CAREER BEST ELAPSED TIME

7.722 seconds >> 2004 NOPI/NDRA, Richmond, VA

CAREER BEST SPEED

197.62 MPH >> 2004 NOPI/NDRA, St. Louis, MO

Obviously, we had to ask the legend herself about her trials, tribulations and what exactly it takes to run a seven-second FWD car. Kubo kindly answered. A bonafide champion is about to give you free advice. Take heed!

PAS: Are you still doing some racing or do you find your interests have changed as you鈥檝e grown older? How has your life changed today?
LK: I鈥檝e been quietly involved as much as I can in the sport of drag racing, and I鈥檝e done some work over in Formula Drift for a couple seasons and enjoyed it as well. My passion and true love is drag racing without a doubt! However, the responsibilities of being a responsible adult are ever growing. As the years progress, my priorities are a lot more diverse to prepare for the future.

Who were your primary drag (or track) racing influences when you were younger?
The biggest and only impactful influence I had, and still have today, is Shirley Muldowney. When I was a young girl in the 1980s, I waited in line to get her autograph and saw how she was so interactive with the crowd and confident. You could feel how much she truly loved what she did. I still think about that daily. She was and still is a beautiful person, innovator, champion, excellent role model 鈥� a life-long impression she will leave me with.

At your peak, did you have the feeling you were onto something remarkable, or were you focused on that next event or next race?
I never thought I was onto something remarkable, my head was always in the game and focused during the events. I am sort of what you can call a perfectionist when it came to my cars. I鈥檇 always say, 鈥楬ow can I better myself? How can I make myself as close to perfect as possible?鈥� I wanted to become an unbreakable machine during my final season racing my Civic with consistency; not miss any gears, qualify at the top in every event, set records and become the third overall and first female to run eight-second ETs in a front-wheel-drive, win races and championships. When I moved into my Saturn Pro FWD car, we were determined as a privately backed team representing the Saturn flagship to become the first ever front-wheel-drive to run a seven-second ET in history, which we did in April 2004 at NHRA in Moroso, Florida.

Did you face any challenges in dealing with sponsors who were unsure about sponsoring a female driver in what is viewed as a primarily male sport?
Absolutely! Back when my car was still in progress, a good friend and competitor of mine was sponsored by a company and suggested that they should get me on their team of cars to add to some diversity. But to my shock and disbelief, the expression on the sponsorship recruiter鈥檚 face was kind of like, 鈥淎re you kidding? For real?鈥� It was like it was a joke that my car was going to be a top runner one day. I was a little disturbed by this incident, but I knew it was going to be an uphill battle and I was going to have to push myself beyond the limits of the average pro driver of that era. Just winning some races was not good enough; I wanted to dominate the industry and leave an impression.

Can you walk us through what it was like staging and racing one of the fastest FWD cars in the world? What鈥檚 it like when the steering wheel is spinning violently?
Staging both race cars was basically the same. I had set up what is considered to be a three-step rev limiter controller, my crew guy would get me to about a foot before the pre-stage beam and I鈥檇 hit my first rev-limiter (pre-stage rev-limiter) at wide open throttle, which was set to about 3,000 rpm. This way the car was just about to go into boost as I lit the pre-stage bulb.

I鈥檇 creep the car in with the clutch loaded and I would modulate the hand brake to keep the suspension loaded and compressed. Mind you, my staging brake locked both front and rear wheels to allow me to load the clutch to the point where I had zero air gap while maintaining this clutch engagement position. I kept creeping the car to stage as shallow as possible.

Next, at that exact moment when I was fully staged, I鈥檇 let go of the pre-stage limiter, which activated my two-step rev-limiter, which was set up to disarm when I disengaged the clutch pedal. Note: I have engaged wide open throttle starting a foot before the pre-stage beam on a staged rev-limiter. I wanted consistency and this allowed me to focus on my staging procedure rather than randomly blip the throttle and hope to God you are in the correct rpm range and launch boost levels.

This also gave me the extra measure of accuracy and consistency when people would play staging games with me. I knew subconsciously that if I maintained wide open throttle that I was okay, allowing meto focus on the lights and to stage as shallow as possible.

