oh so a motor swap isn;t in my head? I have a shitty motor and could easilly swap in a 2.0 Supercharged Eco when it come out, Point?
We were already going to do the 2.2 ECO and build that into my car and it would be a swap also.
Honda’s are not the only one’s who have easiy swaps. Please accept that the civics are no longer king rice anymore in the SPort compact world and people are starting to compete, overthrow and replace them.
no i didnt but thanks for saying that now.
didnt some girl, run like 6.8 or something in a FWD Saturn ION with an Ecotec to be the fastest?
Not just hondas, mitsu, nissian etc etc.
your saying that like its about time. And it is. How long has all the imports been doing that?
No FWD is into 6’s yet but I would guess next year they will be…lisa kubo(used to drive the ion now driven by jason hunt) held the record with a 7.7 till the last race of the season when hoyo’s did his 7.4 and backed it up
are you talking about fwd? man “imports” have been rwd as long as “domestics”
lisa kubo, she used to drive the cav prior to nelson but she got hurt. so now she drives this.
I’d do her IDB
dude she still drives it
http://www.nhrasportcompact.com/2003/news/september/091701.html
POMONA, Calif., Oct. 23, 2004 - Nelson Hoyos’ Ecotec-powered Chevy Cavalier established a national speed record of 194.88 mph in the NHRA Pro FWD category today during the final qualifying session for the Nitto NHRA Sport Compact World Finals at Pomona Raceway. Hoyos’ Chevrolet bolted to its sixth pole position of the season with an elapsed time of 7.451 seconds and a record-setting top speed of 194.88 mph. The 2003 Pro FWD champion has a 45-point lead over defending race champ Lisa Kubo heading into tomorrow’s season finale in his quest for a second consecutive Pro FWD championship.
GM Ecotec Horsepower Shatters Performance Records at Moroso Motorsports Park
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., April 17, 2004 - Driving an Ecotec-powered Saturn Ion, Lisa Kubo became the first Pro FWD in NHRA Sport Compact Drag Racing history to run a seven-second pass during today’s first round of qualifying for the BF Goodrich Tires Sport Compact Nationals at Moroso Motorsports Park.
The 29-year-old Kubo guided her Ecotec-powered Saturn to a track-record elapsed time of 7.963 seconds at 180.83 mph, and captured low qualifying honors for the second time this season.
“If you try too hard then you lose sight of what your real objectives are,” said Kubo. “We went out today knowing that eventually it would happen and we were fortunate that it happened sooner rather than later. The run felt really, really good. But in a front-wheel drive car, if it feels like a good run then it probably isn’t. If it spins and goes from side to side, that’s when you usually have your best run. It went nice and straight, felt good and I thought, ‘that’s a bad pass.’ Carlos Gonzales’ team was coming down the side road flashing their lights and I thought, ‘uh-oh.’ They told me it was a 7.96 and I lost my voice. I wanted to do cartwheels across the racetrack. I was so excited and at the same time relieved that we got it done. Our goal now is to back up the e.t. for the national record, get the additional 20 bonus points and then try and win the race tomorrow.”
Kubo’s record-setting run marked yet another career milestone for team owner and drag racing veteran Jim Epler. On October 3, 1993, Epler became the first Funny Car driver in NHRA competition to exceed the 300 mph barrier when he exited the speed traps at Heartland Park Topeka (Kan.) at 300.40 mph.
“I’ve told Lisa since we started how big it would be to be the first driver in the sevens,” said Epler. "I’m really happy for her, Gary (Kubo) and the whole team because this is something everybody is going to remember. Who was the first driver in the sevens? It was Lisa Kubo in an Ecotec-powered Saturn Ion.
“We walked the track when we got here on Thursday and it was in excellent condition. We went 8.02 at Fontana (Calif.) on a track that didn’t have nearly the amount of rubber this one does. We didn’t do a whole lot to the car. We ran it a little bit harder than we did in Fontana and the number just came up. This is a very good facility and Moroso Motorsports Park always gets a lot of race fans to come out. I’m happy we could do it here in South Florida.”
Nelson Hoyos took his Ecotec-powered Chevy Cavalier out for a career-best ride this afternoon, capturing the No. 2 starting position in Pro FWD with a run of 7.997 seconds at a track-record top speed of 185.56 mph. Both Hoyos and Kubo have the potential of setting a new national e.t. record tomorrow if either one can run within one percent of their Saturday-best qualifying effort.
