"Me: 'What's wrong officer?'
"CHP: 'Well, let me see, you were racing a kid in an Integra while driving a Ferrari AND not only did you lose the race but you are going to have proof with this exhibition of speed ticket!'
"Me: 'But why didn't you stop him?'
"CHP: 'Because he kicked your ass while driving a four-banger!'"
Peter Cunningham
RealTime Racing Team Principal/Driver and 6-time SCCA Pro Racing Drivers' Champion with 60 victories behind the wheel of Honda/Acura vehicles
"My most memorable experience in an Acura occurred in August of 1993 at a SCCA PRO Rally in Westcliffe, Colorado. I misjudged the corner right after the end of a special stage and slid off the road in complete darkness. We barrel-rolled three or four times down an embankment, landing upside down in a river. We climbed out of the car safely and realized that the next Service Area was within sight on the horizon. So as fast as I could at 9,000 ft, I ran to alert the cavalry.
"I arrived completely out of breath, but managed to communicate our situation. A bunch of us ran back to the scene of the crime and righted our Integra GS-R back on its wheels and limped to the Service Area. With a blown rear hatch window and about an inch and a half of toe, we limped through the next two stages before the subsequent service where we were able to use the Stanley alignment gauge and get the wheels pointing in the same general direction.
"We not only finished the rally, but finished Sixth overall and First the in Production class, clinching the championship in the process. Not bad for a one-wheel-drive, armor-clad but otherwise stock Integra with a junkyard motor."
Doug Peterson
"Racing Pioneer, Founder and President of Comptech USA"
"In 1986, Acura wanted a performance image and chose to compete in the IMSA International Sedan Championship. It was a very competitive series with factory teams from Chevrolet, Dodge, Mazda, and Pontiac.
"Acura asked Comptech to run the program as we could build the car and engines and campaign them for the season. Racing on performance street radial tires was new to us, but we managed to win two races and the Driver's Championship that first year. With that success, the effort was expanded to two cars in 1987, with Parker Johnstone joining in the second car.
"In both 1987 and 1988, Parker won the Driver's Championship and we won the Manufacturers Championship for Acura. In 1989, Acura began exploring ways to promote the new NSX sports car and decided on IMSA GTP Lights, a prototype sports racing series very popular at the time
"Even though we had not run anything but small sedans at that point, Honda made a leap of faith and allowed Comptech to run the program. The first NSX race engine showed up at our shop on December 8th, 1990. We designed, machined, and fabricated everything necessary to adapt the engine to the Spice chassis, went testing for one afternoon on December 26th, and then headed across the country to the Daytona test days held in early January. Three weeks later we won the GTP Lights class at the Daytona 24 hour race, finishing 7th overall.
"Over the next three years, with Parker Johnstone driving, we won the 1991, 1992, and 1993 Driver's and Manufacturers Championship for Acura. Of 38 races run, we had 23 wins, 34 pole positions, and 26 fastest laps. After 1994, Acura's involvement in racing moved to Peter Cunningham's RealTime Racing team, where they won many additional championships.