The new radial rule in Street didn't stop Ari Yallon from picking up another Street VIII win. Now that IDRC has implemented a radial tires-only rule in the street class, one would think this would lead to times falling off their normal mark. With two 10-second cars and a few 11-second racers qualifying in the eight-car field, there was still plenty of action to be seen. One car that we were very impressed with was the Mazda Miata piloted by Rick Stephens. The car qualified with a 12.0 e.t. but ran 11s in competition. The big surprise came but the end of the day when the turbo four busted a 10.9 on an exhibition pass.
More on car...It should be noted that this is not a rotary conversion but a turbocharged 1.6/8-liter piston-pounding four cylinder that sees quite a bit of road use.
The big rotary vs. piston, RX-7 versus Supra, rivalry was in full effect during the finals. Ari who was running mid to low 10s was matched with a Supra that was breathing down his neck. Sriyantha Weerasurim out of Austin, Texas was hitting high 10s. Ari ended up shifting his way to victory with a 10.30 to Sriyantha's 10.91.
Toyo Tires Pro Class was more of a battle between Venom's new Tacoma Pro Truck and Abel Ibarra's R100 piloted by Efren Vasquez. The Venom team is still working the bugs out of the Tacamoa but was able to turn back to back 8.4s the previous day. Race day the Tacoma seemed to experience shifting problems that kept it from making a solid pass. Efren, on the other hand, was able to dial the number 8 all day, putting himself and the Toyo-sponsored R100 at the top of the Pro Class list.
Toyo Tires Pro IVWinner: Efren VasquezRunner up: Jimmy O'Connor
APEXi Outlaw VIIIWinner: Stephan PapadakisRunner up: Christian Rado
Turbo Magazine Nitto Tire Quick XVIWinner: Lisa KuboRunner up: O'Connor
Sport Compact Car Street VIIIWinner: Ari YallonRunner up: Sriyantha Weerasurim
Import Tuner All-Motor VIIIWinner: Jarrod SilversRunner up: Bizi Ezerioha
Ford Racing Performance Parts Super StockWinner: Clifford TomastillRunner up: Randy Jones
Ford Racing Performance Parts Super StockWinner: Pursuit MotorsportsRunner up: Cuong Luu
For a more complete look at the results, including round by round ladder charts and series points, log on to www.turbomagazine.com.
E.T ControversyHere's the Facts, You Make the CallOne of the biggest controversies in the Quick Class centered on whether Lisa Kubo truly ran a 9.14 at 152 mph. Racers often point to the magazines when it comes to calling the validity of the run as if we were the 1320 Senate. The problem is the timeslip read a reaction time of 1.5125 and a 60-foot time of .9515. The reaction time would be considered legit if Lisa were in the middle of putting her lipstick on as the light flashed green. The .9515 60-foot on the other hand is something that pro stock cars are capable of hitting on a good day, but is impossible for a uni-body front-drive. By the looks of things, one would think that the reaction time is switched with the 60-foot. For a Compulink computer system to mix the two up is near impossible. I'm not about to make the call on the timeslip or the computer system so I can get flooded with e-mail stating how I was right or wrong. I will, however, state some of the facts gleaned when viewing the Rivercity Raceway timeslip in comparison with the Kubo's Virginia run.