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(972) 530-3335
311
E. Buckingham Rd. Garland, TX 75040
Lower Level Showdown
Noble, OK - October 1, 2000
The
Lower Level Showdown is an annual Truck Show/Import Drag Race held
at Thunder Valley Raceway in Noble, OK. We woke early Sunday morning
for the 3-4 hour drive from Garland to Noble. Upon arriving at the
track we began to set up and later realized that there were no other
RWD Imports besides the two cars we brought-the RX7.COM car and Steve
Kan's '93 RX7. As a result of the lack of competition, we were automatically
handed the win after running one pass. It seemed as though the rest
of the day would be a relaxing, fun day at the track. Several "test-n-tune"
passes were made and exhibition runs. Unfortunately, at the launch
of our fourth run, the RX7.COM car's rear end broke.
After
getting the car back to the pit, the team quickly worked to replace
the rear end. The car is so powerful that the stress on the rear end
fractured the carrier housing. Surprisingly, the Kaaz differential
was not damaged. It took the team only 1 hour and 25 minutes to replace
the rear end. During this time the event organizers proposed that
the spectators would like to see us race against the domestic RWDs.
The domestic RWD class is a no-holds-barred class. It would be like
racing in the outlaw class. Knowing that we would be the underdog,
we still accepted to give the crowd a good show. In light of our new
competition, we left off the exhaust to give us more power during
the re-assembly of the car.
Once the car was back together we were back on the track. Ari and
the RX7.COM car raced a Mustang and unfortunately we weren't quite
fast enough. Steve later lost to a Mustang also. Ari then ran a bye
run at 9.87 @ 142.63 mph. Our day wasn't over yet though. What we
think was a Plymouth Belvedere (we're not sure, we do know it was
some sort of Chrysler product) challenged us to a grudge match. Old
school vs. new school...rotary vs. piston...big motor vs. tiny motor,
of course, we took up the challenge. We had an impressive time against
the "Chrysler thing" with our 10.05 @ 143.03 mph to its 9.78 @ 140.56
mph. With a better launch, we could have took him but the track was
quite slippery. Also the "groove" of the lanes were forcing
the car back and forth down the track. In spite of it though, we did
well. Hats off to the domestic crowd for being such great sports and
letting us participate.
Everything considered-the lack of RWD import competition, the rear end, and the domestics- we still had a blast. At the end of the day we packed it up and headed south to Garland.
RX7.COM would like to thank our friends who traveled up to Oklahoma
to support us at this event. Also, we would like to thank the event
organizers for making us feel at home and putting on a good event
despite the class turnout. We look forward to next year's Lower Level
Showdown.
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Event Pictures
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NEXT EVENT: ID World Import Challenge - Houston,
TX on October 7 & 8.
Click here for complete event
listing and previous event coverage!
Car Specs - Ari's 1993 RX-7
Best 1/4 Mile: |
9.58 @ 147.6 MPH |
Engine: |
RP Street Port 13B
Engine |
Transmission: |
Stock Mazda 5-Speed |
Turbo: |
GReddy
T78 Kit |
Boost: |
1.75
bar w/ GReddy Profec B |
Nitrous: |
75 HP |
Exhaust: |
GReddy
T78 Kit Downpipe
GReddy
Power Extreme Exhaust |
Intake: |
Custom Cold Air |
Fuel: |
RP
Competition Fuel Pump (Intank)
RP Large Secondary Injector Kit
Haltech
E6K
VP-C16 116 Octane Gas |
Pulleys: |
RP
Triple Race Pulley |
Intercooler: |
GReddy
Front Mount |
Ignition: |
Jacobs
Rotary Pro Pak, Rotary Ultra Coils (Leading), and Wires
NGK Racing Plugs
J&S Knock Sensor |
Clutch: |
Bönez
Racing Clutch
Mazda
Speed Short Throw Shifter |
Suspension: |
Tokico
Struts, Suspension
Specialties Springs,
Cusco
CF Rear Strut Bar |
Brakes: |
Bönez Brake Kit w/
X-Drilled Rotors |
Rear End: |
Stock Mazda Assembly
w/ 4.3 gear
KAAZ Mechanical L.S.D.
RP Racing Axles
RP Drag Launch Kit |
Wheels and Tires: |
Weld Drag Racing wheels
Mickey Thompson ET Drag tires (26x10.5x15)
MT ET Street (26x10x15) for Street class |
Chassis: |
Custom Chromoly NHRA
Legal Cage, 5-point Harness, All glass, dash, gas tank, headlights,
interior components retained. Fully streetable. |
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