One More 8 Would Be Great – Rob Courtney Returns to Sick Summer With Freaky All-Wheel-Drive Street Legal Honda, and 8-Second Runs In His Sights
When we first saw Rob Courtney’s 1995 Honda Civic coupe make an appearance on the drag-and-drive scene, it was at the 2022 Hot Rod Drag Week event. After breaking the transmission on day two, we found out just how dedicated Rob was to completing the event.
“A few hours later, a dumped-out trailer, one filthy Rob, and I have the transmission rebuilt, ready to get back on the road,” he said. “I took my 20 second pass, and it was the hardest pass I ever earned.” Rob finished the week with a 12.53 average, but a 9.39 at 157 mph pass on the final day hinted at what could come at his next drag-and-drive appearance.
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When Rob appeared at the 2023 edition of Sick Week Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive, some in attendance could be forgiven for thinking ‘something this clean with sticky tires on all four corners, very different and cool.’
Then I watched heads turn when they heard the turbo, and took note of the stick shift transmission. After witnessing his first Sick Week launch from the tower, my first thought was ‘that slightly softer launch; he’s trying to save parts and pieces from a brutal clutch drop.’ The 9.37 at 159 mph flashed upon the scoreboard, and people took notice; this Civic was no joke.
Rob took the lessons learned at Hot Rod Drag Week to heart, and was able to survive Sick Week with five runs between 9.22 and 9.41, all at 156 mph or higher speeds on every time slip he turned in. How much more could this Civic dish out?
After securing a third place finish at Sick Week in the Sick Week Freaks class with a 9.33 average, Rob made his second appearance of 2023 at Sick Summer Presented by TBM Brakes. This time, he turned up the performance, averaging 9.20 for the win in the Freaks class, and posting a best pass of 9.10 at 161.87 mph on day five at Cordova Dragway.
Flash forward to 2024, and Rob rolled into Orlando for the start of Sick Week 2024. When asked about reflecting on his 2023 drag-and-drive appearances, Rob said he had met those goals. But 2024 was a new year, and with it came new targets. “I want all 8-second passes, and try to get the record from my boy Tony (Niemczyk),” he said.
Despite zero 8-second passes during any of his previous drag-and-drive appearances, Rob went after his goals with gusto, opening with an 8.92 at 163 mph at Orlando ‘Sick’ World Dragway.
He would continue with the 8-second laps at Bradenton Motorsports Park, Gainesville Raceway, and South Georgia Motorsports Park, the best being an 8.82 at 163 at Gainesville Raceway.
He returned to Orlando ‘Sick’ World Dragway for day five, locked in a battle with class leader Damon Elff, and hunting for just one more 8-second pass. He cautiously approached the starting line, staged, and dropped the clutch to find a broken axle.
A thrash was on, and despite a valiant effort, Rob would be denied his final 8-second lap, having to take a parts-saving 10.36 at 154 mph lap. That resulted in a 9.18 average, his best ever, and a second-straight third-place finish at Sick Week.
“I went go or blow for that last 8-second pass on day five,” said Rob. “Unfortunately, those axles were tired and so were all the beat up spares. I called it Thursday because the shook bad at Georgia. I knew it was hurt. Once we lost the first set (of axles) on Friday, all I had left was junk. I just needed junk to go one dang pass.”
Rob now eyes a return to Sick Summer Presented by Motion Raceworks next week, looking to not only defend his Sick Week Freaks class win from a year ago, but with his 8-second goal still on the bucket list. “The dogbox (transmission) helped a lot (at Sick Week), and I believe I still can find some et with it,” said Rob. “It’s got big boy axles in the back now, and I changed the gear ratio to a little taller since I was over revving it at Sick Week. Sick Summer here I come with 4 cylinders of fury.”
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Written by Derek Putnam. Photos courtesy of Sick the Magazine and Rob Courtney.
If you have thoughts / feedback / ideas, please e-mail us at derek@sickthemagazine.com