Evolution is an amazing thing, especially when we talk about the race scene. Everything from engine to suspension setups have changed over the years, and now it's time look back, have a laugh and appreciate how far we've all come.
I can remember the first Battle of the Imports I attended. I piloted a 1986 CRX that had the second HKS turbo kit released in the States for a Honda. The car was and still is owned by Freddy Cortez (I know this because I tried to buy the car from him recently, but he will absolutely not part with it). Back then I did a lot of sidework with Paulus Le, known for his work at AEBS.
Back when Battle took place once a year we decided to drive the car from San Diego to Palmdale and run it against the quickest car of that era. I remember pitting next to Myles Bautista and thinking to myself, "Hey, he has the same year car as ours, but I bet it doesn't have an HKS turbo kit with a direct-port nitrous system." Boy, did I look stupid! Myles was working on the car with the hood up; you should have seen the look on my face when I saw the '86 Integra engine with a custom turbo kit, direct-port nitrous, individual throttle bodies and TEC II stand-alone engine management.
My confidence was shattered, because I figured that's what it took to run in the 13-sec. zone. I didn't know Myles then, but now I have become good friends with him and I often bring up that particular Battle of the Imports. I have always had respect for him and the things he has accomplished then and now.
That brings me to the past 10 years of FWD drag racing. Remember, this was the foundation that created the scene-even though the e.t. and horsepower levels back then seem funnier today than watching a one-legged kickboxing match. We've evolved from making parts from scratch just to run low teens to today's bolt-on, single-digit power. Many can claim they were there from day one, and some even try to claim they started it all (like one guy in particular that used to drive a white Integra show car, running a 19-something e.t., and saying he started the whole import industry).
One thing you'll find interesting is who was there from the beginning and who's still hitting the 1320 harder than ever. If you want to see who the real pioneers of the industry were, read on and thank these guys for starting the front-drive phenomenon.
Rummaging through the archives of our sister magazine, Turbo & High Tech Performance, we looked back at every import race event, beginning from the first documented Battle of the Imports under the original Import Drag Racing Association. What many people don't know is Turbo's first documented event was in 1992, but Frank Choi's Battle of the Imports was going on for years prior to that. What started as a half-day, crowd-of-50 event now takes two days and unfolds in front of thousands of spectators.