Travis Pastrana’s new Gymkhana film has just dropped, and it is already the most chaotic entry the franchise has ever released. Aussie Shred is now live on Hoonigan’s YouTube channel, and you can feel the team’s intent from the opening shot in the action-packed 11-minute-long film.
The last time Pastrana strapped into a Gymkhana build, he set new benchmarks. This one goes further, and you see it immediately. The land down under finally gets its moment, after nearly a decade of no-go approvals from local authorities. Now the government is on board, and Hoonigan wasted no time pushing the limits.
The hero car is the Subaru Brataroo 9500 Turbo, which broke cover at SEMA this year. Subaru Motorsports USA and Vermont SportsCar built it from a 1978 Subaru BRAT; all in a bid to help Pastrana defy the laws of physics. The Brataroo produces 670 horsepower and 680 pound-feet of torque from a 2.0-liter turbocharged boxer engine that spins past 9,500 RPM. The chassis and aero work go far beyond any Gymkhana build before it, with active systems designed to keep the truck planted at speed, sideways in a slide, or in the air during long jumps.
Pastrana takes the Brataroo across Sydney Harbour with the iconic Harbor bridge and the Opera House in the background, deep into the red dust of the Outback, and up Bathurst’s Mount Panorama. He jumps a 160-foot canyon, clears a road train, hangs two wheels off a pier, and hydroplanes across a lake. He admits the car scared him more than once, and the footage supports it. The margin for error looks tight, and the Brataroo seems built to take punishment rather than survive politely.
Aussie Shred also leans on heavy local talent. Two-time Dakar winner Toby Price goes wheel to wheel with Pastrana. Subaru WRC driver Chris Atkinson also appears in the film, as do Nitro Circus BMX names Ryan Williams, Jaie Toohey, and Will Brown. V8 Supercars drivers line up for a drag run down Conrod Straight. Mighty Car Mods show up. Even the Mad Hueys get screen time for a shoey.
This is Pastrana’s final Gymkhana film, and Hoonigan’s Brian Scotto calls the project unfinished business. He and the late Ken Block tried to film in Australia ten years ago and were denied permission. Things are thankfully a lot different today, and that sense of closure gives this project weight.
Images: HOONIGAN
