Team World Racing worked hard to get the Integra's weight under a ton. Back-halving a car is legal according to the NIRA rules, so the body structure aft of the driver's seat consists of a lot of chrome-moly tubing. What remains of the original body structure has taken on a likeness to Swiss cheese, thanks to Marc's plasma cutter efforts. Electrical wiring has been pared down to the bare minimum amounts required, and the factory dash has been replaced by a carbon-fiber piece that weighs less than one pound.
Less weight and more horsepower are always good for drag racing, but so is suspension tuning. The suspension on Christian's Integra features geometry similar to a stock Integra, but all of the components are aftermarket. Remote-reservoir Penske shocks (yes, the same Penske that makes shocks for CART and Formula One race cars) are used, as are Eibach springs. Bolted to the front wheel hubs are 15x10-inch Bogart wheels shod with 15x10x26 Hoosier drag slicks. The rear wheels are also Bogart, but run with much skinnier Goodyear 15x10x3.5 tires.
At the time of this writing, Christian is set to compete at the NIRA Sunoco Performance Products Import World Finals at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. He's won three races this year and is hoping to avoid the bad luck that kept him from winning the race at Englishtown. Vegas should be a good show. Bring earplugs.
Fast Facts
Owner: Christian Rado
Hometown: Reading, PA
Ride: 1995 Acura Integra GS-R
Daily Grind: Drives really fast
Under The Hood: Alcohol-fueled Integra 1.8L sleeved block; Crower connecting rods; Ferrea valves; Turbonetics custom turbo, Turbonetics Godzilla blow-off valve; HKS Racing wastegate; World Electronics boost controller; Haltec fuel management system; Spearco air-to-liquid intercooler with custom piping; modified cylinder head; Type R camshafts; Venom Racing cam gears; RPS custom turbo exhaust manifold, fuel rail, and intake manifold; BBK throttle body; MSD 6 AL ignition system; custom valvesprings and retainers; Bosch fuel injectors; Weldon fuel pump and regulator; custom exhaust and air intake; Moroso oil pan; stock GS-R transmission with Pro Drive spool; custom front axles; B&M shifter; Tilton clutch
Stiff Stuff: Penske front shocks, Strange rear struts, Eibach springs, custom front antiroll bar and front strut tower brace
Rollers: Bogart Drag-On-Fly wheels (15x10-inch in the front, 15x3.5-inch in the back), Hoosier 15x10x26 front drag slicks, Goodyear 15x3.5x26 rear tires
Stoppers: Stock front Integra brakes, rear Strange brakes
Outside: Fiberglass one-piece frontend, custom rear wing, wheelie bars
Inside: JAZ aluminum seat, carbon-fiber dash, Sparco steering wheel
Props: Rob Smith, Marc Kozeluh, Eric Kozeluh, Kirk at Tilton Engineering, Bruce at Penske, Tyler at Turbonetics, Bosch Motorsports, Spearco, Ken's Kustom Chassis, Chris Miller, John Choe, Shane Karimoto