Chris Rado Awarded Top Honors for NASA Time Trials and Set a New Track Record

Chris Rado and WORLD Racing made their way to Phoenix International Raceway (PIR) –  a track unfamiliar to the team – this past weekend for NASA Time Trials. PIR is a short, very tight track; the kind of track that is an enemy to the WORLD Racing FWD Scion tC.  “This isn’t the type of track that our Scion tC is designed for,” says Chris. “But when it comes down to racing, we race what we got and we run the tracks that we are there to race.”

The event at PIR had a great turnout of drivers, fans, and media. There were about 50 cars in the Time Trials category and over 250 cars racing overall. Chris and the rest of the WORLD Racing team felt it to be a very promising weekend.

The first session Saturday morning was a light session for Chris since he wasn’t familiar with the track and didn’t yet know his turning points, braking zones, and shift points. Chris brought the Scion tC back to the WORLD Racing pit early because he sensed there were some problems with the vehicle and didn’t want to chance it.

Due to some issues with the radiator and head gasket, the team decided to replace the engine. The spare engine they had in their possession was not quite in tip-top shape, so the team definitely had their work cut out for them. They needed to start by sourcing a head gasket and a radiator. Thanks to a local Scion dealership, the WORLD Racing team was able to check a head gasket off the list. UMS Tuning in Mesa, Arizona came in with flying colors and found the team two Mishimoto high-performance Scion tC radiators. Things were looking up for the WORLD Racing team.

The team worked for a solid eight hours and by 7 o’clock Saturday night, they had a running car with a brand new radiator and an engine in place that had raced at over five events, but with the new head gasket, everything seemed to be in working order. The team was ready to race on Sunday morning.

Sunday morning came and the WORLD Racing team was very excited to get back on the track and put down a good time. On the first session, Chris managed to clock a 1:05.94, claiming the new track record for a FWD vehicle which was only 0.4 seconds off the TTR overall track record held by Pete Creek and his fire-breathing Z06 Corvette. This was also the second overall best time in the Unlimited Time Trials class. Chris made it around the course eight more times, all of which he clocked times ranging in the 1:06’s. Chris was very happy with his driving and the handling of the Scion tC, especially taking into account how tight the course was.

For the second time trials session, Chris was gridded behind the track veteran in the Z06 Corvette who was known for taking the top honors repeatedly at PIR. Due to some technical issues with the car, Chris was unable to beat his time from the earlier session, but he still managed to run low 1:06’s.

Overall, Chris and the WORLD Racing team considered the weekend a major success. Especially since they had received top honors in the FWD and a second place finish overall in the Unlimited Time Trials category, which included AWD and RWD competitors as well. The team walked away from the track victorious with a new FWD track record and just shy of the overall track record for the Unlimited Time Trial race group.

Next up on the WORLD Racing nationwide takeover, NASA Time Trials at Buttonwillow Raceway October 11-12 where the team hopes to continue their great season with another victory!

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