Abel Ibarra

The heartbeat of import drag racing was jolted February 19 with the news that Abel Ibarra, one of import racing's most respected and accomplished veterans, had crashed heavily with his Mira Loma, Calif.-based Mazda RX-7 during the semifinal round of the IDRC West Coast Nationals at L.A. County Raceway in Palmdale, Calif.

The accident happened at the top of 3rd gear, at more than 130 mph, following a driveline component failure that shredded the left rear tire. Ibarra, running in the right lane, crossed over the centerline and smashed into the opposite-lane guardrail.

For a while, it appeared that the accident would keep Ibarra from competing in the NHRA Summit Import Drag Racing Series kickoff April 28-29 at Texas, but Ibarra bounced back quickly enough to compete in Dallas, hopping back into the saddle of his vaunted Mazda R-100.

Bad timing
The setback was unfortunate for Ibarra, a standard bearer of the sport and one of its leading spokespersons. Ibarra was fresh off perhaps his greatest season, in which he captured the Pro Import National Championship in both NIRA and IDRC competition, and also set the NIRA Pro Import speed record at 172.27mph.

Abel Ibarra's first 2001 outing with his Mazda RX-7 ended in disaster in Palmdale, Calif.

Flush with that success and the promise of greater exposure in the NHRA Summit Import Racing Series, Ibarra was able to sign Toyo Tires as a major sponsor to complement backing from Extrude Hone and Mazda. After receiving some financial backing last year from RaceSearch.com and some equipment sponsorship from Mazda, Toyo represented Ibarra's first true major sponsor and Mazda stepped up significantly this year as well.

Unfortunately, Ibarra's new sponsorship windfall will have to go towards the six-figure repair job on the Mazda. "I was back to zero again," he said.

Chassis builder Gary Hansen, who originally built the 170-mph screamer, pieced the RX-7 back together and although Ibarra has run the sleek machine several times since, the Tuned by Matrix GR Motorsports NHRA Import Nationals at Sacramento Raceway will be the machine's first race on the NHRA Summit Import Drag Racing Series.

Brief but successful NHRA appearance
Ibarra did well in Dallas with the outgunned R100, whose engine, a 1.3-liter 13B REW, and more importantly, its fuel injection and turbocharger, as well as the transmission and rear end, are set up identical to the RX-7. The major difference is that the R100 started life as a full-bodied steel car and had a full-tube chassis added while the RX-7 is a ground-up, purpose-built racer with carbon fiber body panels. Consequently, the R100 weighs about 400 pounds more than the RX-7, and it runs on racing gas while the RX-7 feeds on a diet of methanol.

Abel Ibarra pulled his '71 Mazda out of retirement for the first ever NHRA Summit Import Nationals and qualified 3rd.

"With nitrous, I think the best the R100 can go is a high 7.80," Ibarra estimated. "I think the RX-7 could run .30s and .40s on a good track."

In its day, the R100 was the world's quickest Mazda, a mantle since relinquished to his RX-7.

That event was Ibarra's lone appearance to date on the NHRA Summit Import Drag Racing Series, and yet he sits fifth, 137 markers behind Pro leader R.J. Simrock.

Bouncing back
"The accident was bad, but it could have been worse," he admits. "I turned the car right before it hit guardrail and got it straightened out or I would have gone head-on into the rail. It happened so quick I still don't know what happened."

Ibarra's savvy wheel skills weren't the only thing that turned a potentially disastrous wreck into a "And They Walked Away … highlight clip.

"I've always tried to buy the best equipment for my car even if it means paying double or triple what everyone else is paying," says Ibarra, one of the few whose 25-1-certified tube chassis far exceeds the required chassis rules. "My car weighs 1,840 and it has all of the top-of-the-line safety equipment."

Ibarra doesn't remember climbing out of the car, although he did. The next thing he remembers is regaining consciousness in the ambulance right before being placed in a helicopter to be airlifted to UCLA Medical Center.

"They tell me I got out by myself, but I don't remember that," he admits. "They said that the fire crew told me they were going to cut the car open to get me out if I couldn't get out by myself, so I got out, but I don't remember doing that.