Loading the clutch, as mentioned, allowed me to barely take my foot off the clutch pedal, allowing the car to leave or make a move immediately without blowing the tires away. Mind you, back in the day there was little to no use of traction control, boost versus wheel speed or anything fancy like what is commonly used in today鈥檚 high-tech systems. We all had to drive our cars by feel to run the numbers and mold ourselves with repetitive runs to become consistent. Keeping in mind that track and conditions always varied, experience played a huge role in success in what I consider the Golden Era of sanctioned sport compact racing.

How much of the wrenching did you get do on your cars? Did you have input into how the cars were set up to meet your preferences, or did your team do a great job of giving you cars which were perfect to drive?
During the very beginning years of my Civic I had no choice but to physically help work on the car. It was only three of us total, and we weren鈥檛 traveling at that point, so my team was local guys and girls. I knew I had to put in the effort to follow my dream. Once we got to the competitive professional level, it wasn鈥檛 time efficient for me to work on the car anymore. There was sponsorship interaction, media, PR, budgeting and logistics.

Racing was the only source of income. Every penny counted and every minute of the day was dedicated to keeping an air tight system. How the clutch and staging brake were set up was my input. After every run, I鈥檇 relay feedback and they would compare the data and make changes if necessary.

Did you have any pre-race superstitions or good luck charms?
I鈥檓 not one of those racers that didn鈥檛 like the color green or anything like that. My superstition was before I got on a plane or left on the road, everything had to be pristine clean; my apartment, my house, my cars, the race car, the front and backyard had to be perfect. Did I mention I like to think of myself as a perfectionist? And I still have all my good luck charms! People would come and zip-tie money onto my roll cage and I鈥檇 never touch it.

Cool story: We had met these two guys from the islands who gave me $200 to take my team to eat. We all decided that it was tradition and money was a good luck charm, so we zip-tied it to the cage. We even told the guys this was going to be the good luck charm to run eights and the next day we ran an 8.94 @ 161 mph at Bradenton, Florida.

It鈥檚 been said that the way to get a little fortune in racing is to start with a big fortune; between winnings and pay, how much did you earn as a professional driver for 12 years?
That is so true! We started with a small 鈥渇ortune鈥� that was from me working four jobs and selling my street car to put funds into the Civic. And to make this very clear, there was zero financial help from any parents or family members. This was a very grounding experience. I didn鈥檛 have unlimited resources or funds to make unlimited mistakes! Eventually, with the help of sponsors and the industry in general, I did well enough to be able to follow my dream.

What influences in your childhood do you feel were responsible for your interest in going fast? Was it a family thing passed down from a parent or older sibling?
Being very competitive by nature since I was a child, starting from first grade until ninth grade, I was a top track runner. I was a 50-yard and 100-yard short distance sprinter. My family started me out at the street races at two weeks old! As I got older, it became impossible to get me out of the car when my father lined a race up, so instead of fighting a screaming child, he buckled me in the backseat, put a helmet on me and raced. (As a responsible adult, I would never condone this today.)

How much time did you have to spend on the road 鈥渂ack in the day鈥� traveling with your team?
In the Civic days I lived on the road. I lived in Virginia with my team. I lived in Texas with Kenny Tran of Jotech Motorsports, Drew and Willy from Deepstage Motorsports and Alex from Hocuspocus in Houston. Darrell Cox of Phatridz Motorsports in Eden, North Carolina let us park our rig in their lot. It was very touching because people believed in us so strongly, and they offered whatever assistance they could to allow us to make it to every race for the racing series and to continue on for our championships!

Who were the key members of your team; the indispensables who made the hard bits and pieces?
My team consisted of Gary Kubo, Mike Kim, Charles Schafer, Jeff Tirado, Arthur Armendariz and Michael Spraker. The beginning days of my Civic build was Mike McNutt, Charles Cha, Renee Cardenas, Robert Kwan and Masina Reyes. And if no one knew, in 2001 Myles Bautista and Lisa teamed up and formed MBLK, which consisted of Lisa, Myles and Tony Fuchs.

What advice do you have for our readers who share your interest in drag racing?
What I would say today is the same thing I told people back in the day who would ask advice, male or female: Don鈥檛 listen to the bullshit or haters; follow your dreams! Remember the law of attraction, if you attract constant negativity and failure, you will get exactly what you asked for.

There you have it; the answer to life, the universe and everything. If your universe includes drag racing, you now hold one of the keys to a 197-mph run in your hands. Use it wisely. The other keys may be somewhat harder to obtain.

Photography by Jay Canter, Shaun Keenan

How did you get into this industry?
Well, I have always loved modified cars, and my passion brought me to a workshop-related job when I was 21 years-old. 

