Before you read any further, please understand that this story isn't for everyone. Unlike every other DSport editorial, you are not going to learn how to make your car faster or make you car perform better. Instead, you are going to get a look behind the scenes at the politics and mechanics behind the import performance scene. If you're not interested skip ahead. We've added pages just to make sure you weren't cheated. If you would like to understand the industry from an insider's viewpoint, follow along. The following is about to be the tale of the evolution of both import performance magazines and organized import drag racing.

Import Performance Gets Recognized

Sometime back in 1984, Kipp Kington gets a revolutionary idea that there are probably a number of people interested in learning more about turbocharged vehicle performance. The realization hits Kipp as he is driving in his single-turbo 300ZX. Months later, Turbo & High-Tech Performance launches with its first issue in July 1985. A small, but loyal cult following soon begins to grow at a time when Chrysler offers nothing but turbocharged, four-cylinder power. Mitsubishi is on the scene with its turbo-four Starion, also badged as a Chrylser Conquest. Domestics are also dabbling with forced induction and turbo power. Despite the phenomenal advances in performance being made, even Buick and its 3.8-liter turbo V6, which would offer the legendary performance for the Grand National, are still barely known to the performance community. While, the world was still in its "no replacement for displacement" mindset, Kipp and his editors pioneered the first magazine that recognized Japanese performance vehicles. At the same time, the magazine addressed the late-model domestic crowd by showcasing modern technologies such as turbocharging, electronic fuel injection and centrifugal supercharging to the Buick and Ford communities.

Imports Rule the Pages

Ten years later, a Mechanical Engineer from the University of California, Irvine by the name of Michael Ferrara would turn down higher-paying, "real" engineering jobs out of college for the opportunity of becoming Technical Editor for Turbo. It was half the pay, but twice the play. Soon after, the scope of Turbo would shift from a 50/50 balance of domestics to imports to a 90/10 split in favor of import performance. "It was by no means a master plan. My friends were all driving imports. Very few people had a clue or understanding about import performance. It was time that someone pushed for serious progress to be made," said Michael. "In 1994, there were no experts to turn to for advice. If you called ACCEL and asked about installing a DFI engine management on a Honda, the tech would tell you that you needed to get a GM four cylinder distributor to make it work. Today, the tech at ACCEL could hold your hand through the installation and have your import up and running. Fortunately we knew enough to know that the tech in 1994 was dead wrong. Soon after, we wired up the first aftermarket engine management system on a turbocharged Honda." As we played with more boost pressure and more power, the limit of stock pistons and stock connecting rods was soon found. Eddie "The Power Doctor" Kim of Dynamic Autosports would be prodded by the street racers of Speedline Racing Concepts, PAK Performance and others to find solutions. Dynamic would deliver as the first shop to stock the hard-core performance parts in addition to the popular bolt-on performance parts offered by Japan's full-line tuners HKS and TRUST (GReddy).

Less than an hour of a drive away, another publisher would turn its focus to import performance with the re-launch of Sport Compact Car. Originally, the title debuted as a Mini-Truckin' for cars. It contained the worst of the worst cars that could be found on the street. Even the name was bad and selected for all of the wrong reasons. The rational behind the name was that a name needed to be selected that wouldn't cause Ford to shy away to supporting the book with advertising. In the original Sport Compact Car, the feature cars were hacked and as ugly as could be. However, things would change. An aggressive advertising salesman by the name of Tony Mercadafe and an Editor by the name of Larry Savedra would begin to make Sport Compact Car a true player. With the addition of Technical Editor Dave Coleman, Sport Compact Car could finally be taken seriously.

Two-Magazine World Gets Company

With two magazines focused on the same potential enthusiast, the competition and the rivalry between Turbo and SCC ensued. Every other month, each magazine would try to outdo the other.

The reality would be that SCC was outselling Turbo on the newsstand thanks to better distribution. The ironic twist was that the industry perception was that Turbo was bigger than SCC. Greg Gill, the VP of McMullen Argus (the publishers of SCC) at that time said, "we would be in a meeting with the NHRA and they would be telling me that Turbo was the better selling book. It was crazy. SCC was outselling Turbo by two or three to one. However, the guys at Turbo were doing a much better job of self-promotion."

Petersen Publishing would enter the import performance arena with its launch of Super Street. Initial issue sales of Super Street would agree with the assessment by SCC and Turbo that the magazine was a joke. However, less than two years later, Super Street would be laughing all the way to the bank. Super Street would begin to grow. Turbo and SCC now found that Super Street was indeed a threat to be taken seriously. "Both SCC and Turbo were focused in the mid-to-late 90s at being the performance leaders. Super Street was taking the low road and covering the basics while spreading the 'it's fun to fix-up your car' message. The editors at Super Street didn't know that much about performance and they didn't pretend to either," says Ferrara.

