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!

No related posts.

Chris made his first test pass on Friday which was extremely successful considering all the changes the SCION tC had undergone. “I was very surprised how well the first pass went; usually it takes twenty to thirty runs just to get the car dialed in,” says Chris. “But the WORLD Racing team was pretty dead-on with the initial set-up.”

During the second test pass there was an issue with the transmission forcing the WORLD Racing team to remove and rebuild it. The SCION tC was fixed that evening and was ready to battle the next day.

Going into qualifying on Saturday, Chris and the team were very excited to see the WORLD Racing SCION tC make a pass. The car felt great to Chris when he launched it on the first qualifying pass, but the monster power of the SCION tC’s engine caused the clutch to slip. Chris decided to abort the run.

For the final qualifying pass, Chris and the SCION tC were ready to give it their all. After laying down a massive burnout, Chris had his eyes set on the finish line. The car launched flawlessly and earned the time of 7.80 seconds at 183 MPH. Chris and the team knew they could run a better time with a little more boost.

Sunday morning came and the crew was very excited for eliminations. With some tricks up their sleeves, the WORLD Racing team was very confident they could do better than the 7.80 they received the day prior.

For the first round of eliminations, Chris was ready to run against Gary Gardella. When the lights came down the tree, Chris had a better than perfect launch. “It seemed as if I had just destroyed him at the light; when the lights came down the SCION tC slingshot ahead of him two or three car lengths immediately,” says Chris.

At the half track point, Chris was still a half-car length ahead of Gardella. Slowly, however, the lead faded and Gardella passed him. After reviewing the data they realized that a boost issue was the cause of slowing up the SCION tC and giving Gardella the win.

When Chris received his time slip, he was ecstatic to find out that he actually had the best 60-foot time of the weekend by almost a tenth of a second. Even better, he had earned the best 60-foot time ever for a FWD racecar in history at Moroso Motorsports Park.

This record, as well as the entire weekend, was a great success for Chris and the rest of the WORLD Racing team. “I definitely think the other teams know it is just a matter of time before we get all the kinks worked out and the SCION PRO FWD team will be on top,” says Chris. Chris would like to thank his sponsors, fans, friends, and family for their amazing support. Next up on the WORLD Racing nationwide takeover – Hot Import Nights in Austin, Texas.

About WORLD Racing:
WORLD Racing is one of the premier drag racing, time attack, and show circuit teams in the Sport Compact industry. This racing company has been a childhood dream for Chris Rado, owner and operator of WORLD Racing & WORLD Motorsports. Chris Rado is “SCION’s Weapon of Choice” on the 1/4 mile strip. On the road courses of the United States, he is out to stir up the competition in the PRO FWD class and Unlimited FWD time attack class. Chris can be found on any given weekend piloting his 1800hp PRO FWD SCION tC and the 700hp Time Attack SCION tC. Any additional information can be found at www.WORLD-Racing.com and www.WORLD-Motorsports.com.

No related posts.

Chris came to this event with the intentions of dusting off and testing his 650 hp Scion tC in order to make proper adjustments to the changes made since the car was last run in August at Road Atlanta. It’s amazing what just a little dusting can do – Chris jumped in his tC and broke his own FWD Unlimited Class time trial record of 1.29.34 seconds. Not only did he break the record, but he basically poured gasoline on it, lit a match, and watched it explode when he set the new Willow Springs FWD track record of 1.27.30 – more than a two second improvement!

The WORLD Racing Scion tC ran three full sessions over the weekend – two on Saturday and one on Sunday. The team had a late start Saturday while pushing to get the car aligned, weight balanced, and ready for its driver. Commenting on his record breaking time, Chris says, “I know the car has another two or three seconds faster in it. With a little more test time over this weekend, I know we could have done it.”

Breaking the FWD record was not the only achievement of the weekend for WORLD Racing. Chris and his Scion tC won the “bragging rights” as the fastest time of a production vehicle all weekend!

For the 2008 season, Chris will be running his Scion tC for the Super Lap Battle Series where he will be competing with some of the best drivers of the nation. Chris looks forward to the challenge and he and his team are very optimistic they will set more track records in the exciting season to come.

“All in all it was a great weekend,” says Chris. “This is a great start for myself and WORLD racing – we are extremely excited and hungry for more wins! I am lucky to have the support of amazing sponsors, fans, family and friends – they are the true backbone behind the great season to come!”

For more about Chris Rado and WORLD Racing, visit WORLD-Racing.com

No related posts.