Travis Pastrana reveals the inspiration behind his Brataroo

The man who initially found success in Motocross, winning multiple gold medals at the X Games, eventually transitioned onto four wheels and become a four-time Rally America Champion. 

Pastrana joined up with Subaru in 2006 to begin a relationship that continues to this day, which has enabled him to forge a huge reputation in the global automotive community. His charisma and daring mindset have endeared him to fans all over the world, and his willingness to put his body on the line in the name of entertainment, not least during his recent Gymkhana exploits, has earned him a spot in the motoring hall of fame. 

But separate to all of that, for the past decade he's blessed us here at Goodwood with some of the most memorable moments of the Festival of Speed presented by Mastercard.  

As the face of an extremely talented team of people at Subaru Motorsports USA, Pastrana has become a firm crowd favourite around here, a fact that's hardly surprising when he keeps bringing ever more remarkable feats of engineering to light up the famous Goodwood Hill. 

For 2026, his weapon of choice was the Brataroo 9500 Turbo, a 1978 Subaru Brat that has been transformed into Pastrana's most potent creation yet. 

"It's a fire breathing dragon," he told us, a glint of mischief in his eye. He's right, too, because as if the Brataroo needed any help absorbing attention, its alarming tendency to spit flame from its bonnet ensured all eyes were fixed in its direction whenever it took to the Hill. 

But for all its histrionics, this car has been built with performance in mind. Now its work as a Gymkhana star is done, Pastrana's priority for the Brataroo was a strong showing in Goodwood's Timed Shoot-Out. 

"We've got a bigger turbo, more downforce," he said, when we caught up with him on Saturday at the Festival of Speed. "We learned a lot from the Airslayer, which had a lot of downforce, but it was super wide. We lost a half second compared to the other cars going past the Flint Wall, but the other cars lost more time elsewhere because they had no aero." 

The result of that learning is an active aero setup that turned the concept of Pastrana's Subaru GL Wagon up to 11. 

A huge rear wing, among a host of other downforce-generating appendages, "pops out like a transformer" and recedes into the bodywork at the touch of a button to return the Brataroo to its original 1978 dimensions, making it a much more well-rounded car for the Hill than anything Pastrana has driven before. 

It's an astonishing creation, and it makes you wonder where this team gets its inspiration from, but that's a simple answer. 

"Ken Block started doing Gymkhana because he just wanted to have fun in a vehicle. He inspired so many people to just ask themselves: why do you rally? Why do you drive?" 

Block, who died in 2023, handed over the Gymkhana film series to Pastrana in 2020, but continued to support the Subaru team in its development of the Airslayer, the car Pastrana used to obliterate the record at Mount Washington in 2021. 

"That was the first unlimited vehicle that Subaru had ever really done. We didn't have to make it for a certain series, we didn't have to fit anything. It was 'how much downforce and how much power can we get out of a four-cylinder motor?'" 

That was the beginning of the journey that brought the Brataroo to Goodwood in 2026. 

"What can we do that has the most amount of excitement?" That's the question that precedes any build that Subaru and Pastrana embarks on. To answer it, they've somehow managed to make a 2.0-litre boxer engine rev to 9,500rpm. The result is a soundtrack akin to a Ferrari, but a full-on driving experience. 

"It doesn't have quite as much torque, so I have to run it like a 125cc two-stroke, just flat out on the rev limiter." 

But flat out is what Travis Pastrana does best. It's how he's lived his entire life, and it's how we've come to know and love him here at Goodwood. A veteran competitor on the Hill, he's always right on the limit, and his exploits in the Brataroo will live long in the memory. 

Perhaps most significant was the moment on Thursday at the Festival of Speed when Pastrana and the Brat were centre stage as Goodwood made its huge announcement to launch the GRRC of America. 

There was clearly no-one better to take on that responsibility in front of the House, and when we caught up with him in the aftermath, he was evidently very excited about what's to come. 

"The Festival of Speed is the one place where you have action sports going on, you have rally, Formula 1, everything from old cars to electric cars," he said. "The best of the best from all generations of motorsport, and to bring some of that car culture to the US is something that I'm very much looking forward to." 

The GRRC of America will first and foremost give the US public the opportunity to engage with the culture that has made Goodwood a global destination. Members of this new club will have new opportunities to connect with like-minded people and enjoy the Goodwood lifestyle in their home country. 

They'll be able to enjoy a stronger connection to the Estate, with exclusive access to brand new events, and chances to rub shoulders the people and cars that have shaped automotive history, bringing the spirit of Goodwood to life. 

"I think it's an awesome opportunity, just for people that want to have that experience, and take their own vehicles. 

"There's so many Americans that come over here, and I'm sure they'll continue to come over, but they don't just want to come over and watch, they want to participate, they want to be a part of it." 

It also just so happens that one of the patrons of the GRRC of America, 'The King' Richard Petty, is one of Pastrana's great motorsport heroes, a fact that'll no doubt strike a chord with motorsport fans across the US. 

Petty remains one of the great American superstars, and his influence on the broader culture of car enthusiasts is impossible to overstate. 

"Goodwood is bringing car culture to the world, you see if at the Festival of Speed, you see it with everything the GRRC does, and to have people like Richard Petty onboard brings such pride to America. 

"When you see that cowboy hat, there's no one else in US motorsport that carries such a weight as 'The King'."

It goes without saying that the GRRC of America is going to be a hot topic within automotive circles over the coming months. With more detail on what prospective members can expect set to be revealed in due course, there has never been a more exciting time to be a motorsport fan in the United States. 

The 2027 Festival of Speed will take place on 15th-18th July 2027, sign up for ticket alerts to make sure you don't miss out. Tickets are available for GRRC Members and Fellows, you can join the Fellowship today.

Photography by Charlie Brenninmeijer, Joe Harding and Sam Milton.