"When they told me they were going to put me in the helicopter, I was worried, because usually they only put you in a helicopter if you're hurt bad. I started to move my toes and fingers and everything was fine, and I was like, 'Dang, I don't think I'm that bad,' but then my left side of my chest starting pretty bad." Small wonder. Ibarra suffered two broken ribs and a punctured lung that kept him hospitalized for nearly a week.

Return to action
Ibarra has run several events since his return, running NIRA events in Texas and Maryland, losing in the final in San Antonio to Simrock (after beating teammate Efren Vasquez in the R-100 in round one) then, after again beating Vasquez in round one, turning the tables on Simrock in Maryland to top a thin three-car field.

Sporting a new paint scheme, Ibarra's Toyo-sponsored RX-7 has run recently in Texas and Maryland with success.

"It's been an interesting few events," he laughs. "In San Antonio, we had been running better but the starter there was a little inconsistent. I got up on the limiter but he kept me waiting so I let off and the car took off and I slowed way down.

"Then we had a pretty bad weekend, performance-wise, in Maryland, because the turbo sucked in part of the wiring harness and also hurt my good engine. I have two spare turbos but I had left them at home, so I had to get that turbo filed down and do the best I could. In the final against R.J. we both lit our top lights, then took a while to light the bottom bulb. When he went in, it only took me four seconds to get in, but his sponsor and his team owner thought I burned him down; they were really upset. I was in shock. I had a .490 light to his .598 and outran him. R.J. was okay with me, though. He knew I hadn't done anything wrong."

Ibarra knows that the road ahead is tough, that the tough Puerto Rican Mazda machines of the lightweight Rafaelito and three-rotor entry of Siguel will be on the tour the last three events.

"I know both of them are coming out to Sacramento, and that R.J. will be there. It's going to be a tough field, but we'll be ready. We seem to have a lot more power now because the car has been breaking loose in second and third gear. If we ever run our three-rotor engine, look out. We know it has 50 percent more power than the two-rotor, and it'll be fast. That worries me though, because there will only be one or two fast cars out there; what will that mean to the rest of the class?"

Import racing spokesperson
Ibarra's concern is typical of his dedication to the sport. He is widely acknowledged among his peers as the sport's greatest advocate. Well respected, well-spoken, friendly, and doggedly determined, the proud father of two girls is out to leave his mark on the sport that he feels sometimes hasn't been as kind to him.

"I've been busting my ass since 1996, traveling across the country, winning events and being the fastest car out there, and I couldn't get a lick of help," he says. "Maybe because I've never had the big sponsor or because of my ethnic background [Hispanic], but I don't think I get the respect I deserve. Some other racers get big sponsorships and they don't even run but a couple of events. They've never done anything significant. I'm not being a crybaby about it, but I'm not going to say it doesn't matter to me. I'm doing it to have fun and make the sport grow.

"The politics of import racing have been so discouraging to me. At time I was so discouraged I wanted to quit, and I'm here to tell you I'm probably not the only one who feels this way. I hope that this new series will change all of that.

"NHRA has the name and the credibility; they're huge, and people love it. This is the break that a lot of people have been waiting for. I think it's not only going to attract people from the import world, but also racers from NHRA's other series."

As one of import racing's strongest proponents and longtime veterans, Ibarra hopes to lead by example.

"I try to set the example," he admits. "I make sure my crew looks presentable and try to speak well on TV. I've built my cars the right way, sometimes even if it was to my disadvantage for weight. I spend a lot of money, and sacrificed a lot of things with my family and my house to get that car done, but I realized early that when you start going this fast you can't second-hand stuff like safety."

That dedication continues off the track, as well.

"The fans are the most important people," he acknowledges. "Without the ticket sales, and without them buying the sponsor's products, we're nothing. I've always been happy to sign autographs and have people come into my pit area to take pictures or have their kids sit in my car."

When the NHRA Summit Import Drag Racing Series moves on to Sacramento Raceway, they'll get their chance again.