NHRA Drag Racing: Import International Finals at Pomona Raceway
26 November 1999
Import Racers to Celebrate Thanksgiving at Pomona Raceway POMONA, Calif. - Two weeks after rumbling to the roar of nitro-fueled V-8s, Pomona Raceway will put a close to the 1999 NHRA drag racing season to the tune of a different sound as wankel-rotary and four-cylinder turbocharged engines power the nation's top Import racers downtrack. The Checker, Schuck's, Kragen International Finals presented by Bosch will feature competition in five heads-up and three e.t. racing categories as drivers strive to win a coveted NHRA "Wally," statue, drag racing's top prize for winning an NHRA event. The Import Drag Racing Circuit (IDRC)/NHRA sanctioned event has drawn competitors from all over North America and adding to the international flavor are racers from Hawaii, Japan, and England. Sure to be one of the highlights of the weekend is a potential showdown between England's Wayne Saunders and Riverside, Calif.'s, Abel Ibarra. Saunders, driving a 2000 Ford Focus, has run as quick as 7.6-seconds at more than 170 mph in his native country, but has been plagued by turbocharger problems since arriving in North America mid-October. The Focus team has conducted extensive test sessions in Arizona and Southern California in an attempt to rectify the problem; a sequence of 8.0-second runs at Southwestern International Raceway in Tucson, Ariz., last week would indicate the English team will be a factor at this weekend's event. Saunders' Focus, and Ibarra's Mazda RX-7, are prime examples of the different approaches Import racers are taking in trying to make their car the quickest at the drag strip. Saunders' car is powered by a gasoline-fueled 152-cubic-inch, turbocharged four-cylinder Ford and develops more than 800-horsepower. Ibarra uses a 79-cubic-inch Wankel rotary engine burning a mixture of gasoline and horsepower inducing nitrous oxide and, like Saunders' car, puts approximately 800-hoursepower to the pavement. Ibarra's sleek-looking vehicle has run 7.90s at 170 mph, matching the Englishman's on-track performance. The two rivals have become unlikely testing partners, sharing track time in Tucson last week and at Los Angeles County Raceway in Palmdale, Calif., this week preparing for the CSK International Finals. The event also will highlight the incredible variety of vehicles currently running at Import events. Other driver/car combinations to watch for include Ed Bergenholtz's Honda, Craig Paisley's Toyota, and Eddie Bello's Porsche. Import drag racing's first breakout star, Adam Saruwatari, will compete in his Mazda RX-7, and the sport's leading female driver, Lisa Kubo, will compete in her Honda Civic. The CSK International Finals presented by Bosch will be held at Pomona Raceway November 27-28, with spectator gates opening at 8:00 a.m. and competition beginning at 10:00 a.m. through until dusk. Spectators 12 and older are $10 Saturday, and $15 Sunday; a two-day pass is $20. Discount fliers can be obtained at all Los Angeles area Checker, Schuck's, and Kragen stores. For more details contact IDRC at (714) 536-8029, or NHRA at (626) 914-4761. -- 30 --