Do you consider yourself to be a bellwether (trendsetter) or a rebel? 
Of course I am a bellwether, but also a rebel. I try to do something new that no one else has done, but at the same time, I do modifications that subvert strict Japanese laws regarding automobile modification. 

Why did you choose Liberty Walk as the company name?
Liberty Walk means 鈥渨alking freely.鈥� Don鈥檛 let the rules prevent you from enjoying your free movement; enjoy what you love to do without bothering others in any way. 

Do you usually work on old cars or new cars?
I prefer old school cars, but it is a business, so I also work on new cars on quite a regular basis.

European or Japanese?
Generally, I work on foreign cars like European or American cars, but there are Japanese cars also, so it鈥檚 a bit of a mix. But honestly, my favorite car of all time is a Skyline I used to drive when I was 18 years-old.

What are some unique features about Japanese tuning?
I think Japanese style modification is quite enjoyable, as very detailed work is done to each part such as exterior, aero and engine in some realistic and humorous ideas. 

What is the relationship between Liberty Walk and Rocket Bunny?
[Kei] Miura of Rocket Bunny and I work together through the production phase. Liberty Walk鈥檚 LB Performance is a collaboration of Miura鈥檚 design and my own. The design is not biased strongly towards either of our designs 鈥� we take good ideas from each of our designs so we get along really well. Realistically, we use Works body parts and fasteners for over-fenders and we are just in love with these parts. So we have included some Works parts into our current designs that we are working on. The greatness of Works has been proven for a long time 鈥� since Skyline modification became popular 鈥�  and so Works parts are essential for both Rocket Bunny and Liberty Walk customizations. About Rocket Bunny, I just get so amazed about their detailed work and their great sense. Including [Akira] Nakai (of RWB), we are all old school car enthusiasts. We don鈥檛 have concerns about each other and we just recognize each other鈥檚 talent. That is why all three of us get along very well.

Can you tell us the biggest problem in term of tuning aftermarket cars?
I think the laws in Japan, the strictness of modification, are becoming a barrier. Also those eco-friendly cars are becoming popular while the un-eco-friendly, realistic cars are becoming outcasts and unacceptable in this society. 

But the problem are not the police, correct?
Actually, they are. Police and Japanese laws are both problematic. Tuners are facing a limitation in their interests and modification because of them. But ignore those authorities or rules and be a rebel, and that is our LB performance (laughs). If we get told off, we will let them be, but we are not going to follow the rules they decided just because they could. Anyway, this is not really the case overseas, it looks like. It seems like modifications are more acceptable in America, so we are trying to expand our network with other countries like America so the awesome Japanese modified cars we make can be accepted there. It seems like America has less strict rules regarding things such as pricing, modified mufflers, angled tires and so on. But Japan is so strict about those things. So, I think there are many people who want to modify, but they just bite their tongue. 

I thought Japanese police would not be that strict鈥�
They are definitely strict. 

Recently you finished an M3. What do you think you will build next?
Next? I will keep building eye-popping cars. If I am building high-class cars, I would definitely work on the Ferrari 458, Maserati Gran Turismo and Porsche 991. The rest would be more realistic cars.

How about a Lamborghini? 
Mainly I would be doing Lamborghini, but many companies have been sending me emails asking to do LB Performance on their cars also, so there are a variety of cars. If I want to choose one high-class car to work on, it would be a Ferrari 458 as I have bought it for myself. So I can work on my car as a test subject. 

You said varieties of cars. What kind of cars are they?
Ferrari, Porsche and other European cars. There are many cars among those I want to work with, but my top three have already been chosen. I also plan on working on Lexus and other less-expensive cars that customers are more familiar with.

Liberty Walk was not involved in the over-fender for the 86, right? Only Mr. Miura?
Yeah, 86 was Miura. I do different cars. 

How is the Race 86 kit?
I think the 86 kit is very good, but again, it is hard to do in Japan. It is because modification culture exists under very strict rules. You get told off trying to use monocoque bodies from older cars. I don鈥檛 think they are as strict about it overseas compared to Japan. So, sales of the monocoque body are way higher overseas. 

Can you use it on a Lambo?
I think it is allowed for Lambo. It is all depending on the strength of the body.

But the GT-R had an over-fender right?
Yeah, it used to be, but now the laws have changed and it is not that easy anymore.