Import Tuner: Cradle to the Grave

Super Street and its success proved that there was an entry-level performance community looking for information. Back at IGC, the publisher of Turbo magazine, the management knew that a decision had to be made. Either Turbo would have to broaden its scope to address the entry-level enthusiast or a new magazine would need to be launched to compete with Super Street. IGC's Associate Publisher Michael Ferrara would put together the plans for the launch of a new title, Import Tuner. However, the IGC staff would be divided on the need for another import performance title. "We had the resources and talents to launch a magazine that would take the industry by storm. Kevin Convertito was a talented artist that could bring a whole new magazine design to the performance arena. Rich Convertito, Kevin's Dad, was a seasoned veteran of newsstand distribution. Edward Eng had one of the best eyes for the feature vehicles the enthusiasts wanted to see. As for myself, I was willing to do whatever it took to launch the new title. However, other members of IGC's staff would not agree that Import Tuner was a viable expansion. In particular, the bulk of the sales staff believed that a title directed at European car performance should be launched instead. As a result, I ended up wearing the ad sales hat to make sure we had the advertising revenue that we needed to launch the new title," says Ferrara.

In 1998, the original Import Tuner would launch with unprecedented success. Providing useful tech to the entry-level enthusiasts was exactly what the industry needed. Later, under the editorial direction of Edward Eng much of the focus would change from performance to show. While not the original intent of the title, the growing show community gave tremendous support to Import Tuner and its new direction.

1998: The Golden Year

In the few months prior to the launch of Import Tuner, a major development took place with respect to import motorsports. A group made up of thirteen racers, tuners and manufacturers established the Import Drag Racing Circuit, Inc. to take the sport of import drag racing to a new level.

"At the time, Frank Choi and Battle of the Imports were considered the leaders in the import performance events arena. A few promoters had done some local events while entrepreneur Gene Wong had created NIRA in Northern California. We felt that Battle of the Imports was limited as its events were only held in Southern California. NIRA was also limited due to a lack of connection with the racers and a lack of technical knowledge. Something had to be done. That's what prompted the formation of the Import Drag Racing Circuit, inc. We believed there was a need for a racing organization that was made up of racers looking to take import racing to the next level," says former IDRC National Director Peter Hipolito. He continues, "the next level came as we took the racing to a national level bringing the best cars from the West to the East coast for the 1998 IDRC East Coast Finals. The following year we teamed with the NHRA to produce a pair of events. Everything seemed in place for import racing to truly take off."

IDRC/NHRA Short-Lived Romance

For the 1999 season, import drag racing looked as if there was nothing that could stop its growth. The NHRA had to look to its future. With the average age of the spectators of NHRA events increasing by one year every year, NHRA needed a plan besides coffin seating. The IDRC had teamed with the NHRA to produce a pair of events and the marriage on paper looked like it was made in heaven. "We were bringing our experience and relationships with the racers and it was our hope that NHRA would be bringing the major sponsor dollars that would take the sport to the next level," says Peter. The additional sponsor dollars never materialized and the relationship came to an end when NHRA attempted to negotiate an agreement with NIRA (the IDRC's biggest competitor that was now owned by Petersen Publishing the producers of Super Street Magazine) without informing the IDRC of their plans. "I'm bound by contract to not put any blame on the NHRA for the way they handled themselves during our business relationship. However I don't think I'll be sued for saying that I wish things turned out differently and that matters would have been handled differently," says current IDRC National Director Michael Ferrara.

Dead Man's Party Like its 1999

1999 would also mark a year that would see the balance of power shift in the publishing world. McMullen/Argus (PRIMEDIA) would purchase Turbo and Import Tuner from IGC and Kipp Kington. The result was that PRIMEDIA had three of the four major import performance titles (SCC, Turbo and Import Tuner). The competition, EMAP (the company that purchased Petersen Publishing) would come to the fight with Super Street.

For the staff of IGC, the head count would go from over 30 employees to a dozen survivors with the acquisition. The newly acquired staffers from IGC and the magazines that they brought to PRIMEDIA were treated like red-headed stepchildren. The PRIMEDIA sales staff would continue to push SCC, the magazine that they knew and loved, while Turbo and Import Tuner would sometimes get a mention to the advertisers. "It wasn't that surprising that the transition had issues. Sport Compact Car and Turbo magazine had a rivalry for close to ten years at the time. We didn't like them too much and they didn't like us too much at first," says former Import Tuner Editor Edward Eng.

Y2K Compliance

The year 2000 would mark one of the best years for import drag racing. The IDRC and NIRA, now under the direction of Craig Lieberman, would be going toe-to-toe to out perform each other. Racers were still privateers and the competition was close and fierce.

