Pro-Import (P/I) Rwd Quick Class-8To even out the playing field for the FWD racers, the Pro-import Quick Class was divided into FWD and RWD classes. At the top of the totem pole was Russ Matusevich qualifying first with a 6.964. Following close behind was Rob Hornsby in his '71 Ford Pinto (6.984). The next four qualifying spots were captured by VW-power. Doug Gonzales, Lloyd Mosher, Craig Gibbs and Marty Staggs qualified third, fourth, fifth and six respectively. Turbo Joe Morgan was at it again; his 7.614 was good enough to qualify in the number seven position. Brian Mapes rounded out the field in his '66 Bug.
Unlike the FWD Pro-import and Pro-street class, the underdogs were ousted in the first round. All top four qualifiers advanced to the next round. The semifinal round pitted Doug Gonzales, the number three qualifier, against Russ Matusevich, the number one qualifier. Doug barely edged Russ out and advanced to the final round. The other semi-final round was Marty Staggs against Lloyd Mosher. Marty took the early lead and never looked back, taking the easy win. The final round was the battle of the Bugs. Doug Gonzales in the '63 Bug facing off against Marty Staggs in the '61 VW. Doug took the win by a scant .009-seconds. What a close race!
Pro-Modified (P/M) Quick ClassAlthough the Pro-Modified class only had three qualifiers it gave spectators a taste of high-powered, back-halved warriors in action. All three of the qualifiers were sporting the Mazda logo. At the top of the chain was Jim Johnson in an '85 Mazda RX-7. If the car looks familiar, it should; it was once owned by Ray Lochhead. The number two qualifier was coincidentally, Ray Lochhead in his '93 RX-7. Adam Saruwatari filled the last qualifying spot. Since there were only three racers, Jim was given a bye run while Adam faced off against Ray. Both racers eclipsed a 6.5-second run, but Ray edged out Adam with a 6.561 to 6.578. The final was a square-off of old school vs. new school. Jim produced like a pro and took out Ray; Jim went home with $3,000.
The next stop for the Jackson Racing Battle train is October 1, 2000 in Joliet, Ill. at the multi-million dollar Route 66 Raceway. Rest assured, Turbo will be there to cover all the action.
| TURBO MAGAZINE PRO | IMPORT (P/I) CLASS |
| DRIVER | VEHICLE | QUALF. E.T. |
| James West | '90 Honda CRX | 6.993 |
| Lisa Kubo | '92 Honda Civic | 7.005 |
| Jojo Callos | '94 Honda Civic | 7.059 |
| Ed Bergenholtz | '89 Honda CRX | 7.115 |
| Manny Jaramillo | '89 Honda Civic 4-Door | 7.303 |
| Jason Mulroney | '95 Honda Civic | 7.324 |
| Charles Madrid | '99 Ford Focus | 7.459 |
| Ben Benavides | '95 Nissan 200SX SE-R | 7.468 |
| Adrian Sabori | '94 Honda Civic | 7.521 |
| Leevon Eisele | '98 Honda Civic | 7.612 |
| Heather Zender | '94 Honda Civic | 7.648 |
| Noe Becerra | '88 Honda CRX | 7.724 |
| Kurt Gordon | '94 Honda Civic | 7.891 |
| Mike Malabanan | '90 Acura Integra | 7.973 |
| Joseph Lebron | '98 Saturn SL2 | 8.091 |
| Jeff Hufana | '92 Honda Civic | 8.099 |