Photos & Text by Felix Tang
That’s right, plural. You kids are in for a treat today since we’re featuring two girls who love getting dirty. One makes 235 horsepower at the wheels, while the other designs dope costumes. One is all wheel drive and the other just walks around on her two feet. One of them is a Mitsubishi Evolution 6.5 while the other one is named Lisa Klassen. Both however, love going fast in the dirt!
Lisa first got into Rally when she watched Legends of Motorsport and World Rally Championships on SpeedTV with her brother. 
She finally got a firsthand taste of what rally racing is when she and her brother took a trip to the first WRC in Mexico back in 2004. This led to meeting her current mentor, Leon Styles, while volunteering at Rim of the World Rally. Leon was able to foresee the talent and quickly got her into a rally car running full stage rallies.
The two decided to compete in the Western States Rally Championship in 2005 and ended taking the championship home in the Group 5 class (open 2wd) with her 1983 7AGE equipped Toyota Corolla. Lisa switched over the Evolution 6.5 in the middle of the 2006 season after many podium finishes in the Corolla. A series of top five finishes following the change showed that the drastic switch from rwd to awd did not faze her at all. After a crash at the Prescott Rally last October, the two girls recovered quickly and were able to produce another win at the Rim of the World Rally this year.
This car was built with the sole intention of competing in full stage rallies. All safety requirements are there; full cage by TAD, certified seats and harnesses, fire system, etc. The DMS suspension helps settle the car over rough terrain and is beefy enough to take on sizeable jumps. Giant AP Racing brakes gives Lisa all the stopping power she needs. There is even a hydraulic hand brake that is used when turning the steering wheel just isn’t enough. The Tilton twin plate clutch not only sounds aggressive when depressed, but can take all the abuse dished out to it stage after stage. Ralliart front and rear diffs help put as much power to the ground as the sticky Michelin dirt tires can grab. 
Wait a minute, 235 wheel horsepower? Isn’t that what stock Evo 8 and 9’s make? The reason for this stockfish horsepower number is due to the fact that a 34-millimeter restrictor is mandatory to be placed in front of the turbo. With no other modifications other than removal of the restrictor, this two-liter turbo instantly makes 330 horsepower on the four-wheel dyno. Since the turbo has to suck through such a small hole, this renders most engine upgrades nearly useless when trying to make more peak power. This 4g63 uses a stock titanium Evo 8 turbo along with HKS 272 duration cams. An Autronic standalone ecu keeps everything running smooth and allows for the anti-lag system. Folks, if you have not heard a car equipped with anti-lag, I strongly urge you to go out to the next stage rally event and experience this yourself. This system is especially awesome when the car is getting ready to launch from a standstill. Lisa displayed this feature quite well during the photo shoot. Constant backfiring spools the turbo up as she brings the rpm up near redline. One clutch dump and 4 small rooster tails later, the car rockets off and is quickly in need of second gear.
For now, the dirty girls will be staying relatively clean for a while. The 6.5 will temporarily be converted to tarmac use so Lisa can attend open road course events in preparation for the Annual Pikes Peak Hill Climb this summer. The goal for Pike’s Peak this year is for Lisa to break the women’s record time in an 800 horsepower Evo 8.
Leon and Lisa have both been great to us, and everyone here at The Speed Lounge wishes you guys good luck and we’ll be rooting for you to conquer that record!
A few words from Lisa...
Leon has done so much for me, both as a teacher and a sponsor. He's made so much of this possible. My parents and my brother have been great too. They are so supportive. My mom and dad volunteer at rallies whenever they can and sometimes my brother, who is a automotive technician, works on my cars. I have some really great sponsors, too- Top Quality Racing, kartfactory.com, Cardini Motorsport and South Coast Mitsubishi. I have to thank my fans, too. (And it feels kind of funny to have fans!) I've met so many supportive people that really love watching me race and appreciate what I do and that makes me feel great.
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