“It was an awesome day for the entire GM Racing program,” said Hoyos. "We came to West Palm Beach knowing we could run some good numbers and the team has proven it once again. That 7.99 blast is an example of all the hard work and effort they’ve put into this program. It’s the second race of the season and already this Ecotec-powered Chevrolet is clocking in the sevens. There’s just a lot more to come, and it’s going to be great for the team and for the fans of sport-compact drag racing.
“The incremental times are coming around and now we’re starting to understand the car a lot better. This Cavalier is responding to everything we do. We’ve experienced some electronic gremlins that we’re chasing, but those are minor details and we’ll be just fine on Sunday.”
In HOT ROD, the question being asked this weekend is just how fast will Marty Ladwig’s Pontiac Sunfire go? The jury is still out, but during today’s second qualifying session, the 2004 Ecotec-powered Pontiac ran the quickest elapsed time in the history of the category posting an incredible 8.181-second lap at 175.74 mph. The track-record pass gave Ladwig his second consecutive No. 1 qualifying spot of the season and was approximately .25 of a second better than his national record e.t. of 8.340 seconds set last month at Fontana (Calif.).
“It’s been a great day,” said Ladwig. "The team’s been working hard on our 2004 Pontiac Sunfire, doing a little bit of testing at the GM Aero Lab back in Michigan and on the racetrack in Bradenton (Fla.). The results are what you saw today with our best e.t. ever and an opportunity to back up the national record for the second race in a row. The car is extremely stable and straight going down the track, our Ecotec engines continue to produce excellent horsepower and now we’re learning some things with the transmission that has allowed us to realize the full potential of this racecar. Everything we’ve focused on and worked on has paid off.
“The 8.18 run seemed so smooth and effortless. This Sunfire is a lot of fun to drive, especially when it’s going fast and you can’t beat being No. 1 qualifier. Hopefully tomorrow we can come out with a win, and back up the national record so that the team can realize the fruits of their labor.”
Television coverage of the BF Goodrich Sport Compact Nationals can be seen on ESPN2 on Thursday, May 6 starting at 4:30 p.m. Eastern.
here is lisa’s time with 7.9 where I think the confusion with 6.8 came into play. that was eariler last year.
GM Racing Stats & Facts
In the nine races contested in 2004, Ecotec-powered racecars have captured 15 national-event victories in Pro FWD and HOT ROD, competed in 23 final rounds and hold both e.t. and top speed national records in the two categories.
Nelson Hoyos’ Ecotec-Chevy Cavalier has advanced to the Pro FWD final round in 18 of the last 19 events, and Lisa Kubo’s Saturn Ion has advanced to the final round in nine of the last 11 races.
Saturn Ion driver Lisa Kubo is the defending champion of the NHRA Sport Compact Finals at Pomona Raceway.
Saturn Motorsports team owner Jim Epler is a two-time event winner in NHRA Funny Car at Pomona Raceway. Epler won the 1992 NHRA Winternationals and the 1993 NHRA Finals at Pomona Raceway.
The NHRA Sport Compact World Finals will be telecast on ESPN2 on Sunday, Nov. 14, beginning at 12:30 p.m. (ET)
General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM), the world’s largest vehicle manufacturer, employs 325,000 people globally in its core automotive business and subsidiaries. Founded in 1908, GM has been the global automotive sales leader since 1931. GM today has manufacturing operations in 32 countries and its vehicles are sold in more than 190 countries. In 2003, GM sold more than 8.6 million cars and trucks, nearly 15 percent of the global vehicle market. GM’s global headquarters is at the GM Renaissance Center in Detroit. More information on GM and its products can be found on the company’s consumer website at www.gm.com.
waaaaaaaaaay too much reading haha
yeah but you can;t say the facts arn;t posted now.
i’ve been in front of a computer since 7 in this class and i’m trying not to fall asleep
actually those aren’t updated. believe me when I say jason is driving the pro FWD Ion… lisa is now on a team with hoyo’s and she will be driving a Pro RWD Ion this season
do you have a link to the RWD Ion.
As far as I read some time in the past year or so you are no longer allowed to change the drivetrian to RWD if the car comes with FWD…
no the car itself hasn’t been released but it will be RWD. hartford still has a cavy that is RWD and the ion also…pretty much all pro RWD class cars would be outlawed if they made that rule.
my fault she will be driving an cobalt but it is PRO RWD
If you want to discuss a good domestic swap, how about an SRT/PT GT motor in a first gen Neon. Better yet an SRT swap into an ACR then it would out handle the Hondas too.
(I can’t believe I’m actually on the domestic side of this argument…always said the only American cars I’d ever buy would be a Vette or Cobra)