...

Tanner aka Smeedia is back on the podcast! In this episode, we catch up with him on the progress of his RSTi build, and we end up talking about hard to find Subaru parts, old Vs. new cars and the direction that we see Subaru moving in. But we also have big news. Flatirons Tuning is now Smeedia's primary sponsor for Subaru parts! We go over the details of that here, and you can now support both...

As we sat down to record this episode, the 24 Hours of Daytona had just happened, so we start out talking about the race this year. Endurance races like Le Mans, Daytona, and 24hrs of the Nürburgring are getting more popular every year it seems so we talk about the appeal and the challenge of endurance racing. Also Auto Manufacturers have now appealed to the NHTSA for Emergency Braking Systems lik...

Just a few weeks in the 2025, and there has been a flurry of Subaru news. At the Tokyo Auto Salon, the new S210 STI was revealed, but it is based on the WRX S4 and is the first "S" car to use a CVT transmission. How does this compare to the previous "S" series cars? The new 2026 Outback has been leaked, and it is a big change from the current design. The problem is it looks alm...

Now that we have the WRX TR Brembo brakes and Cusco Zero 3-G Gravel suspension on our VB WRX, we needed to get our Subaru out onto its natural habitat... A dirt road. Carter and Jon take the car out to shake it down, and talk about first impressions of the car with these parts installed. If you would like more information about the brakes, here is a link to them on the Flatirons Tuning web site. h...

Is drifting around a corner faster or slower? Why do Rally Cars drift around corners? A couple of episodes ago, Tasso mentioned in the wrap-up that drifting was slower. For this episode we tackle that question and talk about drifting, sliding, and car control. Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!

A couple of weeks ago now iWire made the somewhat surprising announcement that they were going to stop offering harness merging services for people that were doing engine swaps in their Subaru's. Helping with harnesses seemed like it was fundamental to iWire's business, so why would they move away from it? On this episode, Jon and Jeremy chat with Brian about what went into the decision to make th...

For episode #163 of the Flatirons Syndicate podcast, Jon is in the shop with Mike Pettiford of Go 4 It Services, and Jeremy of Money Shift Rally. Jeremy just got back from Ridge Rally in California, so we start with his recap of the event. While he was there, he needed to rent a car, so he got an Automatic VB WRX. Yes, the one with the CVT (aka Subaru Performance Transmission). What if the Auto WR...

For episode #162 of the Flatirons Syndicate Podcast, Jon sits down to talk with Tasso and Jeremy about what has been on their minds. We start off talking about what it means now that iWire is phasing out their harness merge service. Are standalone ECU's now going to be the best solution? From there, we go over our plans to change the suspension on our 2024 VB WRX shop car. Should we build for Tarm...

When it was announced that the WRX TR would be getting 6-Piston Brembo brakes, it sparked two questions. First was how easy it would be to put these on a standard WRX? Second, are these Brembos the same as what came on the 2019 - 2021 STI? We were curious too, and we decided to make this the first modification to our 2024 WRX project car. The install went very smoothly, and the performance upgrade...

If you have a WRX or and STI, and you have taken it to the track a few times, or have tuned it up to make more power, you may be at the point where you want or need to upgrade your brakes. There are a number of common upgrades, such as the Subaru 4-Pot and 2-Pot calipers from the 06-07 WRX, or the STI Brembos. And ever since the STI got the larger Brembo 6-piston calipers, those are becoming a mor...

There is no question that car prices are the highest that they have ever been. This was the topic of our latest Podcast in fact. But that got us wondering what would happen if we looked at current Subaru prices another way. What if we looked at a 2024 WRX but with 2002 dollars? What if we took inflation out of the equation to compare the 2002 WRX with the 2024 WRX? Would the current car be a bette...

Here in the US, we have only ever had the WRX STI, but in other parts of the world, there have been STI versions of other Subaru models like the Legacy and Forester. In the Legacy STI and Forester STI, the power and performance of the car was tweaked by the STI, which is why they got the "STI" badge. So we got to thinking, since Subaru sells the most Outbacks, Foresters, and Crosstreks of all of t...

For episode #160 of the Flatirons Syndicate Podcast, Jon, Tasso, and Jeremy sit down to try to figure out why cars are so expensive. I'd make the argument that cars that cost more than $60,000 are irrelevant to most of us, but most of the fun cars are sitting just above or well above that mark now. So what happened? And how do cup holders fit in? Thanks for watching and make sure you are following...

A few years ago, Subaru and Vermont Sports Car decided to build a car to push the boundaries of what was possible with a Subaru, and they called it The Airslayer. That car was used to create a Gymkhana video and also went on to set the overall record in the Mt. Washington Hill Climb. And since then Subaru and Vermont Sports Car have gone on to build The Family Huckster, and their latest build, Pro...