Old Township Raceway has often been described by racers as a track that has no bite. Englishtown has always been able to generate the biggest crowds for any type of import event, but lack of a track that hooks has always been the argument. On May 4 and 5, 2002, track owner Mike Napp and import race director Javier Ortega were out to prove people wrong by setting up the track in the best condition we've seen.
Javier Ortega is always trying to expand the import scene by offering a "Lifestyle Arena" side of the races. This includes a car show, bikini contest, pro roller blade and skate demos, and, new for this year, freestyle motorcross. All of the action seemed to do the trick as the event attracted more than 20,000 spectators and 250 racers.
Pro V8The new class designed to keep the big-cubic-inch turbocharged engines from picking on the smaller displacement class had only three entrees. It doesn't sound like much, but remember the regular Pro Class could barely fill a four-car field and it's now made up of eight cars running mid 8s.
Tadatoshi Wakita, who pilots the Blast SC 400, made the trip from Japan to New Jersey while track local, Craig Paisley, came out to make his second appearance ever in his 2002 Toyota Tundra. Matt Scranton from Florida was out to pilot the 7-sec. Celica into the 200-mph barrier. His closest was the last NHRA event, where the Turbonetics Celica blistered the track at 199.7 mph.
The final round had Craig Paisley's Tundra-breaking into the 7-sec. barrier for the first time-against Matt Scranton, who ran consistent 7.1s throughout competition. With a difference of 0.80 sec., Scranton seemed destined to win the event if he could keep the car straight. Sure enough, in the finals he boosted his way to a 202.55-mph historic run, while Paisley set a personal record for himself with a 7.96 sec. e.t. Considering Craig's plans are to run a three-stage nitrous system and a 7-sec. e.t. was achieved with just a single stage, consider this e.t. a mere foundation for what's in store for the rest of the season. Team Turbonetics was awarded a $25,000 bonus for being the first import to break 200 mph, a purse offered by Summit Racing more than three years ago.
Pro VIII As stated earlier, just two years ago this class was hard to fill with only four available spots. Today there are eight spots with up to 15 teams fighting to qualify. New names and cars, as well as famous names and old cars, were in attendance. The two famous names were able to make it to the finals: Tetsuya Kawasaki and John Lingenfelter made their first appearance in the NHRA Pro Class.
Kawasaki is well known for piloting the HKS Nissan 180SX (domestic 240SX). The 180 is an HKS-sponsored car that retired in Japan with the title of the fastest Pro Class-style car, running a best 7.27-sec. e.t. HKS decided to bring the car out of retirement and to the States to stretch its legs. One day prior to the event HKS shook the car down for its first few passes in the USA.
"The car was having a problem going straight and lifting too high as well as blowing out a strut," said HKS technical consultant Ryan Nufable. "We never got a decent pass." My hopes of seeing a record run from the 180 seemed shattered on learning this information, but come time for the first qualifying round the 180 came out with tires smoking. The gremlins were worked out, the strut was replaced, and the car's record run was later bettered to a 7.18 in qualifying rounds.
Meanwhile, veteran domestic racer John Lingenfelter showed up at the track not with the rumble of a big block Chevy, a surprise to many, but with the buzz of a high-rpm 134-cu-in. ECO-TEC Cavalier engine. I thought it would take John and crew a few races to understand the OHC four-cylinder turbo setup and optimize the tube chassis truck's four link suspension and transmission, but I was wrong. With a 7.51 e.t. and number-three qualifying spot, Lingenfelter proved you don't have to be raised in the import game to know how to set up a car. My bad for doubting the man!