You also can鈥檛 have GT wing correct? That is understandable but over-fenders as well?!
Nope, authorities would be on your case and you wouldn鈥檛 pass a Warrant of Fitness (compulsory inspection). I don鈥檛 think America has a Warrant of Fitness system, so it is sweet over there. That is why I want to keep building cool Japanese-style cars and send them over there.

What are some countries you鈥檙e thinking of expanding your network to?
I would love to expand to Australia and Europe. Japanese-style modification is amazing. We have great sense, designs and ideas. I just want everybody, from the USA to Italy, Germany and Malaysia, to witness the modification that Liberty Walk does. I want them to get interested in car modification. 

Functionality or shape?
I prefer shape over functionality, although functionality is important. Of course car makers say it is better to have a quiet car to drive, but I personally like unique, loud, high risk-shaped cars. I understand that acceleration, braking and other features are very important, but good-looking cars are awesome! 

Is it risky to have lowered cars or stanced cars?
People watch F1, Super D2 or race cars and get interested in cars. So it is only normal to want a race car that you can drive on public roads. In terms of performance, of course it would be better if it can be driven, but you cannot drive fast on normal roads in Japan. It may be the same overseas. But even then, you still want to drive a racing car on public roads. A highway racer is one of the concepts of performance in our projects. So people look at LB Performance cars and often ask if those cars are racing cars. They are surprised when I tell them that those cars are normal road-going cars. That is why I always dream of building the perfect true modified racer machine. So yeah, long story short: that is why I think shape is very important. 

Out of the cars on your list, which car is the one you want to modify the most?
I guess high-class cars are always fun to modify, but I also want to give a makeover to the bad looking cars. It is not that difficult to modify attractive cars, but it is more challenging to pick and improve a car that you think, or know, would not be sold because of the looks. So I like challenges. 

Can you give me an example?
For example, a Toyota Corolla. I think the Murci茅lago didn鈥檛 have a good sales rate among Lamborghinis compared to the novel-looking Diablo, so maybe [that as well]. It may become more masculine if we put on a body kit, wings or aero parts and it could be popular. To be honest, the price of a Murci茅lago went up since the release of LB parts. 

How much is that car?
$250,000 or $300,000. But these can go up in price by another $20,000 on top of that.

Just by changing parts?
Yup, but the price for a whole car went up because of the popularity.

What is your advice for tuning enthusiasts who read our magazine?
Firstly, you have to remember that you must love your car in order to create a good machine. For me, a car is like a human, a girlfriend. You have to take care of her, take her for a makeover. Then you will have one happy car that will not let you down. 

Is that the reason why you don鈥檛 drive your cars?
No, my cars that I work on are like my granddad or grandma. I treat them like my elders. Be gentle and careful and the sentimental value will increase. My advice to the tuning enthusiasts is to love your car, look after it well and give it the makeover that it deserves.

What is your take on cheap copy parts? 
Copy? I don鈥檛 think copying is bad. The reason for this is there are people who can only afford to buy cheaper parts. They may want the cool parts you see in the magazines, but they can鈥檛 afford to buy them. So they go for cheaper copy versions and enjoy their cars. I think it is very important to say that there is nothing wrong with using copied products. I think it鈥檚 fine as long as the owner is happy with using copied parts. Of course, the real deal will be $50,000 and fake one will be $500, but there is no change in the owner鈥檚 sense of values nor his or her enthusiasm, even if they may want to buy the $50,000 one.

Not an example like that $50,000 and $500, but what about a BLITZ wheel set costing $3,000 to $4,000 when a Taiwanese copy is $1,000. They look very similar, but鈥�
We shouldn鈥檛 be judgmental about that. If the buyer thinks it is okay, then it is his or her choice and there鈥檚 nothing wrong with that. A person who purchased the $3,000 one may show off, but if you can鈥檛 afford that, it doesn鈥檛 matter if you buy the real or the fake. 

I want to re-emphasize to all tuning enthusiasts that you cannot forget your passion to create the best car. It is the number one essential to have that feeling. If you have ever failed to build the machine you wanted to build, don鈥檛 give up. Try again and make it better than your original goal. Everybody makes mistakes. Learning is all about that. Even I make mistakes during the modification process, but I just restart and keep going. Then, when you feel like you did your best and it shows in your resulting machine, you鈥檝e passed!

Photos by Adam Zillin, Phillip Awad, Eric Eikenberry, & Shaun Keenan

For the complete interview, go HERE.