• Myles Kerr (aka Gringotegra) is the Shop Manager for English Racing, a Washington-based outfit dedicated to extracting the most horsepower from JDM turbocharged vehicles.
• Kerr has owned this 1994 Acura Integra GS-R for 18 years, transforming it from a stock daily driver into a 1.93-liter, 1,800hp monster.
• A Precision Next Gen 8085 turbo, Aeromotive fuel pump/regulator, Injector Dynamics ID2600cc injectors, PPG 4-speed dogbox, AWD conversion, and Motec ECU all contribute to the car’s current achievements.
• Aside from trying to achieve a 7.5-second pass at 200mph (besting a 7.7@192 from 2023), Kerr wants to make the car Drag and Drive-ready.

When you think about cars that you’d like to drive at 200mph, I’d be willing to bet that most don’t think about an Acura Integra. But if there’s anything that we’ve learned recently, it’s that Honda’s bloodline from this bygone era has untapped potential when it comes to creating formidable speed weapons.

Much like Tim Minsker, Myles Kerr has been an Integra loyalist since the early 2000s. The car you see here wasn’t his first foray with the chassis (more on this later), but this GS-R has been with Kerr since 2006. After logging over 100,000 daily driven miles and buying it back from theft recovery, Kerr’s familiarity with the chassis and eagerness to go fast became crucial motivating factors for making it into something bigger and better.

ISLAND RACER

Myles was born in California, but moved to the Dominican Republic at the ripe age of 11. He admits that his affinity for the DC2 really got started down there. It’s where he bought his first example and how he started to also fall in love with drag racing. “We would drive two hours to the track, race, and then drive back home at one in the morning,” confessed Kerr. “It was a 16-second car but I had fun.”

As fate would have it, Myles would come back to the United States (Washington state) only a couple of years later, but the relocation as an 18-year-old wasn’t easy and friends were hard to come by. But he was able to channel that energy into his love for drag racing. Friday and Saturday nights were spent at the late-night drag strip instead of the high school football stadium. There, he was able to admire the local talent while also getting in some valuable reps himself. Kerr divulges that he put over 300 passes down on the 1/4 mile in the first year he was in Washington. “I still remember my first pass, which was a 16.7@83mph. I was really nervous the first time down the 1/4 mile though. I missed the pre-stage light and drove right past it, haha. It happens!”

Soon after, his stateside Integra would receive a handful of bolt-on mods—an intake, header, intake manifold, and exhaust—and run a 14.7@93mph. Maybe more than the mods, Kerr became a master at the sportsman tree and has five or six perfect lights to his name. Coincidentally, this is also where Myles met the guys at English Racing where is now the shop’s manager. You never know when opportunities will come knocking.

IN HOW MANY PIECES?

Unfortunately for Myles, thieves saw their opportunity in 2007. He recalls getting a call from the cops when they found the car and he asked them “In how many pieces?” The car was in a sad enough state to be totaled, but Myles made the best of the situation; he took the insurance money, bought the car back, and had English Racing rebuild it. This time with an AFI turbo kit. The stock motor now churned out a healthy 450whp and, in Myles’s care, ran an 11.3-second pass at 126mph.

“It was just a progression from there; more power and better engine management over the years. In 2016 I changed from a Hondata S300 to a Motec M1 ECU and I got a 4-speed dogbox. These were two of the biggest upgrades in the car and they made a huge difference in terms of how fast it was,” commented Kerr.

An all-new Precision 8085 turbo helped free up some additional headroom, while an Aeromotive 12gpm mechanical fuel pump, Aeromotive high-pressure fuel pressure regulator, and Injector Dynamics ID2600cc injectors were all helpful add-ons to make sure every ounce of power was available. He eventually earned top honors as the fastest 1/2-mile runner in the FWD class.

SINGLE-DIGIT FAST

Five years later, Myles realized that he’d hit the ceiling for a FWD platform. He was left considering the question that every Honda owner contemplates at some point in their lives: stick with the B-series or crossover to K? Ultimately, Myles trod a different path. He converted the Integra to AWD and kept the 1.93-liter B-series intact, an engine he had become acutely connected with, in the car. Other than some minor tweaks, not much has changed to the car since the AWD conversion. Still, Myles has managed to progressively eek more out of the car seemingly every time he runs it. Last year, Myles won the Stick Shift Challenge championship at TX2K23, running a 7.715-second pass at 192.49mph.

INTERVIEW WITH MYLES KERR

At PRI, I had a chance to talk with Myles Kerr about his affinity for the Integra, his experience with drag racing, his time with English Racing, what he drives every day, and what his plans are for 2024.

