Following the success of the shootouts that we ran last year just prior to the Pontiacs in the Park event, both HPP and show promoter Jim Zeek felt it would be a great idea to do it all over again-so we did. What follows over the next few issues are the result of the endeavor.
Thanks to Zeek and VMP management and staff, we had the run of the place, and the Pontiacs certainly did come out to play. For our first round, they're all Goats ... well, almost. Our '73 entry is actually a LeMans, but you get the idea. This group represents three different eras in GTO production and three different powerplants, with the traditional Pontiac contingent comprised of a pair of 400s and a 455 and the late-model represented by the venerable LS1 engine.
Emily and Mike Wilson made the trip south from Pedricktown, New Jersey, to join in the festivities with their Orbit Orange '70 GTO. Stuffed full of 463 cubes of '76 Pontiac motor, this GTO street car with a Turbo 400 and 12-bolt fitted with 3.73 gears was in the hunt for low 12s.
Just prior to our event, Jerry Klaus of Chesapeake, Virginia, had completed some major upgrades that included a head and cam swap on the 5.7L LS1 in his '04 GTO, and he was anxious to verify the improvements. Power is fed through a six-speed to its 3.91 rear. Will Jerry's 11-second aspirations come to fruition?
Mark Sweeney came all the way from Brockton, Massachusetts, to compete in his '73 A-body. Fitted with a fairly wild '68 400 engine, a Turbo 400, and steep 4.10 gears out back, this lightened (3,525-pound curb weight) LeMans was promising 11-second timeslips.
Alan Smith is also running a 400 in his '69 GTO, which is backed by a Turbo 400 and a 3.73-geared rear. This comfy cruiser can still trip the lights to the tune of low 13s on a good-weather day, but how will it fare at VMP?
Weather Report
Speaking of the weather, thanks to racer Ed Dufrene, who was also racing that day, we have a full weather report. The temperature was a balmy 72 degrees, and the barometer read 29.3 hg for race day. Humidity hovered at 43.1 percent, and there was a 9-12-mph headwind (somewhat side). The density altitude reading was just about 2,300 feet for most of the day, which is used to project these Pontiac's potential at sea level under perfect conditions. A factor of 0.9731 for e.t. and 1.0283 for trap speed is employed for the best pass only (based on e.t.) in the Strip Tuning Log. (Multiply the e.t. or mph by its factor to convert the other runs.)