BEAST MODE
came back from running 9s at the
track that day, but we waited for a
while and when we started racing
on the street it was a little slick.
When I ran White Rhino’s truck, he
beat me, but it was still fun to have
that opportunity and have my
friends support me.”
that his wild shenanigans on the
street may have to soon come to
an end, so he’s trying to make
things count while he’s still got
time on his side.
half-mile race. “I want to get in as
much racing as I can before the
kids come. With all my friends, I’ve
seen it before, it all goes away,” he
casually adds, hopeful he’ll be able
to continue racing after becoming
a father. “Without my wife Mi-
chelle’s support, though, I wouldn’t
have been able to do any of this in
the first place and I’m very thankful
to her.”
you had to make a 30-mile trip and
then come back. I went and looked
and all the cars had air-to-water
intercoolers that went from the
front to the back, fuel cells, and
more. I know technically they have
tags and drive on the street, but I
don’t think that’s a street car,” he
says, pointing out he was racing
with his windows up and the air
conditioning on. “If you have ame-
nities, whatever the car came with
from the factory, that’s a street car,”
he declares. “Put pump gas in; go
anywhere you want.”
With regard to the GTR, Ho feels
it’s pretty much tapped out with
its current fueling and turbos.
The experience of being on TV Though his MoTeC system has an
stayed with Ho, and he was even option to upgrade to a 12 fuel in-
approached by a fan who wanted jector setup, he hasn’t decided if
an autograph and a picture while that’s a worthwhile course of Although the GTR might be done,
he was racing in Nebraska. Regard- action. “I’ll need a new manifold Ho’s bank-account busting defi-
less, Ho keeps it real by hanging and some other stuff, and I don’t nitely is not yet over. “I’ve been
with the T1 Racing crew, many of know of it’s worth it to spend building another car this past year,”
whom he’s gotten to be good $10,000 for another 50 or one- he reveals of his latest project, an By his own admission, though, his
friends with over the years. Addi- hundred horsepower,” he says. FD3S ’93 Mazda RX-7 purchased old Integra had a fiberglass front
tionally, his local group, known as Rather than increase the horse- from a friend. “The GTR is great, end and no air conditioning. “It was
“The 1%,” is a close-knit, no-drama power, Ho is leaning toward drop- fun and fast, but no one wants to driveable on the street, but it defi-
bunch that likes to hang out and ping some weight from the hefty race it anymore.” Instead, Ho will nitely wasn’t pleasant,” he says.
race as much as possible. Ryan Nissan to help make it a little hit the road course with his FD, “You have guys doing Hot Rod Drag
“Paco” Bhuvasorakul, for instance, quicker.
from which he’s yanked the stock Week that are all hot and sweaty
often can be found riding shotgun
13B rotary engine and replaced with and fighting the entire drive. You
in Ho’s GTR, and Paco is responsible Cosmetically, the car has been the a naturally aspirated LS1 engine need the amenities.”
for most of the footage that sur- same color and worn the same from a Pontiac GTO. Pushing just
faces on the Internet on race nights. custom, candy gold-colored Varr- north of 400 wheel horsepower, Ho Whether Ho chooses to keep his
stoen ES2 wheels since he got it, did most of the work himself, in- beastly GTR as the ultimate street
“When we first got into street so the idea of a wrap has been con- cluding the engine install.
car or turn it into a vicious, race-
racing, everyone would race, but sidered to shake it up visually.
only monster, one thing is certain—
as people got older and had kids,
To Ho, a “street car” used to be it will continue to terrorize all who
the scene started to die down,” says Ho plans to continue racing his GTR something that had “a full interior dare line up against it.
Ho, who actually was expecting his at local events, Street Car Takeover and all that,” but now that he’s run
own first children—a set of twins— races and IFO meets, and he’s also several STC events, his definition
this March. He knows all too well committed to the Texas Invitational has changed. “The class I was in,
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STREETRACE