(972) 530-3335 311 E. Buckingham Rd. Garland, TX 75040
ID Drag Wars - April 1998
Click on pictures to enlarge
Preparation
On April 5th, the ID Drag Wars were held at Texas Motorplex in Ennis, Texas. Since there's never been an event of this magnitude here in Dallas, we were quite excited at the opportunity to see some of the fastest import cars in the country coming to our very own backyard. We also look forward to seeing other RX-7s in action.
For the event, we decided to campaign two of our cars. Since Andy's '80 model RX-7 was a known 11 second contender, it was an obvious contender for the Quick 8 competition and 11.0 second bracket. We also decided to bring Ari's '93 base model RX-7 which was the big unknown in terms of performance. Just like the last event we attended in November, preparation for the Drag Wars was as eventful as ever. A few days before the race, Andy's rear end let go and a quick rebuild was required to get the car back on the road. Ari's car also presented its own challanges. Armed with only bolt on parts, we pieced together his car the week before the event in a "lets run what we sell" attitude. Aaron Imler in his '94 RX-7 also had a few problems after he hurt his clutch during a testing session on Friday. Luckily we were able to install an upgraded clutch into his car on Saturday morning before the race. A few other small upgrades and testing and we were ready for some competition!
Arrival and Testing
After some final tuning the night before, we set out to the track bright and early. As we set up our booth, Ari, Andy and two other Rotary Performance modified 3rd gens owned by Steve Kan and Josh Soto, took to the track for some test runs. During the testing session, a problem developed with Andy's clutch disc and it looked as though his afternoon was over before it really even got started. Steve Kan was also experiencing some ignition problems which were solved with a change of plugs and tuning. After another run, Andy's clutch looked to be unfit for racing so the decision was made to perform the swap to the only disc we had available, a full race, metal puck disc. Armed with only a few hand tools and the luck of being able to borrow a few jack stands, we swapped the clutch discs during the lunch break and had Andy's car ready to run again.
Andy's car was entered into the 11.0 second bracket and hoped to qualify for the Quick 8. Ari's car was entered into the 12 second bracket and had the possibility of running in the Quick 8. Steve Kan's, Josh Soto's, and Aaron Imler's car were entered into the 13 second bracket.
The Race - Brackets
The first set of races were bracket racing. Everyone was successful in the respective brackets in the first few rounds but Josh Soto was eliminated when he broke out of the 13 second bracket with a time of 12.68 due to the fact he didn't want to have the Acura Integra next to him actually run a faster time. Josh's times were quite a surprise to everyone considering he was racing on a motor that showed low compression (6's on both rotors) the week before. His car is running our new upgraded turbos and we all look forward to seeing how his car will run with a new, prepared motor. Steve Kan also ended up breaking out of the 13 second bracket by a 12 second run as well. His car had some tuning difficulties early in the weekend and he seemed to be getting grips of his new heavily ported motor, as shown by the 12 second time slips.
Aaron Imler was also in attendance with his '94 Montego Blue RX-7. He made it up to the second round and was unfortunately knocked out by a 300ZX because of a missed 3rd gear shift. Aaron's best time of the day was a 12.87 @ 109.0 mph on street tires and in emissions legal form.
 |
Andy piloted his turbocharged '80 model through the first few rounds of the brackets to be suddenly kicked out of the brackets because of a supposed leak in the staging lanes. After a close inspection it was found that the "leak" was caused by some water which was picked up in the staging lanes dripping off the car. He did qualify for the Quick 8 though so we still had our chance to get off a quick run. Ari moved up through his brackets as well, showing the brake lights to a Grand National at the 1/4 mile mark to close his lead and keep from breaking out. Unfortunately, he also lost in the brackets after destroying a Supra off the line and spending too much time looking into the rear view mirror. After letting off too much, the Supra past him at the line for a better time and the win. Ari did qualified for the Quick 8 so it was time to see what the car could really do. |
The Race - Quick 8
With both the cars qualified for the Quick 8, we hoped to have the slight chance to come home with a trophy. In the first round, Ari was matched up with a Yellow Corvette with NOS that's easily capable of seeing 10's. Even with a good launch, Ari was unable to hold off the Corvette and was eliminated. Next up was Andy in his '80 RX-7 which was paired up with the 10.5 second Supra that was favored to win. Out of a combination of timing and good fortune, Andy got the launch on the Supra and flew through the lights with an 11.3 and went on to the next round. A few more modifications were made in the pits and Andy went into the staging lane against a modified ZR-1. Andy once again got the launch on the opponent but began to have traction problems in 3rd and 4th gear, almost crossed into the center section of the track, and was forced to get out of it and glide through at an 11.74, losing to the Corvette. Unfortunately, the final round of the Quick 8 ended up being a Corvette versus Corvette match. Andy did walk away with the Fastest Import in the Quick 8 Event title and a huge trophy.
Overall the event was a success. Once again we wish there were more RX-7s out there racing... maybe at the next event! There was a very large crowd and we were able to drive all of our cars back home so it was a good day. Congratulations to all the competitors and thanks to everyone that showed up, gave their support, and let us borrow tools. You helped make the event a success!
NEXT EVENT:
NIRA Texas Import Showdown on June 28 in Ennis, Texas
Car Specs - Ari's 1993 RX-7
|
  |
 
|
|
|
 
|