Last year’s Crosstrek Desert Racer took a second-place finish in its class in addition to the Class 5 Unlimited win at the Las Vegas to Reno 550-mile race. This time around, the 2.5-liter powerplant has been modified by Crawford Performance to 300 ponies (303 PS)."Subaru is best known for its success in rallying, but Subaru engines have been used in off-road buggies for years," declared Quirt Crawford. "My goal with the Crosstrek Desert Racer program was to show what was possible with a non-turbocharged boxer engine in an unlimited class, and the results so far have been very strong,” concluded the head honcho.The Crosstrek Desert Racer reflects the ongoing expansion of Subaru in motorized sports, beyond rallying and rallycross. The Baja 500 features a total race distance of 487.11 miles in a single loop on the Baja Peninsula in Mexico. Grabowski Brothers Racing from Ontario, California will field the car, and yes, the team will compete in the Baja 1000 in November as well.“The Crosstrek Desert Racer’s results over the past two seasons speak for themselves,” said William Stokes, motorsports manager at Subaru of America. “We’re proud to renew our support for Crawford Performance and Grabowski Brothers Racing.”Known as the XV in Japan and Europe, the Crosstrek is available in the United States from $21,895 excluding destination. The 2.0i is complemented by the Crosstrek Hybrid , which is actually a plug-in hybrid that features Toyota Prius Prime know-how. With a full tank of gas, the eco-friendly model is capable of up to 480 miles of range.But even if you go for the 2.0i, the Crosstrek is not that bad in terms of fuel economy considering that all-wheel drive comes standard. More to the point, expect 33 miles to the gallon on the highway and 27 in the city.