The five-second barrier has fallen!

American driver Gary White and the Ebrahim Kanoo-led team have made history today at the Bahrain International Circuit, recording the first five-second pass ever by an import-powered vehicle with a blast of 5.97-seconds at 387 Km/h (240 miles per hour) with their turbocharged Toyota Supra.

Earlier this week, the team had clocked the quickest pass in history, just on the brink the of the magical five-second zone, as White and company put a 6.003 up on the boards.

The five-second barrier has been more than a decade in the making, with competitors all across the world pressing the boundaries of what many believed was possible with small displacement, import-based motors. Ara Arslanian made the fist official six-second pass by an import vehicle in 2001 with a 3.4L 2JZ-powered Toyota Solara, and 14 years later, with many import drag racing sanctioning bodies having come and gone and the sport far more evolved and accepted by the masses than previously imagined, the five-second barrier has come and gone.

For EKanoo Racing, the march to the fives has been years in the making — the car first being completed at Titan Motorsports in Florida in 2011. When White first shook the car down, it nearly cracked into the six-second zone right out of the gate. By the time it arrived in Bahrain and had some laps under it, it was well into the sixes, and with the assistance of world-renowned tuners like Shane Tecklenburg, Josh Ledford, Eric Luzinski, and Haider Mohd, became the quickest Supra in the world. From there, the team steadily chipped away at the performance little by little, eventually placing themselves solidly in the race to the five-second zone. All with a car sitting on 33 x 10.5W tires and a chassis less specific to the purpose than some of its Pro Mod-style competitors in other regions of the world.

Challengers to the record have included Team New Generation Motorsports and their Zoian Lexus that went 6.04 in the fall, along with Team El Jerry and their Toyota FT-1 with a 6.08 best, both based in Puerto Rico. Australia’s Dodson Motorsports had been 6.12, and Puerto Rico’s Major League Racing RX-8, with a best of 6.19, rounded out the top five. In total, 25 cars have been 6.50 or quicker. But once EKanoo Racing took a stronghold on the top spot with their 6.04-second hit last year, they never looked back, making lap after lap during the winter months until arriving on the doorstep of history on Thursday night.

Said the team: Words cannot explain the overwhelming joy of finally achieving one of our long standing goals: the record-shattering run of 5.97s at 387 Km/h (240 Mph) has proved once again that we are blessed with an exceptional team that is able to deliver such impeccable results. I wish to dedicate this achievement to our beloved Kingdom, our fans, our local and international supporters and all those who continue to believe in us. The list is frankly too long. This is turning out to be one heck of a night for us, thank you.