70 Year-Old Gets the Ultimate Birthday Gift; A Hot Lap in a Subaru WRX STI [Video]

How many 70 year-olds get to celebrate their birthday in a 2017 Subaru WRX STI taking hot laps at a race circuit? One 70 year-old Subaru customer, who owns a new WRX, got the chance to experience a fast ride in a new STI. It happened in Australia.

It’s called Climb The Mountain, and every year, Subaru Australia takes some of their customers, high-performing dealership staff, and Subaru fans for hot-laps at Mount Panorama Circuit. Australian Rally Champion and Subaru Ambassador Molly Taylor and Subaru Ambassador Dean Herridge are the professional drivers at the event.

For her 70th birthday, Gael received the ultimate gift, a ticket to Subaru Climb The Mountain 2017. Gael has been a true-blue Subaru fan for years, and is an owner of a new Silver WRX she purchased recently. She didn’t opt for the CVT automatic, but chose a Silver performance sedan with a 6-speed manual gearbox. She says laughing, “It’s a bit of a mid-senior crisis.”

Gael puts on her racing helmet, buckles up in the passenger seat, and heads out for two hot laps at Mount Panorama Circuit with Dean Herridge in the Subaru WRX STI. Dean gets the STI up to 220 km/h (137 mph) on the fast straight and pushes it hard into the corner. Gail, is all smiles after her special birthday gift and is thrilled with the STI’s performance.

Who knows, after riding in the STI, Gael might be heading back to her Subaru dealer to trade in her silver WRX for a hotter 2018 WRX STI when they arrive later this year.

Watch Climb The Mountain 2017 - Gael's 70th Birthday Present video

Photo credit: Subaru AU