Growing tired of drag racing, Matt attended a Supra track day at Virginia International Raceway with a good friend and was quickly recruited by the road race army. "Smashing turns and hitting 160 mph on the straights was pretty much the end of my drag racing days. I knew I had to road race, and everything I threw at the car from that point on was intended to make it a better road race car," Matt says. Once the new engine went in, smiles soon turned to frowns as an oil pump failure reared its ugly head and put the project on the injured list. Not one to give up without a fight, Matt and friends started all over again, this time armed with a better quality oil pump. A new block punched out to two liters was mated to a VTEC head and carefully shoehorned into the bay. Once again, a black cloud was perched overhead as oiling issues claimed yet another victim. For some, having two built engines in the grave would be reason enough to throw in the towel, but for Matt it just meant there'd be another delay in the build. Thinking that the third time would no doubt be the charm, a fully built B20B block and B16A head was prepped for duty. But alas, the engine gods were once again angered and decided to pull apart Matt's magnetic oil drain plug, in turn, jamming his oil pump gear. Fearing the absolute worst, the engine was opened up to reveal that the damage was minimal. Matt reports that the engine found its way home and is now fully operational. "It's just one of those things, a part of building any car. Sometimes everything is perfect and other times you run into big problems. Luckily I had help from Mike over at TSR on the build, and Joe from Tempest who helped out with the tuning. Now the car is back on the road with the B20-VTEC and it's ready to race," he tells us.
Yes, Matt may have lacked direction early on, but he managed to earn a career in a field he loves and build a standout Honda that turns heads in a town seemingly overrun by STis and EVOs. His paint skills have not only garnered him nationwide recognition but have also allowed him to barter with friends for custom work and tuning when necessary. You simply cannot beat that. Somebody tell Matt's elementary school teacher that, apparently, he's found his niche.
Bolts & Washers
Propulsion:
B20B block
B16A head
Hasport engine mounts
Golden Eagle sleeves
Knife-edged crankshaft
JE 13.5:1 pistons
Eagle H-Beam rods
Eagle oil line kit
Custom oil breather tank
Extrude Hone port work
Supertech valves
Toda valve springs
Toda titanium retainers
Toda camshafts
ITR lost motion assembly
TWM ITB assembly
Walbro fuel pump
RC 370cc fuel injectors
Hondata S300
Buddy Club battery
Earl's fittings and lines
ProFab header
Fluidyne radiator
Samco Sport hoses
Spoon Sports N1 muffler
Omni Power test pipe
B16A transmission
Exedy Stage 2 clutch
Fidanza lightened flywheel
Quaife LSD
ATS final drive gear
Driveshaft shop Stage 3 axles
Stance:
PIC Performance Select coilovers
PIC Performance custom top hats
CTR front antiroll bar
ASR rear subframe brace
Ingalls camber kits
Full-Race traction bars
CTR front lower control arms
Omni Power rear lower control arms
Resistance:
DC2 ITR disc brake conversion
Hawk pads
Earl's steel-braided lines
Motul Dot 4 fluid
DC2 ITR master cylinder
DC2 ITR proportioning valve
Rims & Rubber:
16x7 AME Tracers (+32 offset)
215/45- 16 Dunlop DZ101
Outside:
Custom orange/gold paint
Shaved emblems and antenna hole
CTR rear lip
CTR sideskirts
CTR moldings
CTR fenders
Spoon Sports carbon-fiber rear wing
Spoon Sports side mirrors
VIS carbon-fiber front lip
CTR headlights
TL projectors
Inside:
Autopower roll bar
Tempest harness bar
CTR gauge cluster
Mugen S1 bucket seats
Takata harnesses
NRG quick-release hub
Mugen pedals
Custom shift knob
Auto Meter oil pressure and air/fuel ratio gauges
CTR coin tray
CTR climate control