Gymkhana 2022 – It wouldn’t have been possible without the help of the Netherlands

Gymkana 2022

Over 14 million viewers have now enjoyed Travis Pastrana’s Gymkhana video uploaded in late 2022. The bizarre jumps the action sports hero shows off here wouldn’t have been possible without a company from… Hengelo!

So you plan to a fully converted Subaru station wagon, powered by an 862 hp four-cylinder boxer engine and four-wheel drive, to make a video in which you show the most outrageous stunts and jumps. Where do you call first? Believe it or not, but the correct answer is: Hengelo (Gld.)!

Gymkhana-Subaru with Reiger shocks

Reiger Suspension, the main supplier of shock absorbers to many rally, rallycross and rallyraid champions, has been based there since the late 1970s. Vermont Sportscar, the company responsible for building Pastrana’s “Family Huckster”, also knows where you are. get (probably) the best shock absorbers in the world.

Gymkhana 2022

Vermont Sportscars normally builds “regular” rally and rallycross cars based on the Subaru Impreza, in which Travis Pastrana, among others, appears at the start of various rally (cross) events in the United States. Vermont Sportscar also regularly uses Hengelo shocks for these cars, says Sjors Busscher of Reiger.

Can withstand huge rally-raid jumps

“When we received a request from America to supply shocks for this project, we made a kit based on our best rallycross model. Huge progress is being made in this sport, especially in America, so they are normally designed for this type of force.

“On the one hand, we try to make the shocks as light as possible by using aluminum, but of the best quality to prevent them from breaking. Such a shock normally lasts an entire rallycross season, so they have to survive recording a video, even if under a lot of stress.

Shock absorbers can absorb hard landings

Considering the things Pastrana wanted to do with his Subaru in the video, the shocks were slightly modified by Reiger from a standard one. Busscher explains: “In rallycross you mainly want good traction and confidence so the rider can be fast, but for Gymkhana you mainly want really hard landings to be cushioned. For example, we can make the internal double piston a bit harder for this.

Amazed what the shocks can endure

Despite the fact that Reiger’s shock absorbers are known for their indestructibility (it’s not for nothing that almost all the best Dakar rally participants use them), Busscher was sometimes amazed at the torture they survived during the realization of the video Gymkhana.

Gymkhana 2022

“Of course we do our resistance calculations with a good safety factor and have 100% confidence in our product, but for example at the part where the car comes out of a deep puddle at high speed (about 6 minutes into the video, ed.), we were also just to see if everything was still intact.

Interested in such a nice set for under your own car? Anything is possible, but keep in mind that prices start at a nice five-figure amount!

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