9.571 @ 148.04 mph
The Honda versus Mitsubishi rivalry should heat up in 2000 as each camp has its own star list and fleet of 9-second sprinters. Sean Glazar of Fulton, Maryland is currently the fastest Quick-class Diamond Star with a 9.57-second pass under his belt in preparation for the IDRC/NHRA CSK International Finals Presented by Bosch race in Pomona, Calif. The car blasted a 9.70 right out of the box and perched itself atop the Quick XVI qualifying ladder.
Sean and his dad, Terry, own and run Extreme Motorsports, one of the premier Diamond Star tuning shops in the country. Brent Rau's 9.74-second Diamond Star (January 2000) is also campaigned out of the Extreme stable. A graduate of the University of Maryland with a degree in economics, Sean uses a calculator as well as a wrench in his daily duties. We asked Sean what was most responsible for the quick improvement of the two cars in 1999. "We made a lot of progress this year," said Sean. "We went to Haltech fuel management and with our Dynojet chassis dyno, I was able to do all my tuning before the race." The dyno was installed in March and it wasn't too soon thereafter that the Extreme team started its tear.
Sean told us he has his work cut out for him during the off season. He has numerous "driveline issues" to resolve. "When running 10s, the driveline was not much of an issue; the car held together fairly well. Since the car has planted itself in the 9s a new set of problems have surfaced-and I expected them." Sean says he's tried all kinds of stress-relief tricks but the transfer case output shaft just can't take it from a metallurgical standpoint. He hopes to find an alternative material to construct a shaft from and fabricate other components that will be capable of absorbing the abuse.
While there are 750-plus angry horses pulling on the reins, there is plenty of abuse to go around. Sean handles all the engine building, transmission tweaking and tuning of the car. His 4G63 is stuffed with 8.5:1 compression Ross pistons designed to Extreme Motorsports specs, a stock crank and Crower connecting rods. Sean gave the head a mild porting, added heavy-duty valve guides and performed a competition valve job. A pair of Web Cam bumpsticks orchestrate valvetrain events while Unorthodox Racing adjustable cam gears give Sean the fine tuning ability needed to extract maximum power and ensure the power peaks at the correct place in the powerband. ARP head studs are assigned the monumental task of keeping the head secured to the block at 30psi.
 Sean's best effort is a 9.571-second,...  Sean's best effort is a 9.571-second, 148.04-mph blast. This was accomplished on slicks just prior to the car's appearance at the IDRC International Finals. At the IDRC event the Extreme Motorsports Talon grabbed the top qualifying spot in the Quick XVI, blasting a 9.70 right off the trailer. |  This is a sight that should...  This is a sight that should be seen in more Quick Class racers-a fire suppression system. Sean runs a Phoenix fire suppression set-up that only costs $300 to $500 and is fairly easy to set up. The system runs two nozzles into the engine bay and one in the cabin, on the lower dash between the driver's legs. |  The Talon's 4G63 has been...  The Talon's 4G63 has been fortified with Extreme Motorsports-spec pistons, Crower rods and a prepped stock crankshaft. The valvetrain runs Web Cam cams, Unorthodox Racing cam gears and heavy-duty guides. |