The Integra GS-R lived in the golden era of sport compact cars. What attracted you to it amidst all the other options?
I always liked the body style of the DC2, that alone was one of my biggest selling points. The way the dash and interior all flow together was another…just loved the way it looked. When I got it I was in my late teens I knew Honda had a good platform for modding cars, engine parts availability and ease of working on them were all things I looked at when I first got one. Not to mention so many people I knew modded them so why not?

The cool thing about my current Integra is it is a true 1994 GS-R. I’ve had three 1994-1995 GS-Rs since 2006 and all of them were stock when I got them, including this one. All of them have made damn near the same power on our dyno too (143-145whp)!

That is pretty cool! Did you always know this car was going to end up being a full-blown drag car?
I will be honest. I never intended this car to turn into what it is today. I will say it is not a full-blown drag car, even at the moment; it still has current tags/registration and is legal to drive around here (power windows, full glass, and full interior). At this level of Honda race cars, I would say mine is THE most streetable today.

With the potential and popularity of K-series swaps, I admire the dedication to the B-series platform. Why’d you stay loyal to the B16?
Honestly, the car came with a B-series in it and I just kept progressing with the car learning as much as I could over the years. I never switched because to be honest, learning an entire new engine, transmission and what the engine likes/does not like would have taken longer. So I kept it B-series. If the AWD B-series parts never happened there was talk about switching it to a K, but once those became a thing, it was a no-brainer to stay.

Your world record for the fastest FWD 1/2-mile car had gone unmatched for a handful of years. What compelled you to convert the Integra to AWD to supplant your own accolades?
I felt like in the 1/2 mile and the roll race stuff I was tapped out on how much power the car could put down. When an AWD “B” became doable (billet transfer cases + bell housings) it seemed like it could propel the car to the next level.

This helped the car in the roll races at TX2K, down the 1/2 mile, and even in street rips! It was just the next progression on the car. When it was FWD, I went 213mph in the half-mile and I ended up going 216.65mph when it was AWD, BUT I pulled the chute early. Realistically, 230mph in the 1/2 mile should be doable with the current power I make. The issue is the current 4-speed transmission is not geared right for the 1/2 mile run, so that will have to change.

Talk to us about English Racing and how the business has grown over time.
I started working at English Racing in 2011. We worked out of a two-lift/bay shop with the dyno at a remote location. There were five full-time employees including me (not including Lucas, the owner). Now we have ten people on payroll working out of a shop with five lifts, an on-site dyno, an engine/transmission assembly room, alignment room, storage, and parts inventory all under the same roof. We have an amazing team of guys here which honestly is what makes ER who we are. We do everything from basic maintenance to full-on builds from the ground up. Almost everyone here at the shop has some sort of race car (from low 7’s in the 1/2 to 10-second cars), which has helped us find the right solutions for our customer cars. I would say 60% of our business is Mitsubishi, 20% GTR, 15% Subaru (which we plan to make more here soon!), and 5% misc cars.

English Racing has made a lot of other cars incredibly fast — including STis, Evos, and R8s — how has your Integra and its achievements helped attract others who want to experience some of that magic?
Really hard answer to answer haha. The Integra was never the fastest car out of ER. Today, we have built multiple customer GTRs that have been capable of 230mph+ in the 1/2 mile.

I think the Integra just brought different attention to the shop. I would not say we get many cars in the shop because of the Integra but it brings brand awareness to English Racing more than anything. There are a few companies that we have a much better relationship with now because of what the Integra has done, but that goes hand and hand. I would not be where I am with the Integra without English Racing and the team we have! It’s been inspirational and everyone loves an underdog (think Integra vs twin-turbo Lamborghini/R8 and GTRs). Hopefully that makes sense!

After experiencing such insane speeds on the track, what do you drive every day? Is it also a monster, or the exact opposite of one? 
The crazier the race car, the less you want your daily driver to be one! lol. I drive a 100% stock, 5-speed manual 1999 Honda CR-V. It used to be Red but it’s definitely more pink now. It’s ugly enough that nobody wants to steal it.

I had an Integra that was a 100% stock version of my current race car, but It was stolen. The Integra is the nice weekend weather driver if it’s together. I also have a RHD 1994 Mitsubishi Pajero 2.8L Turbo Diesel 5-speed manual that is SUPER close to the same color as the Integra. I got it about a year ago and it gets more looks than my Integra does, I swear!

Anything else that you’d like our audience to know about you or what you’ve got in the pipeline?
I want to run a 7.50@200mph. I am also going to start working on making the car Drag and Drive ready. Expect to see an Integra mid-year with my Seadoo behind it driving down the road getting ready for a Drag and Drive event! Those are the two big goals for this year.

Gallery