STREET/RACE Issue 1, Winter 2016 | Page 28

The Best & Worst of TX2K16 LIVING UP TO THE HYPE TX2K is where Lamborghini-hunting began, and Ben Haynes lived up to his “LMBOKLR” license plate with his T1 Race Development-built GT-R after taking down Jason “Mullet” Stevens and his UGR Lambo in the Unlimited Roll Race finals. Haynes got the jump off the line, while Mullet’s rolling antilag didn’t hit as hard as he needed to pull out a winning performance. HOT MUSTANG A driver’s worst nightmare is having something go horribly wrong with their car while racing. In the unfortunate case of Luis Alfonzo’s 2014 Mustang, a nitrous line burst after a hard launch and what started out as a relatively minor fire eventually erupted into an uncontrollable blaze. As the safety crew battled the flames, strong winds fanned the fire and burned the whole front of the car beyond repair. Thankfully, Alfonzo walked away with no injuries. ROTARIES ROCK Rotary engines offer a unique, high-winding RPM capability with a deranged exhaust note to match; when prepared properly, these engines are capable of producing big power in the right hands. Mix the power with a big tire and a sticky track and you’re in for a whole lot of fun! Eight-second passes were a walk in the park for these three rotary-powered beasts. They were popping and banging with the anti-lag off the starting line and then launching harder than anything else all weekend. 28 STREETRACE