Sloan Cox’s highly-modified Lancer Evolution VIII might be one of the more dedicated builds out of Australia. The spaceframed chassis offers the agility and rigidity needed to make use of the race-built 4G63 engine, which spits out all 730 horsepower in one violent mule kick.

The baby-faced driver, Sloan Cox, is a hotshoe with gobs of experience despite his youth. With a supportive petrolhead father and plenty of teenage courage, he’s racked up quite the resume and become quite handy on both dirt and tarmac.

His ability is complemented by a car that doesn’t mind becoming a tripod to turn—an effective way to make a four wheel-drive car pivot through a series of hairpins. In fact, the rear end looks so stiff that he can chuck the car into the corner, and then ride the torque out of the corner with the rear wheels spinning (00:24). It’s quite a sight, and when accompanied by the whistle of the turbo and the scent of race gas, it’s a delight for three of the senses.

This ferocious Lancer Evo—which was originally built for Pike’s Peak—lifts wheels, pops and goes very sideways whenever Cox plants his right foot. It’s probably a little too powerful for the constraints of the narrow hillclimb course, but his quick hands and staccato throttle technique keep it out of the ditch. By dropping wheels occasionally and showing real sideways mastery, Cox shows his experience on dirt has transferred over to the tarmac stages. He’s gonna go far, that kid.

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