At The Track
Mike Plymale
Mike's Trans Am was built by him to run consistently in the low 12s, and as a bracket racer, he's nearly unbeatable. His best pass of the day was the third, a 12.10 at 111.88. Because he feels his T/A is already perfectly dialed in, he didn't make any timing changes throughout the day, but for his last two passes, he increased his fuel octane from 100 to 110, and dropped his rear tire pressure from 13 to 12 psi. "The lower tire pressure caused me to spin the tires badly off the line and resulted in lower e.t.'s," Mike said. Of the event, he said, "We had a great time. I loved being able to run the car on the track with only a few cars. We were treated nicely and we made some new friends. Of the track, Mike recalled, "It was OK in the morning, but as the day went on, it got slippery. We got really loose after lunch, mostly because of the lack of a lot of cars laying rubber patches."
Ken Burmeister
Ken's Tempest is built to consistently run in the low 11s, so his goal was to break it into the 10s. After changing his jets to 77/86, Ken achieved his best pass of the day on Run No. 4, accomplishing his goal with a 10.97 at 121.77. Although he made three more passes, he couldn't again dip into the 10s. Of the event, Ken says he enjoyed "the chance to test various tune-ups and meet nice people." Of the track, he told us, "It was excellent. Norwalk is the best."
Bill Dietrich
Bill had the quickest Pontiac in Part II of our Shootout and he proved it on his first pass, a 10.47 at 126.60. His tuning changes consisted of dropping from 32-deg timing to 30-deg, and then trying different jets to lower his e.t.'s. When he switched to 92/92 jets for his third pass, his tuning paid off, earning him his best time of the day, a 10.43 at 127.07. Throughout the next three runs, Bill stayed fairly consistent, varying his time by only 12/1000s of a second. He told us he liked everything about the event, "The weather was great and the HPP staff was very friendly." Of the track, he agreed with his competitors, "It was excellent as always at Norwalk."
Conclusion
These three racers brought their best, and had a great time racing their rides the day before the Ames Performance Pontiac Tri-Power Nationals.
Ken showed us that a good ole' Tempest can have a good ole' time at the strip, especially when its owner had its iron block/iron head engine built to break into the 10s. Ken took full advantage of the relaxed atmosphere of the Shootout to test new tunings, and, as his best e.t. demonstrated, it gave him a better idea of what his classic A-body is capable of. Now that he's in the 10s, Ken says he's going to stay there by treating his Tempest to a new pair of slicks.
Mike showed us that an odd-year T/A doesn't have to be the fastest at the track to still go all the way. All it takes is a consistent combo and a calm driver. He displayed all of the attributes of a great bracket racer at the Shootout, and he went on to prove it at the Ames Performance Pontiac Tri-Power Nationals, winning the Tin Indian race class on Sunday night. What is the secret to his success? "The reason I win so many races is because my wife has taught me a yoga breathing technique that slows my heart rate down. That helps me focus, and I don't miss the light. I don't know how else to explain it," he says.
Bill showed us that it's important to choose your first Pontiac right when you're a young man because you may just keep it for decades. This intimate knowledge of his GTO's capabilities was evident in Bill's timeslips; he rarely varied from 10.4 e.t.'s all day long. Although he had no mechanical problems during the Shootout, Bill says he's had his GTO for so long that he knows it inside and out. "I can take it apart and put it back together blindfolded."
The three drivers and their Pontiacs featured are representative of many members of the Pontiac racing hobby. Find your favorite body style, build a bulletproof engine, and enjoy racing all summer long. Whether you're a fan of classic body Tempests or GTOs, Second-Gen Trans Ams, or a bodystyle not shown in this Shootout, we're sure that the cars, combos, and drivers we've brought you this month, can give you plenty of ideas for your next Pontiac-powered race car.
HPP would like to thank the management and crew at Summit Motorsports Park for its assistance in making this Shootout possible.