BLAZING TRAP SPEEDS AND SCORCHING ETs highlighted the season finale of import drag racing at Auto Club Dragway on October 16, 2011. The IDRC 2011 International Finals presented by Motovicity Distribution drew 200 racers and over 2000 fans to Fontana, California to cap off another great year of import drag racing. With plenty of traction compound laid down on the strip, hooking up should have been no problem and no excuse for poor elapsed times. Unlike some other event producers looking to save a buck, the IDRC spared no expense for track prep. With plenty of traction compound laid down on the strip, hooking up was not a problem. The grip was so good that there were even announcements advising drivers not to over deflate their tires. Those not heeding the advice got bit hard by the track as numerous clutches, axles, gearboxes and differentials would fall victim to a seriously-sticky track surface.

True Street Class Presented by SPEC Clutches

The True Street Class presented by SPEC Clutches was a full field, composed of a mixture of platforms. Top qualifier Mike Carwin started the elimination round against his brother Ryan, who wasted the rearend of his Celica on launch. Jeff Church was also eliminated in the first round due to breakage. The sixth qualifier, Alejandro Razo ran consistently through eliminations, making his way into the finals against Carwin. At the green light, Razo got the holeshot and cleared the 1320 just 0.103 seconds ahead of Carwin, enough to take the win and the SPEC Clutches gift certificate.

Quick Class Presented by Darton Sleeves

The Quick Class presented by Darton Sleeves featured heated competition right out of the gates, with Santos Renovales taking the top spot in his 83 Corolla. Alexy Hernandez, Thony Mony, Randy Yray and Los Landeros all qualified with best passes in the 10-second range, with 0.399 seconds separating Renovales from fifth-seed Landeros. Renovales seemed unstoppable as he dispatched his opponents in the second and final rounds with single-digit slips. In the end, his quickest pass of 9.803 seconds could not be topped as he claimed the Quick Class victory and his contingency prize, a certificate for a set of Darton Sleeves.

Pro-Am FWD Class Presented by Hondata

The quickest class this day was certainly the Pro-Am Front-wheel drive class presented by Hondata. The top four drivers qualified with 9-second elapsed times. This full and very competitive field was made up entirely of Hondas. Javier Loarca, who had been battling with transmission gremlins that have kept him from breaking into the single-digit realm, qualified on top with a 9.602-second pass. But he would not be alone in the nines as Anthony Di Nallo and Navid Pajoufar were right on his heels with 9.618 and 9.781 time slips, respectively. The semi-finals proved even more exciting as Loarca defeated Pajoufar with his quickest ET of the day, a 9.246-second pass. The tables would turn in the finals, as the second qualifier Anthony DiNallo swooped in and captured the top spot with a 9.274-second blast. DiNallo claimed the cash prize for the class and a gift certificate from Hondata.

Pro-Am All Motor Class Presented by Exedy Racing Clutch

A full field of competitors vied for the win in the Pro-Am All Motor class presented by Exedy Clutch. The quickest in qualifying was TB Adde in his 1995 Integra with a 10.845-second elapsed time. The top five qualifiers in this hotly contested class were separated by a total of 0.268 seconds. As the eliminations got underway, a number of upsets ensued, as Adde was the only driver out of the top five that advanced in the eliminations. But Adde broke against Ismael Mayoral in the semi finals, putting Mayoral into the finals. Jimmy Villatoro’s 12.443-second pass against Carlos Alvarez was enough to secure him the other spot in the finals. When the dust settled, Mayoral claimed top honors, the class payout and a gift certificate from Exedy Clutch.

Pro All Motor Class

The All Motor Class represented a diverse field of vehicles from a variety of eras. The top dog in qualifying was Scott Kelley in the seemingly less-than aerodynamic Scion xB. His best qualifying run of 9.999 seconds made him the only single-digit competitor in the field. He only went faster as the day progressed, running a 9.941-second e.t. in the semi final round against Jeremy Shay and locking in a finals spot. Norman Aubry’s Insight put down solid 10-second passes throughout qualifying and continued to do so in the eliminations. In the finals, Kelley and Aubry faced off at the tree. At the green light, Aubry had the advantage with a 0.035-second reaction time, but Kelley saved his quickest pass for the finals, a 9.889-second e.t. at 134.81 MPH for the win.