Bradenton, Fla., was a hot, hot place this past weekend, but we still had fun (and learned a lot) at the NOPI Drag Racing Association event. We ran our Civic Si in the Bracket 15 class in full STS trim aside from the 225/50R15 BFGoodrich g-Force T/A Drag Radials and decreased negative front camber.
The three-hour drive to the track went just fine—and yes, in true STS fashion we drove to the track on our race tires—and we spent Saturday watching the heads-up cars and waiting for our open session. The car still recorded 2.3-second 60-foot times, but our E.T.s had climbed to 16.6 seconds—not exactly quick, but the car was consistent, as nearly every run was in the low-16.6 bracket. (Did we mention it was very hot and humid this past weekend, with track temperatures near 160 degrees?)
The car seemed to be popular with the crowd, as people were constantly checking it out, asking questions and taking photos.
We had one more session before Sunday’s eliminations, and guess what kind of times we turned? Yep, another low-16.6-second run with another 2.3-second 60-foot. To be on the safe side, we picked a 16.59 dial-in.
Our first elimination run ended in nearly a dead heat, but we scored the win. Unfortunately the second round didn’t go so well, as we red-lighted. Our E.T. that run? 16.6 seconds.
We’ll post some more detailed time info shortly, as the slips are still in the car. Look for a full report in GRM soon.
The Civic is currently at Orlando & Sons, one of the few remaining full-service gas stations, having its drag tires replaced by a pair of BFGoodrich Comp T/A KDs. We expect to autocross the car this weekend.
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