On the magazine front, Import Tuner hit some temporary growth obstacles (page counts and advertising revenue were down) while Turbo magazine began its fade into the sunset. In 2000, SCC and Super Street would rival each other for readership supremacy.

2001-Sport Compact Racing & the Publishing Monopoly

NHRA Sport Compact would launch its own series in April of 1991. NIRA and IDRC would continue to produce the highest attendance events, while NHRA struggled in its first year.

On August 24th, 2001 PRIMEDIA would acquire EMAP, the publishers of Super Street. The monopoly on the four largest import performance titles (at the time) was complete. As could be expected with any monopoly, prices for advertising in the four titles were to be increased. The performance industry was to be burdened with higher advertising rates.

Shortly after the merger, PRIMEDIA and NHRA made an announcement at the 2001 SEMA show in the Fall that NHRA had acquired NIRA. Behind the scenes, insiders knew what really happened. PRIMEDIA had acquired NIRA in the acquisition of EMAP. Since NIRA was not a profit center, NIRA was bartered in a deal with the NHRA. If you ever wondered why PRIMEDIA and the NHRA are tied so tightly together, now you know.

2002-DRAG Sport & NDRA Launch

The start of 2002 looked like it was going to be a great year for import drag racing. The IDRC had signed on Auto Trader to a three-year contract for series sponsorship and the merger of NHRA and NIRA provided a consolidation that looked to be in favor of the racers. Finally, NDRA entered into the fray. As a result, the three series posted more money to the racers than ever before.

As for the publications, PRIMEDIA was selling more subs and single copies than ever for their titles. However, the PRIMEDIA titles were giving less and less coverage to import drag racing. Bad weather and a super-saturated event schedule meant that both attendance and coverage for everyone's 2002 import racing events were off the mark. In addition to this, the trickle down effects of 9/11 and a weak economy meant less sponsor dollars for everyone.

In June of 2002, the IDRC decided that something needed to be done to support the racers. The plans were put in place for a "National Dragster"-type magazine for the import racing community. The magazine would be called DRAG Sport.

Meetings were made with PRIMEDIA to get their blessing on the launch of Drag Sport. Since PRIMEDIA controlled the majority of the press at the time, the IDRC didn't wish to upset PRIMEDIA and lose its magazine support of its IDRC events. PRIMEDIA gave its blessing to the project and pledged continued support of the IDRC series. The original intent of Drag Sport was to support the racers and their community, not go head-to-head with PRIMEDIA newsstand titles. This was the major reason behind the tabloid, large-format of the magazine.

DRAG Sport's first issue would pioneer its controlled targeted distribution to nearly 1000 import tuning shops from coast to coast. The magazine was an instant success that pulled great response from both advertisers and readers. However, in the eyes of PRIMEDIA, DRAG Sport was a little too successful for their liking. The first issue of Drag Sport had come out of the gate with advertising support that frankly had PRIMEDIA very concerned. Under PRIMEDIA's control, the once-great Turbo magazine had dwindled in circulation, advertiser support and industry relevance. DRAG Sport had inadvertently provided the outlet that serious performance parts manufacturers were looking but not finding in the PRIMEDIA publications. "DRAG Sport reminds me of Turbo magazine when it was really good" was a statement heard time and time again. The scapegoat for Turbo magazine's failure would be the success of DRAG Sport.

As the 2002 season rolled to a close, the IDRC received news that PRIMEDIA would no longer be supporting the IDRC event series or DRAG Sport. We were officially regarded as competitors by PRIMEDIA.

2003: The Fall & the Climb Back

After missing their scheduled payment in January to the IDRC, Auto Trader prematurely exited from its business relationship. The IDRC was left with a balance of nearly $190,000 in championship payouts for the 2002 season along with a scheduled $100,000 in guaranteed championship payouts for the 2003 season without the backing of a series sponsor.

"The beginning of 2003 marked a low-point for the IDRC racing series. We had been committed to supporting the racers from day one, but we had over-pledged and overcommitted to resources which would end up vanishing in a flash. Accountants were advising a bankruptcy of the events division. Being racers ourselves, we never wanted to take this easy route. Instead, personal assets would be leveraged while an emphasis on accelerating the growth of the publishing division would be made," says Michael Ferrara. Ferrara continues, "Obviously everyone wants to get paid on time and that was our plan with the Championship Payouts. We screwed up by not having a contingency in place in the case that our series sponsor exited before the original term of the contract. The decision came down to either the racers never getting paid or the racers getting paid late. We opted to commit ourselves to paying back the racers, no matter how long it takes. As of July 31st, we have a balance of $80,000 remaining on the $290,000 in championship funds that were awarded for the 2002 and 2003 season. Through hard work and the success of DSport we've managed to make good on every event payout while paying $210,000 of the $290,000 to the champions."

