Jourdan's WRX Hatch: Pulling Every String

I’ve noticed that there’s a pretty significant crossover from skateboarding to drifting or time attack, but I’ve never met a driver who first sated their adrenaline addiction with paintball. Still, the connection is understandable; both provide real thrills as well as an opportunity to tinker.

“It was the technical aspect of racing which got me into it; the ways people would work around the rules and find clever ways to make the car faster—those were what drew me to time attack,” said Jourdan Risoen, WRX fan and GTA competitor. He’s taken one of the mildest Impreza designs in recent years and made it into a competitive car with a short list of additions. To get to that point, he had to go through some discomfort, and even after he started standing on the podium, the problems didn’t stop.

The Subaru WRX is not a simple car and it requires a fair amount of upkeep, but, as willing to wrench as he is, nights in the garage weren’t what drew him to the platform. Actually, it was an Outback he bought on a whim that led him to joining a local Subaru club and frequenting the local tapioca spots. Some members had reported about the thrill of autocross, and after Jourdan sold the Outback for a 2009 Impreza 2.5i, he tried it for himself.

Not only was he getting some of the exhilaration he experienced flinging paint at friends, but he now found a route to follow. The strict SCCA rulebook showed him exactly where he could splurge and where he had to save. Sensibly, he looked for any opportunities to take advantage of—and those have to remain somewhat secret, obviously.

What can be said is that the car, despite having only 140 horsepower, was surprisingly competitive with a few modifications. He threw on a set of Koni shocks with a Ground Control coilover kit, Whiteline swaybars and control arms, and a set of Rota DPTs fit well within his budget and still made the handling changes he was after.

All throughout tuning this naturally aspirated Impreza, Jourdan dreamt of a WRX hatchback. He couldn’t quite justify the time and cost involved with moving onto a new platform at that point, so he chose to soothe himself with the notion that he was spending some time outfitting this parts-bin car with the right modifications he’d one day use on his WRX.

Unfortunately, the hand of fate intervened and one harrowing collision had him looking for a new car in a hurry. When a 2011 WRX hatchback popped up on his radar, he had no excuse. It was soon his, and with a good 250 horsepower, a set of Wilwood brakes at all four corners, and stickier tires on the Rotas, he swapped over all the salvageable parts from the previous car and hopped into a more competitive category.

In 2018, he competed in every west coast event of Global Time Attack and placed second in the Enthusiast class with a couple thirds and one second place—for a little added confidence, he secured a third in the Speed SF Challenge, too. That period of regular front-running was short-lived, however. 2018 was when this machine was at its best.

Riding on the enthusiasm which comes from that first trip to the podium, Jourdan headed into the final event of that season expecting big things, but, cruelly, he spun a bearing on his first warm-up lap. “After that, I figured I may as well build the motor,” he recounted.

Over the course of that winter, he pulled every string possible to get the car running in short order. Three months along and several thousand dollars poorer, he was back in the game with a fresh engine thanks to RBMS Auto Care, as well as a fancy tune netting another 100 horsepower thanks to GST Motorsports.

These things proved to be more temperamental then anticipated. Despite his drive to get the EJ25 going, he only squeezed two events out of it before the engine needed to come back out. That shelved the car for a while, and it wasn’t until 2021 that Jourdan was able to get things lined out.

With a new motor, a Cobb 20G turbo, and a tank full of E85, his motor put down 393 horsepower at all four wheels. For a mini-wagon weighing just 3,150 pounds, it’s genuinely fast now—let’s just hope it stays that way. “I sometimes wonder whether I should just stick with stock motors going forward,” he laughed.

Though the woes of building this flat-four into something racier has been agony, he’s happy to have been reacquainted with the car and everything else it offers. “It’s not a massively powerful car, but it’s not important. The surefootedness is surprising—it gives me a lot of confidence.”

If his stars align and he can last a few events without any hiccups, he’ll turn his attention to the aerodynamic side of things. Fascinated by Formula 1 and time attack aero, he’ll seek out whatever gray areas he might be able to find an advantage in and spend time not changing motors, but pads and tires. “My dream is to get to the point that consumables are my only concern.”

That’s a dream we all share. Godspeed, Jourdan.

