If you own and love a sport compact, Ed and Ron Bergenholtz are names you should know.
Starting in the late 1990s, Bergenholtz Racing ran this Honda CRX in drag-race competition. It was no weakling, as its turbocharged B18 motor produced a ridiculous amount of horsepower. This car, driven by Ed and prepared by Ron, legitimized front-wheel-drive cars in drag racing. It was the first front-driver to run a sub-10-second quarter-mile (9.76 at 147.1 mph at Palmdale, CA, in 1999), a feat it accomplished with the help of what were then quite innovative wheelie bars fashioned by Ron -- they kept the Honda's front wheels from lifting off the ground on its way out of the hole.
bergenholtz_mazda_rx-8_driftcar.jpg Eventually, the CRX was retired, and Ed and Ron went onto drag-race a first-generation Mazda 6 (with factory support from Mazda) in 2003. It used Mazda's 2.3-liter engine, destroked to 2.1 liters and turbocharged to the tune of about 600 horsepower. This car was good for quarter-miles in the 8s.
These days, the Bergenholtz brothers have moved onto drifting, using this RX-8.
They've added a significant chapter to drag-racing history, though, and last week they were inducted into the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Museum's Hall of Fame in Pomona, California, and their famous CRX is currently on exhibit there.
You can read more about the Ed, Ron and the Honda at either of the links below. And there's a 17-minute clip of racing footage and home movies involving the CRX and the Mazda 6 drag car after the jump.
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