The climb out of the hole was supported by the unprecedented success of DRAG Sport. In issue one, we showcase one of the most well-known and well-liked import racers Stephan Papadakis (with model Ally King). The success of issue one, prompted the first improvement for DRAG Sport as the package size was increased while color pages were now added to the entire book for issue two.

In addition to the production quality increases, Issue two marked the first triple-cover ever in automotive publishing as all three stars of the Venom Racing team were featured (with model Brooke Kanno). Grant Downing, Jimmy O'Connor and Bruce Mortensen.

Issue three would mark the last of the original tabloid-format issues of DRAG Sport. Gracing the cover would be he world's quickest street tire import, the VeilSide R-1 R32 GT-R (with model Roni K).

Issue four (Ron Lummus/Kim twins) would mark three very important changes for DRAG Sport. First, the magazine would go from a newsprint-type, tabloid format to a glossy, Super "B" size format that was very newsstand friendly. Second, the frequency of the book would change from bimonthly to monthly. Third, the distribution focus would now shift to national newsstand sales.

Issues five (JJ Olson/Kim Chun), six (Ali Afshar) and seven (Bisi Ezerioha/Linda Tran) would continue to feature the top pro racers in their repective classes. Issue six would be unique due to the absence of a cover model. Issue seven would earn a trivia spot as the last issue to feature the actual racer with the model on the cover.

By the time issue eight (Paul Coggeshall/Nikki Cash) rolled around, DRAG Sport was making some major gains on the distribution front. Once again a triple-cover was employed and the Pro-Am Civic received plenty of attention.

Issue nine (Abel Ibarra/Stephanie Yamamoto), ten (Shaun Carlson), 11 (Mike Laskey/Teanna Kai) and 12 (Ed Bergenholtz/Rowena Galam) would round out the 2003 issues. Issue 10 would feature the controversial model shoot of Shaun's crew chief Rob Miller

While 2003 would serve as a year of success for DRAG Sport, the Big Three (Sport Compact Car, Import Tuner and Super Street) would see significant drops in subscriptions and single-copy sales. According to a FasFax analysis, the three titles would lose between 10 to 15-percent of their subscriber base while single-copy sales would slide between 10 and 17 percent. Ironically, advertising rates for the PRIMEDIA titles would continue to rise. PRIMEDIA advertisers would be paying considerably more to get considerably less.

2004: Going to the Top: DRAG Sport goes DSport

While DRAG Sport was successful relative to other titles in the category, a question was raised. Was DRAG Sport reaching as many people as it possibly could? According to newsstand sales experts, having "DRAG" in the title was a limiting factor with increasing national distribution. Historically, titles with DRAG in the name didn't fair well on the newsstand. There was also a question of relevance and mass appeal. Was the content of DSport as broad-reaching and relevant as could be? These two questions were addressed in the re-launch of DRAG Sport as DSport. Depending on who you ask the first issue of DSport is either issue 13 (Vinny Ten, Jean Nguyen) or issue 14/15 (Erick Aguilar/Francine Dee). Issue 13 marked the new editorial focus and the page folios were changed from DRAG Sport to DSport, while the front cover logo remained DRAG Sport. By issue 14/15, there was no mistake that DSport was on the scene. The new logo was in full force.

Since the January issue of 2004, every single successive issue has outsold every preceding issue. The April, May, June, July and August issues still too new to know the role that they will play in helping to build DSport into the number-one magazine in newsstand sales.

DSport and the IDRC event series are committed to bringing more people into the import performance community while increasing the education level of the consumer enthusiasts. In this area, we will continue to lead. PRIMEDIA and the NHRA don't need to worry about us as a competitor to their targets. Sport Compact Car can focus on becoming the "sport compact" Motortrend. Super Street can continue on being the JDM/fun magazine and Import Tuner can make its transition from the show magazine that it currently is to the show/lifestyle magazine it desires to be. The NHRA can build their event series where the factory-backed teams of GM and MOPAR dominate. We just want to keep doing what we are doing.

DSport and the IDRC event series are committed to bringing more people into the import performance community while increasing the education level of the consumer enthusiasts. In this area, we will continue to lead. PRIMEDIA and the NHRA don't need to worry about us as a competitor to their targets. Sport Compact Car can focus on becoming the "sport compact" Motortrend. Super Street can continue on being the JDM/fun magazine and Import Tuner can make its transition from the show magazine that it currently is to the show/lifestyle magazine it desires to be. The NHRA can build their event series where the factory-backed teams of GM and MOPAR dominate. We just want to keep doing what we are doing.