Stephan Papadakis is a professional race car driver. At the age of 24, Steph has already elevated himself to legendary status in the import performance arena as the owner and driver of the world's quickest front-wheel drive drag car. Steph, who comes from the same street racing background as the rest of us, pioneered the sport of import drag racing with the AEM drag Civic. Until recently, the H22-powered Honda was the only one of its kind, and since its completion has represented the Honda camp in many David and Goliath battles with Outlaw rear-drives from around the country. We decided to catch up with Steph in between his travels and sit down with him to find out a little more about life as a pro import drag racer and what it is that fuels his unrivaled passion for the sport.
IT: All right Steph, first things first. With a name like that, where the hell are you from?SP: (Laughs) Well, actually I'm half Greek. I was born in New York City, moved to Greece until I was four and then to Huntington Beach, Calif. And I've been there ever since.
IT: What's it like being a pro race car driver?SP: It's great. I get to do what I love and fortunately do it within an industry that's full of cool people.
IT: How and when did you get involved in import performance?SP: As a kid I followed all sorts of motorsports, and when I was around 10 I was big into racing RC cars. But I guess the import thing started when I was 16. When I got my driver's license, a couple of my friends had Hondas and were starting to modify them. I was looking for a car and bought a '91 Civic, that was back in '93. The same weekend I bought the car I took off to the street races, it was crazy back then.
IT: So you got hooked?SP: Yeah! I started fixing up the car and went through all the usual stuff. Bolt-ons, headwork, cams and even nitrous on the D16. Then I graduated high school and went to work at JG Engine Dynamics.
IT: That's right.SP: Once I started there building my car just snowballed. Before long I took it off the street and turned it into a full-blown race car. I started off with a turbocharged, built Integra LS motor. We got it to run a bunch of low-11-sec. e.t. passes. Then we got a little crazier and went with the 2.2-liter Prelude VTEC motor. That's when I made my first 10-sec. pass.
IT: I know, I was the loser in the other lane the day you ran that 10. I probably still have that timeslip somewhere! That was right around the time you took the car off the track to make some chassis changes right?SP: Yeah! After we put the bigger motor in, the chassis was starting to flex. The additional power and fatigued body was causing the front end to twist, so I contacted Shaun Carlson about strengthening the front end. Originally we were just going to add some support.
IT: So how the hell did you end up with a full-tube-chassis car?SP: It's a long story, but I'll try and keep it short. Basically, after cutting away what needed to be cut out, we ended up with what was pretty much a front-halved car. I took it to the track for some shakedown runs and we were impressed; we were definitely headed in the right direction. So then we decided to redo the rear suspension. By this time there was no more factory firewall or floor left, so we had practically built a complete chassis already. With this much done we opted to swap out the body panels, while we were at it, with a newer body style.
IT: Now that's what I call snowballing. And that's how the tube chassis car came about. What about all the hype? I remember when you debuted the first-ever tube-chassis Honda. How did you handle all the pressure of running a number?SP: Well, we tried to keep it all under wraps and I think we did a pretty good job. Still, all the talk, all the hype was just more incentive to go fast. It was actually good for us. Besides, if it didn't work at least we'd tried it and at that point no one else was going to.
IT: Well, it definitely worked. What's the quickest the Hatchback ran?SP: 8.49 at 174 mph
IT: And now Papadakis Racing is two cars strong. Why build another?SP: Well, the Hatchback was the very first of its kind. After running it for so long, we've learned a lot and applied the knowledge we've gained to the new car. The Coupe is quite different from the old car.
IT: Does that mean the Coupe could run in the sevens maybe?SP: (laughs) I'm confident that the Coupe will run quicker than the old car!
IT: What about sponsors? Which companies do you have on board now?SP: AEM is the title sponsor; in fact, the car is actually referred to as the AEM Drag Civic. But, it's also sponsored by DVS Shoe Company, GReddy Performance Products, Toyo Tires and Honda Original Equipment.
IT: That's quite a list. They must be really pleased with how well you've done.SP: Yeah! This season alone I'm attending a total of 21 events across the country.
IT: 21 events! That's a pretty crazy schedule, not to mention a gang of traveling. Who do you travel with?SP: Rob Miller, who fabricated and built the new car. He's a cool guy to be with on the road, he's a lot of fun. Also Greg Nakano from AEM. He's the crew chief and flies out to all of the events.
IT: So you drive to all of the events?SP Yeah! Rob and I drive the trailer everywhere. Greg's the jet-setter.
IT: Being on the road so much must be tough on your girlfriend?SP: Actually, I'm single right now, so not really.
IT: So you practically eat, sleep and breathe racing, but what do you do to get away?SP: I'm usually gone most weeks from like Thursday to, say, Tuesday so I get my 'weekend' during the middle of the week. Generally I just like to socialize, you know, meet new people.
IT: What about hobbies?SP: I enjoy snowboarding and riding dirt bikes, but I can't do any of that during the race season in case I get injured. I have to be at events, so I do whatever I can to narrow the possibility of getting hurt.
IT: Well, you've been in this since the beginning, so where do you see the industry heading?SP: In short, I believe the import segment will grow enough to where it doesn't have to piggyback off the domestics.
IT: What about yourself?SP: I don't know, sometimes it's tough to even think six months ahead.
IT: A few more years of racing though still, right?SP: Yeah, for sure.
IT: What would you be doing if you'd had to choose another career?SP: I don't know, that's tough. Maybe own a restaurant or something, although it would be tough to find another career with the same level of excitement.
IT: Yeah, I guess racing is more than just a full-time job?SP: Definitely. For instance, this year many of the 21 events are all on the East Coast, and campaigning the car from California means there's a lot of travel time. When I am home, there's always a lot of work to be done on the car, plus a lot of promotional stuff such as this.
IT: Do you admire anyone for what they've done in the industry?SP: Yeah! Fellow racers who live and breathe this lifestyle by making it to so many races throughout the season. They are the ones that keep me motivated.