Travis Pastrana Launches the Subaru Brataroo in Gymkhana 'Aussie Shred' Down Under

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      According to the team at Hoonigan, they've been trying to shoot Gymkhana in Australia for almost ten years. But it finally happened, resulting in nine expertly edited minutes of Travis Pastrana tearing it up in the Outback (the location, not the Subaru—but there’s a cameo at 1:45) in the country that inspired the whole Gymkhana concept. If you’re like me, you might feel a bit let down that they didn’t film the entire thing upside-down. But that’s alright. Welcome to Gymkhana: Aussie Shred.

      While Pastrana is behind the wheel, the real star is the car: a ’78 Subaru Brat that has been thoroughly transformed at Vermont Super Cars into the Subaru Brataroo 9500 Turbo. As with previous installments, this one kicks off with an extravagant stunt—this time featuring a huge road train and some impressive airtime—and it only gets crazier from there.

      This adventure around the continent has it all. There are jumps (both spontaneous and planned), grinding (seriously, that wharf), obstacles, drifts, and plenty of J-turns, plus he’s even crossing rivers. Is this The Outback Trail? (No, that’s not actually a thing.) Pastrana even takes a moment in Broken Hill, New South Wales, to spin donuts around a kangaroo while on a Segway. Why not?

      If you’re like me, part of the fun of these videos is watching Pastrana’s facial reactions. It’s evident I’m not the only one, as he exaggerates his expressions more than usual this time. If you’ve ever been curious about the kind of face you might make while thinking, “I’m about to lose five more teeth,” this video provides several examples.

      And if you enjoy the theatrics, around 3:30, Pastrana maneuvers the Brataroo sideways in the midst of a V8 Supercars race, challenging one of the cars to a roll race on Mount Panorama’s Conrod Straight—named for its high top speed that encourages drivers to push their engines to the brink. The Brataroo is powered by a four-cylinder engine with 2.0 liters, but that boxer generates 670 horsepower and 680 pound-feet of torque, revving up to 9,500 RPM. It certainly holds its own.

      Amidst the moments of concern, we do catch some enjoyable scenes of Pastrana truly appreciating what may be the best job in the world. After expertly navigating a tight turn around a city corner at around 6:30, he exclaims a simple “F*** YEAH!” and throws a fist pump. Don’t worry if you’re in a mixed crowd: his microphone channel wasn’t included in the final cut. And just to clarify that Pastrana doesn’t always display that high level of precision, we quickly cut to him, ahem, bumping a planter with the rear bumper of the Brataroo. It only crumples about six inches. Nothing to see here, folks!

      That just skims the surface of the video, but why read about it when you can watch it? It’s truly a delight.

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