Campaigning a bright yellow 20B RX4 sedan known as TUF20B a few years ago, Kevin Awad was one of the original pioneers of the small tyre drag racing scene that went on to become the current ST289 and PRO289 classes of today. Running a best of 8.6@158 the RX4 was a solid performer on the track and one of only a few automatic cars running at the pointy end of the field at the time.
Come 2014, Kevin will be returning to the track in another wild 20B machine, this time in the form of this wicked iridescent yellow RX8 you see here.
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Keen rotor-heads will attest that once you go 20B there's no going back and so of course the chosen powerplant for Kevin's new car is of course another Pac-built 20B, mounted snugly in the back of the RX8s engine bay thanks to a recessed fire wall.
The engine itself will be treated to a bridge port, billet crank and one of our billet centre plates, along with a host of other performance ancillaries including a Garrett GTX55 turbo, Haltch PS2000 ecu, Turbosmart EBoost, 60mm ProGate and Raceport BOV just to name a few.
Pumping a steady flow of methanol to the thirsty rotor will be an Enderle mechanical pump, accompained by a host of Bosch injectors plumbed into the 20B's intake.
A Hypertune race W2A intercooler sits up front to cool the charged air, fed ice-chilled water from a cabin-mounted reservoir.
Inside the cabin area there's bars as far as the eyes can see with a full funny car roll cage setup, strengthening the chassis up and protecting Kevin in the event something should go wrong on the track. Another cool feature to note is the fact the original suicide rear doors have kept full functionality...Not that Kevin will be taking on any back seat passengers...
To allow clearance for the new ladder bar rear end, the rear floor pan has been modified to suit.
The rear view of the car is just as tough as the front with the fat drag slicks filling up the rear arches perfectly, requiring no stretching or modifying to accommodate the chunky shoes.
Kevin's tyre of choice is of course a MT 28x9 inch drag slick. Not a lot of tyre at all to try and put the power of an angry 20B down to the black top but that's part of what makes these classes so much fun to watch and be involved with...
Underneath the back of the car the factory IRS is long gone, replaced with a new H/Duty 9 inch setup and accompanied by a pair of Strange double adjustable coilovers.
Willwood brakes are used all 'round and the new rear end also features a full floating hub setup.
It's often said that wheels can make or break a cars look and drag cars are no exception to this. Kevin has nothing to worry about in that regards though with the V-Series Welds looking the part and suiting the car perfectly.
Looking to build a relativly maintenance-free and reliable race car Kevin has opted to back the 20B up with a T400 automatic which will allow him to harness the rotor power without having to stuff around with crazy multi-plate clutch setups and the like.
The RX8's stylish body has been treated to a new hue by Harry from Trend Smash Repair at Padstow, the blinding yellow paint work looking like silk and suiting the body shape to a tee.
At the moment the car has come in for a few more fabrication bits and pieces and then will be put in the hands of Gadget the wiring master to get all the new electrical sorted out. With everything going to plan, look out for this beast to be hitting the strip in the next three months.
Before we end this feature though, here's a quick clip of Kevin and his RX4 TUF20B in action. Expect this and more when Kevin and his new RX8 comes out to play this year...
KEVIN AWAD TO RETURN TO THE TRACK WITH A NEW PRO289 20B RX8
Tuesday, 4 February 2014
Keen rotor-heads will attest that once you go 20B there's no going back and so of course the chosen powerplant for Kevin's new car is of course another Pac-built 20B, mounted snugly in the back of the RX8s engine bay thanks to a recessed fire wall.
The engine itself will be treated to a bridge port, billet crank and one of our billet centre plates, along with a host of other performance ancillaries including a Garrett GTX55 turbo, Haltch PS2000 ecu, Turbosmart EBoost, 60mm ProGate and Raceport BOV just to name a few.
Pumping a steady flow of methanol to the thirsty rotor will be an Enderle mechanical pump, accompained by a host of Bosch injectors plumbed into the 20B's intake.
A Hypertune race W2A intercooler sits up front to cool the charged air, fed ice-chilled water from a cabin-mounted reservoir.
Inside the cabin area there's bars as far as the eyes can see with a full funny car roll cage setup, strengthening the chassis up and protecting Kevin in the event something should go wrong on the track. Another cool feature to note is the fact the original suicide rear doors have kept full functionality...Not that Kevin will be taking on any back seat passengers...
To allow clearance for the new ladder bar rear end, the rear floor pan has been modified to suit.
The rear view of the car is just as tough as the front with the fat drag slicks filling up the rear arches perfectly, requiring no stretching or modifying to accommodate the chunky shoes.
Kevin's tyre of choice is of course a MT 28x9 inch drag slick. Not a lot of tyre at all to try and put the power of an angry 20B down to the black top but that's part of what makes these classes so much fun to watch and be involved with...
Underneath the back of the car the factory IRS is long gone, replaced with a new H/Duty 9 inch setup and accompanied by a pair of Strange double adjustable coilovers.
Willwood brakes are used all 'round and the new rear end also features a full floating hub setup.
It's often said that wheels can make or break a cars look and drag cars are no exception to this. Kevin has nothing to worry about in that regards though with the V-Series Welds looking the part and suiting the car perfectly.
Looking to build a relativly maintenance-free and reliable race car Kevin has opted to back the 20B up with a T400 automatic which will allow him to harness the rotor power without having to stuff around with crazy multi-plate clutch setups and the like.
The RX8's stylish body has been treated to a new hue by Harry from Trend Smash Repair at Padstow, the blinding yellow paint work looking like silk and suiting the body shape to a tee.
At the moment the car has come in for a few more fabrication bits and pieces and then will be put in the hands of Gadget the wiring master to get all the new electrical sorted out. With everything going to plan, look out for this beast to be hitting the strip in the next three months.
Before we end this feature though, here's a quick clip of Kevin and his RX4 TUF20B in action. Expect this and more when Kevin and his new RX8 comes out to play this year...
