If you entered the sport compact scene in or around its early ‘00s glory days, count yourself lucky. You’ll know how awesome it was to see the E.T. milestones fall at the hand of well-funded and endlessly pioneering competitors, driving quicker into the history books each weekend. You’ll remember the TV cameras and five-figure crowds (and yes, the foam parties) of NHRA Sport Compact or NDRA competition. You’ll also know how much the sport has shrunk — and how much its mainstream allure has shuttered — in the years since.
But more importantly, you'll know how much more distilled and competitive it has become, how far those who’ve been driving it have progressed their sport, and how the competition is still as hot and exclusive as ever.
A decade-and-a-half ago, a “national” event in sport compact drag racing was just that: a major gathering of the nation’s top contenders, to battle it out for big prizes, total media coverage and maybe even a shot at some foam party groupies.
That might not be the case today. But where the name and invite still stand, those who compete are fully due the titles, prizes and respect winning a national event entails — as well as the ability to call out any eligible rivals who neglected to compete.
The motorsports/experiential wing of import/sport-compact print mainstay DSPORT Magazine, the Import Drag Racing Circuit (IDRC) has seen its share of the glory days and remains today for the diehards who’ve stayed with the sport and those who have since come into the fold. Fielding just four events a year makes their inaugural West Coast Nationals event that much more substantial for those serious about earning competition wins; for the rest, it’s simply good track time and an chance to catch up with friends and taunt rivals. We saw plenty of both at this year’s outing.
Largely gone are the days of no-holds-barred Hot Rod and Outlaw-class tube-frame, fiberglass dragsters, but sportsman classes — particularly Sport FWD cars — are today as competitive as ever. Most of these machines fall into the IDRC’s Pro FWD class while still retaining things like factory sheet metal, windshield glass and tire limitations. With SoCal’s rich street-racing heritage, lots of the fastest of these machines are former street-racing legends made competition-legal for events just like this.
Front-man for FCS Fab, supplier of locally designed and fabricated drag swag is seen on more of the Pro/Sport FWD field than not, at least it seems. Jason Park and Co. posted the quickest Pro FWD E.T. of the day in qualifying, in their endlessly clean DC2 Integra, with an 8.940 seconds at 173.83 mph blast.
Not far behind was Behzad “Driver B” Agahzedeh in his four-door Civic, posting a 9.939 at 154.17 in the first round, and an even quicker 9.405 at 144.98 in the second.
But coming out on top was Omid Khalif with an ultra-consistent trio of 9.0s from his “Turbo Joe” Civic hatch, running as quickly as 9.064 seconds at 170.51 mph to take the win.
Two FWD notables were Aaron Tomosada, with a best 9.175 at 161.77 in his Zero 4 Racing turbo DC2 Integra, and teammate Nalani Whatley in her Honda CRX with a 9.339 at 148.41, with no turbocharger or supercharger to speak of.
And now we get to that “largely” disclaimer from a few paragraphs earlier.
Winning the Pro Turbo 10.5 class and running faster than an impressive field consisting of a built Subaru WRX STI, Porsche 911 and Mazdaspeed3 was Jason Ames and his completely-devoid-of-livery, late-'90s-styled Civic Hatch, blasting from the past with an 8.617 at 168.51 in his final-round performance. And just behind him was Thony Mony in the Do It Dyno Civic coupe, posting a 9.454 at 153.98 in qualifying and coasting his way to the finals with Ames.
Dozens of other racers took to the strip in classes for everything from fast forced-induction and all-motor RWDs, to high-dollar AWDs and even to the random (and surprisingly quick) full-size pickup or (not so quick) family minivan.
And while all that was underway, IDRC’s “InstaFame” car show brought out SoCal and the Southwest’s usual suspects, plus a few pleasant surprises in no fewer than 22 categories, notably from SoCal86, Autofashion USA, Team Hybrid and Sho Kru.
Absent from competition were several local SoCal drag regulars, as well as some continually "in-development" projects we’ve got our eye on, and a lot of very fast competitors from NorCal and the Pacific Northwest. In true SoCal drag-scene form, those who cleaned up this time are taunting those very rivals to come out and play next time.
IDRC travels to Colorado next month and out to Ohio in August before returning to Fontana for the Finals in October. As always, count on us to bring you the conclusion to all the drama.
For full race results and to get involved, visit www.importdrag.com, and check out our coverage from last year's IDRC event.
