Rotary vs piston is a well known event here in New Jersey and in the island of PR. The history of rotary vs piston is long and hard. Many rotary engine fanatics take a full size rotor to the track and many piston engine lovers take a diesel engine piston to the drag strip and when the event starts, and the opposing rotor or piston car looses the fans in the blechers go crazy with excitement and start to bang!! the rotor or piston in the blechers. A rotary vs Piston event is pure adrenaline. Check out this websites.

www.pistonvsrotor.com
www.puertoricodragracing.com

 

Next year we here in Sweden will see NHRA Modified and maybe PRO rwd classes compete at sanctioning body Swedish dragracing league. I have mailed NHRA-Import twice about the weight breaks 2 and 3 years back, but they had not answer yet (this was 2 weeks ago) Do you guys had some info on weight breaks for NHRA, importdrag and NOPI 2-3 years ago? We think we can have a full 16 car field and maybe a 6-8 field in PRO next year. At last does anybody have a telephone numbe to NHRA- Import so i can speak to them?

 

The NHRA has published it's new rules for the 2004 season.
Most of the classes are being turbo size limited now.
Check out www.nhraimport.com

 

The truth
I would love to meet Falito

 

Sorry for turning thos into something else...my fault

I don't wish anything bad for Abel, and I am honestly happy for him and rotary community when he acomplish something; however first impression is what counts the most. Too bad my first impression with Abel wasn't a good one.

 

Interesting subject. As I can see, everyone has their bias (Iam biased as well as I was a Rafaelito customer) and I'll try to explain this so that everyone has an idea as objectively as possible.
Rafaelito is a 13 year old full chassis car certified by NHRA (it has to be to run in both Puerto Rican and Stateside tracks), although people can see that the body has been shortened in the middle the width of the license plate (about 12-14 inches), and to run in the stateside tracks, it must meet NHRA certs. and has run, at the time 7.7's (as written in Turbo and Sport Compact magazines). I will not be surprised this coming season that Rafaelito will match or improve his new record.
Flaco has all the exposure and fame for two great reasons beside his great car: he is stateside and his primary sponsor (K&N) is the one that gives a lot of money to the magazines in advertisement, so of course you will see a lot of him and that is understandable, I would do the exact same thing if one of my primary contributors to my magazine has a sponsored car, I would keep them (K&N) happy.
Now bear in mind that when Flaco started his campaign with his R-100, he was advised by precisely Puerto Rican specialists and mechanics (see early Turbo magazine coverage for these facts), so for him to get where he is at, he started going to the people that some have discredited.
I am proud that two latin americans Flaco (mexican) and Rafaelito (Puerto Rican) have put the fastest rotary cars in the planet, and congrats to both. We can bicker and pin-point a lot of details, but in general, they both kick *** and are great for this rising sport.
I suggest to stop praising our preferenced racers by critizing and disrespecting other drivers. I would encourage national magazines and reporters to be fair in covering all compact racers. In fact, we are even forgetting the Australians, that are, in fact, racing as good as stateside and Puerto Rican racers and they have been ignored for many years.

 

I can attest to that!!! The aussie's are as crazy as they get when it comes to modified rotary engines...There's as much modified rotary rx2,3 and 4 as Puerto Rico does.hhahah.... I even had a Euro spec rx4 Wagon here in the states which I regret selling..

 

It's so easy to point the finger, or point out the short comings of others. But the bottom line is when you get a car and a program running then come talk. I've seen your wonderful wiring work you did on your haltech, and NO i wouldn't certainly not be pointing out others shortcomings.

 

Dont forget about the Rotary enthusiast in New Zealand.
They are big time into modifying rotaries.
You can find many of their events on video @ 3rotor.com
Thanks to all these guys who dedicate their lives on building rotaries much respect to them.
////////////////PUROROTARY///////////////////////////

 

I thought I read that someone got down into the 6's recently......or maybe that was a 3 rotor car?

 

1 question!! if the other guys can run v6 and v8's why cant we run 3 rotor without problems....I remember reading that they wanted to ban the use of the 3 rotor or it has to be in a special class or something ...correct me if im wrong please...

 

Jose "Siquel Racing" Torres ran 6.9 @199mph with his 3 rotor third gen and so did Able"Flaco" Ibarra with his K&N third gen. Rx7

 

The 3 rotor engine was banned from the all motor class which is composed of 4 cil. piston engines. Only 2 rotor engines could compete in the all motor class.

