Gymkhana Grid Pursuit’s Final Boss brings together two of the most accomplished names in modern action motorsport: rally ace Travis Pastrana and professional drift driver Matt Field. Staged on an exceptionally tight and technical course in Bakersfield, California, the head-to-head showdown pits Pastrana’s all-wheel-drive Subaru “Brat” against Field’s purpose-built C8 Corvette drift machine, creating a fascinating contest between traction, horsepower, and driving technique.
The course pays tribute to the philosophy of the late Ken Block, whose Gymkhana layouts were designed to push both car and driver to their limits. Tight transitions, barrel turns, aggressive direction changes, and technical obstacles reward precision rather than outright power.
Pastrana’s Subaru brings a major advantage off the line. Its high-revving flat-four spins to approximately 9,500 rpm, while revised gearing allows him to exploit stickier Yokohama tires and the traction of all-wheel drive. On a circuit where rear-wheel-drive cars can struggle to rotate and accelerate through tight sections, the Subaru’s ability to deploy power through all four wheels is particularly valuable.
Field counters with something altogether different. Developed in-house by The Drift Cave over roughly a year, his C8 is described as the first purpose-built C8 drift car. Behind the driver sits a heavily engineered LS-based V8 featuring Pro Stock-style cylinder heads and an approximately 9,000-rpm operating range. With a claimed 1,050 horsepower at the crank, the Corvette possesses substantially more power than the Subaru, but converting that output into usable acceleration is the real challenge.
The opening runs demonstrate just how evenly matched the machines can be. Pastrana initially gains an advantage through his launch and acceleration, while Field’s Corvette showcases impressive precision around the technical sections. Its rear-engine layout and longer wheelbase, however, create different weight-transfer characteristics that require Field to carefully manage rotation through the tightest corners.
The battle ultimately comes down to tenths, traction, and strategy. A negotiated five-second handicap and restrictions on Pastrana’s launch technique set the stage for another dramatic run, allowing Field to capitalize on the Corvette’s straight-line speed and technical grip. More than a contest between Subaru and Corvette, the Final Boss embodies the spirit of Gymkhana: exceptional machines, fearless drivers, and engineering ingenuity pushed to their limits—all in tribute to Ken Block’s enduring influence on performance culture.
Source: Hoonigan
