It has always been a car respected in grassroots racing circles, but the CRX has not necessarily been known for blowing the doors off of modern, four-wheel drive, turbocharged, time attack rockets. Low weight – only 1,700 pounds – goes a long way with this little monster’s success, but so does a well-balanced aero package and nearly five-hundred horsepower from a very intriguing engine.

The K24 motor, stroked to 2.5 liters, has resided in this car’s engine bay for a few years, but it received plenty of modifications over the last year. In 2015, the motor was normally-aspirated, and used some high-lift cams to make 270 horsepower. This year, the powerplant received a milder set of cams, reduced, 10.8:1 compression, and, predictably, a supercharger to make the engine a little more competitive.

Getting a minuscule car like the CRX to behave nicely at speed is no mean feat.

The supercharger provides a smooth boost curve which increases with revs, so the linearity helps driver Rob Nguyen keep the tires underneath him. Still, it’s a challenge to harness that much motor with relatively narrow front tires. To keep all that power going to the ground smoothly, the guys at 101 Motorsport were very careful in how much the engine actually delivered to the front tires in the first few gears. By bleeding boost thanks to a second wastegate on the charge pipe and retarding ignition in the lower gears, the boost is always manageable and doesn’t constantly overwhelm the Advan A050 tires.

The downforce is handled by ex-F1 aerodynamicist Barry Lock, who widened the front wing and increased its angle to generate even more grip. Drag was less of an issue with the blower’s torque to push it through the air, but nonetheless, getting the right angles, and all of the aerodynamic elements to work well together meant bolting on parts was not enough. Hence, Lock’s involvement. It just shows how far these time attack monsters have come in recent years.

Striking paintwork and ability to punch above its weight has made this CRX well-known around the world. Photo credit: Todo Circuito

That sort of agility and composure at high speed is the result of a predictable aerodynamic balance, as evidenced by a gutsy charge into Eastern Creek’s Turn One, seen at 00:42, with only the smallest hint of a lift. Though after a while, the inherent nervousness of the short-wheelbased CRX begins to show itself, particularly at 01:11, where a series of twitches and a tap of the brake show how willing the car is to rotate into the corner.

In the final corner, a snatch of the rear brakes throws the car out of line, and it seems some bias-work might need to be done, or maybe it’s simply a matter of driver error. What’s certain though, is that when the full force of five-hundred horsepower is deployed onto the front straight, the little car takes off like a rocket and spins its tires effortlessly. While other teams might rely on monstrous traction to help deploy the earth-churning figures their motors are capable of, this little car carries the flag for uncomplicated, well-balanced racers able to punch above their weight.