Mohler's record romp leads to points lead

National Dragster, Oct 31, 2003

Honda Tuning All Motor

The seesaw battle that has been the Honda Tuning All Motor class in 2003 continued in Englishtown, where Scott Mohler, runner-up at the season's first four races and winner of the fifth but absent from the final round since then, scored a dominating victory with his newly lightened Mopar-backed Neon.

Mohler's win halted the reign of terror of Honda pilot Leslie Durst, who had won two of the three previous events and runner-upped at the third after seizing momentum from early-season front-runner Ken Scheepers, who had won three of the season's first four events with his Mazda RX-7.

Durst qualified No. 1 with a sizzling 10.27, nearly two-tenths ahead of Scheepers' 10.45, and Mohler was a distant seventh at 11.14. All three advanced to round two with Durst's 10.22 leading the way. Mohler took out defending All Motor season champ Jesus Padilla with a 10.77, then dropped jaws around the sport compact world with an out-of-nowhere 10.05 in round two, far and away the quickest pass in class history.

Not to be outdone, Durst, the current record holder at 10.13, improved from her second-round 10.30 to a stunning 10.03 to defeat Scheepers in the semi's. Mohler was fortunate to have the semifinal bye because his car broke an axle just off the line.

Mohler knew that a win would draw him to within striking distance of points leader Scheepers, and if he could back up his .05 for a record, he could take the points lead by six markers. Durst also had a leg up on a new record, but Mohler led wire to wire, and when Durst's Horizon Motorsports Honda CRX faltered, Mohler breezed free and clear into the points lead with a 10.077 at 135.89 mph to also set the class speed record.

"I just knew we could set the record here with the air at Englishtown in October. This is just an awesome track," Mohler said. "Taking the weight out of the car, I knew we were going to run a low 10, if not a nine. We have the nine-second pass in the car; it's just a matter of time before we find it."