Engine and Drivetrain

COBB AccessPort V3
COBB AccessPort V3 Mo Money Faceplate
COBB Double Adjustable Short Shifter
COBB 3 Port EBCS
COBB MAP Adapter (Custom Anodized Black)
COBB Alternator Cover
COBB Battery Tie Down
COBB 1.3 Bar Radiator Cap
COBB Lightweight Pulley
COBB FMIC Piping
AEM Cold Air Intake (Ceramic Coated)
AEM 320lph Fuel Pump
AEM IAT Sensor
AEM 3.5bar MAP Sensor
Visconti Tuning Speed Density Kit (Hybrid)
IAG Air Oil Separator
IAG TGV Deletes
IAG 8mm Phenolic Spacers
IAG Pitch Stop Mount (Competition Bushings)
IAG Motor Mounts (Competition Bushings)
IAG Transmission Mount (Competition Bushings)
Injector Dynamics 1300x2 Injectors
NGK Spark Plugs Heat Range 7
GSC S1 Cams 268/268
GSC Behhive Valve Springs
GSC Valves (Intake and Exhaust)
JE Pistons (99.75)
Manley H Plus Rods
King Bearings
ARP Headstuds
Tomei Headgaskets
Killer B Oil Pickup
Killer B Oil Baffle
Custom FMIC Core
Custom Radiator Shroud
PTP Turbo Blanket
Invidia Big Tube EL Header (Ceramic Coated)
Invidia Catless Downpipe (Ceramic Coated)
Invidia N1 Race Catback Exhaust
Turbosmart Kompact Dual Port BOV
1 of 13 Limited Edition Kartboy Huck Gee BAM 2014 Oil Cap
Mishimoto Oil Cooler
Koyo Radiator
Dom Tuning Cylinder 4 Cooling Mod
HPS Silicon Radiator Hoses
Amsoil Coolant Boost*and Distilled Water
Amsoil Dominator 15w-50 Synthetic Oil
Competition Clutch Stage 2 Clutch
Moore Performance Blast Plates
Verus Billet 4130 Clutch Fork
Verus Billet Clutch Fork Pivot

Brakes and Suspension

Wilwood Forged Superlite 6 piston front calipers
Wilwood Forged Narrow Superlite 4 piston rear calipers
Centric PowerSlot STi front rotors
Wilwood 2 piece slotted rear rotors
Wilwood BP-10, BP-20, and Carbotech*XP12 pads
Amsoil Racing Brake Fluid
SBG Stainless Brake Lines
Koni Sport Struts and Shocks
Ground Control Coilover Kit (450lb front, 500lb rear)
Whiteline Com C Tophats
Whiteline 24mm Adjustable Front Sway Bar
Whiteline Adjustable Front Endlinks
Whiteline 24mm Adjustable Rear Sway Bar
Whiteline Adjustable Rear Endlinks (KLC066)
Whiteline Aluminum Lower Control Arms (KTA139)
Whiteline Rear Sway Bar Braces

Wheels and Tires

17x8+53 '11 WRX wheels with 235/45/17 Michelin Pilot Super Sport
17x9+42 Rota DPT with 255/40/17 Federal RS-R
17x9+35 Rota Grid with 255/40/17 Nexen SUR4
18x10+30 Rota SS10 with 285/30/18 BFGoodrich R1S
18x10+35 Rota DPT with 285/30/18 Federal RS-R

Interior

Beltronics RX65 Radar Detector (Hard Wired)
Prova Blue Convex Rear And Side View Mirrors
SMY Clustermaker Dual Gauge Cluster Pod
SMY AccessPort 52mm AccessPort Pod Mount
3 gauge A-pillar pod
Depo Racing 52mm 7 Color Peak Warning Water Temperature Gauge
Depo Racing 52mm 7 Color Peak Warning Oil Pressure Gauge
Depo Racing 60mm 7 Color Peak Warning Oil Temperature Gauge (Not Connected)
Depo Racing 60mm 7 Color Peak Warning Boost (Not Connected)
LED dome and map lights
Harness Bar
RaceQuip 6-point Harness
RAM Mount Bar Mount for GoPro
Kirkey 17" Intermediate Road Race Seat
Buddy Club Super Low Down Rails
GT Spec D shaped steering wheel
Fire Extinguisher