No matter how smoky hot drifting is, how fast time attack gets, or how crazy the show scene is, to me the epitome of the import scene was drag racing in Cali back in the mid '90s. What went on in the Golden State during that era was what I consider the golden age: A youth demographic getting into a scene that was only a sub-cultural blip on the mainstream radar. Street races were prolific, Battle of the Imports was packed, and Hondas had the market on lock. This was an era before corporate dollars, and when engine tuning was more art than science. Back then, Hondas breaking the 13-, 12-, 11-, and 10-second barriers was like witnessing miracles. Turning four-cylinder FFs into fast-ass FFs was like turning water into wine, or Eliot Spitzer into a loyal husband.
Out of all the drag racers from that era, there is only one who still puts it down in a Honda to this damn day. A member of one of the most respected crews in Los Angeles, Cyber, who has done more damage to naturally aspirated four-bangers than Debbie did Dallas, and the world record holder for the quickest and fastest all motor four-cylinder-Jeremy Lookofsky, an industry icon. Herpes ain't got nothing on the longevity of this dude. After reminiscing about the old JG days, Hondas, and the drag racing scene, I flip the recorder on with L' Natural himself, as he candidly reveals how he almost got shot over a street race, about crashing into the walls at 130 mph, whether import drag racing is dead, and what a naturally aspirated 9.33 @ 146.66 pass feels like.
It's been a minute; I think the last time I saw you was at the NHRA event in Englishtown. That's when Shawn Hillier got sick on the plane.
[Laughs] Yeah man, that was a rough flight. All I remember was that Hillie left his seat for some chick and as he was trying to seal the deal he lost it and yacked in a fuzzy blanket. That's what he gets for selling out the team. [Laughs]
What've you been up to since?
Been at my shop, Drag Cartel, and been trying to keep the family life alive-we just sealed the deal with ERL as their sole turnkey Honda K-Series dealer, and I've been keeping the drag car updated and my motor designs as fresh as the DVS kicks on my feet.
So how's it feel to be a world record holder?
I'm stoked about the 9.33 @ 146.66 mph pass up at Englishtown. I actually ran that back in May of 2007 when you were at E-town. It's a great accomplishment, but a hard one to keep. Everyone wants what they don't have.
What did that pass feel like?
It's insane. It's kind of like getting high. You know a good one from a bad one. Racing is the same. As soon as I left the line, the car hooked and went straighter than it ever had before and I was in high gear before I knew it. Deep down inside I knew it laid down a killer number, but not that good. The tough part was duplicating that within 1 percent to back it up. We did it on the next hit and I knew it had to be my weekend.
So what are you doing to best that time?
It's funny you ask; we just finished at the dyno with our new motor and a TWM induction setup. It made 380 whp with 240 lb-ft of torque running methanol on a Dynojet. We have a Cartel experiment going on where we test individual changes to see if there are benefits. Hopefully by the time this hits the stands, we will be deep in the 9.20 second range and 2008 will be the year of the 8s.
Word. Let's get back to your roots, what were your Valley days like?
They were the good old days. My best friends today are from the 818 [area code for the Valley-CJ]. My first car was a lowrider; a Suzuki Samurai on deep-dish KMC wheels with a crazy sound system. As time passed I stepped into a compact Ford Escort, but still kept it in the lo lo family. We used to roll to Sepulveda Blvd and the Sylmar street races. This is where my passion for speed came into play. For the life of me I could not get that damn Escort to go fast, so I sold it for a Honda CRX.