But they allow 6 cil. engines to compete against 4 cil and 2 rotor engines in the pro import class. You make sense of it. 6 cil. making well over 1400 rwhp vs a 4 cil. barely making 700rwhp in the same heads up class.

 

I think they banned the 3 rotor for the NHRA All Motor class in 2002. This the year when Jesus Padilla and his 1st gen rx7 powered by 3 rotor went uncostested and undefeated if I am not mistaken. His best time was a 10 sec flat. If it wasn't for NHRA banning his 3 rotor he would have been the first 9 second all motor import.
Fucken hondas couldn't live with getting smoked by a rotary powered car.
What is the big deal it is only a 2.0 liter.
They say he is preparing another 2 rotor car but much lighter and he will still whoop honda ***.
Congrats Jesus Padilla

 

And the amazing thing is that he was sandbagging it the whole time! Last time I heard, his new 2-rotor RX-7 was running 10.4s but it was still being sorted out. I haven't heard anything in months, though, so his times could be much better (or worse).

BTW, not many people know this (for the same reason I was ranting about earlier this thread), but 9-second all-motor imports are OLD news. Partytime (RX-7) and Bam Bam (Miata) were running in the 9.60s seven years ago powered by all-motor 13B engines!! Sure, they would probably be far from legal in NHRA today, but still an amazing accomplishment, especially in the days when turbo Hondas were barely running 10's. OF course, few people heard about it....

 

Didn't know
Thanks for the heads up.

 

Sorry but none of those were all motor...

-Bam bam is NA + NOS
-Partytime was turbo (or NOS)

 

Not now, but back then they really were all-motor. I still have the pictures and magazine articles to prove it. Partytime was all-motor and ran 9.64. Later he went turbo and ran deep in the 8's before smashing the car into the wall at one of the Pan Ams a few years ago. Last time I heard it was still being reconstructed. Bam Bam was also all-motor and running 9.60s back then. He later added NOS and is now running in the 8.50s. He was the fastest compact without turbo until recently (the LoJack rotary dragster now has that title).

I can scan the articles from Turbo mag if you want. They're an interesting piece of forgotten history.

Edit: While I'm on the subject of all-motor records and accomplishments ignored by the media, the fastest all-motor import/compact I can think of is the legendary "Eclipse My Way" from Puerto Rico, an Eclipse powered by a 4-cylinder Mercruiser engine. Yes, Mercruiser, as in boat motor. It ran 8.90s! Four cylinders, no turbo, no NOS, all-motor!

 

I don't remember non of them being just NA, but I believe you!

BTW - I was at the Pan Am when Partytime had the accident, and I also had it on video...too bad a friend never returned it

 

Jesus(Kilo)Padilla ran 10.24 in testing recently here in Fl.
Bam Bam, Partytime and Switchie Racing were all 9.60 all motor cars back in the days. Presently also here in FL Primar racing has ran in the 9's all motor. Most of these cars are running on the bottle presently with Bam Bam at 8.40's, Primar at 8.50's. Switchie and Partyime back in the days before they both were destroyed in accidents were in the low 9's.
As of late the race is to be the first nitrous car in the 7's.
Confinado, Bam Bam and Primar are leading the pack in that race presently.

 

Its so crazy how you just NEVER hear about any of this.

Is there a website that lists all these guys and what type of sanction/classes they run in???

STEPHEN

 

what it weigh? 35 lbs?

 

Ahhhhhhh Switchie....I'll let you guys know now..When I was at Moroso and first heard switchie rx light the tires up....it made me get goose bumps!!!! That day it ran a 9.? and the crowd was on fire...this guy is a badd ***.

 

crispeed..,.I almost bought a big *** turbo from switchie ...his rx2,3,or 4 sedan is wicked....I use to go see those guys battle it out - down in homestead..1 thing is..these guys learned to handle a car doing those kind of speeds by trial and error....when there's $$$$ on the line you had to do whatever it took to keep them wheels on the road..hahah....

 

Ha! No. There's a whole article about it in the March '99 issue of Turbo mag. It doesn't say how much it weighs, but by looking at the pics & specs I'm guessing about the same as any other top 4 cyl. Pro Import (1,700-1,800 lbs. with driver). The engine is a 3.7 l MerCruiser making around 500 hp.

Did Switche really run 9.60s all motor? I know he ran as low as 9.20s but he was on the bottle when he did that. I saw the crash at Moroso. Scary stuff!