MANA — Mary Kealoha claimed the Napa Ladies Night special race event when the Garden Isle Racing Association hosted its drag races Aug. 3 at Kauai Raceway Park in Mana.
Kealoha, piloting a ‘69 Chevy Camaro, topped the all-female competition with an estimated time of 10.23 seconds, reaching 134.55 mph on a dial-in of 10.13 down the quarter-mile strip. The win in the finals came when Brie Saiki broke out despite posting a 13.22 ET in her ‘00 Civic that clocked 97.18 mph on a 13.25 dial-in.
Saiki licked her wounds in the Ladies Night final after taking top honors in the sport compact class, where she beat out Mason Koetje on a red light after Koetje’s ‘92 Civic clocked an 11.74 ET, reaching 112.99 mph on a 12.15 dial-in.
Saiki tooled her Civic to a 13.12 ET, reaching 99.98 mph on a 13.25 dial-in for the win in that class.
The Silva brothers, Christopher and Christian, moved up the ladder in the junior dragster class from the Fourth of July races when both boys finished in the semifinals. For the Aug. 3 run, both boys broke out in the finals, with Christopher being declared the winner after breaking out less than Christian.
Christopher ran his ‘05 half scale Outlaw to a 7.89 ET, reaching 82.59 mph on his 7.95 dial-in, while Christian’s ‘08 half scale Extreme reached 76.84 mph on an 8.89 ET on a 8.98 dial-in. Kelsey Kai made it to the semifinals.
Terry Richard took the super pro class “at the leap off the light” after Cohlton Riskus red-lighted, and Richard went on to pilot his ‘65 Ford Falcon to an 11.07 ET, reaching 126.33 mph on a 10.45 dial-in. Riskus’s red-light run tripped the clock at 8.87 ET, reaching 147.07 mph on an 8.86 dial-in.
Kimo Brogan also claimed the muscle V8 class on a red light after Kevin Wataya jumped the gun in his ‘86 Chevy Camaro that stopped the clocks on an 11.74 ET, reaching 112.99 mph on an 11.81 dial-in. Brogan picked up the win on a 13.21 ET, realing 99.98 mph on a 13.08 dial-in.
A red light also settled the bike ET class when Sanny Molina was too early off the line on an 8.82 ET, reaching 148.25 mph on an 8.85 dial-in. Adam Beetles claimed the trophy aboard a ‘09 Kawasaki Concours that clocked an 11.31 ET, reaching 121.36 mph on an 11.41 dial-in.
Travis Freitas claimed the street class in his Honda Civic when Keanu Dotario was disqualified in his ‘99 Honda Civic coupe.
Gilbert Barretto Jr. came up on the barn-burner muscle V8 class over Ricky Uemura, where both racers posted identical dial-in times at 11.34. Barretto topped that clash in his ‘67 Chevy Camaro that tripped the clock at 11.46 ET, .22 second faster than Uemura’s 11.68 ET. Barretto’s Camaro finished reaching 114.15 mph over Uemura’s Honda Civic that tickled the clock at 114.91 mph.
Koty Ka‘iakapu settled another close finals in the top gun class when his ‘67 Chevy Nova clocked a 9.36 ET, reaching 136.72 mph on a 9.32 dial-in. Zailea Lawrence was relegated to the runner-up slot after her ‘68 Chevy Camaro tripped the light at 9.54 ET, reaching 76.84 mph on a 9.50 dial-in.
The next drag race will be the two-day Labor Day Race Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 31 and Sept. 1 in Mana.
•••
Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
