At The Track
Mike Kasparian
Mike's LeMans Sport was probably chosen by his parents as a safe and reliable graduation gift, but in its current incarnation, this Pure Pontiac is a wheel-standing superstar that Mike built himself and is proud to campaign. His first pass was a 9.490 at 141.85 mph on a 1.40 60-foot time. That beat his previous best time ever by 0.02-second, but could he do better?
On his second pass, he treated the crowd to an unexpected 250-foot long wheelstand. Though it looked spectacular, neither he nor the LeMans were prepared for the landing, or the resulting timeslip, a 12.67 at 72.11 mph. Checking for damage, Mike determined that the wheelstand had smashed his header tubes, but that the LeMans could still compete.
His third pass was similar to his first, a 9.51 at 142.60 mph with a 1.41 60-foot time. While staging for his fourth pass, Mike determined there was further damage from the wheelstand. The wires leading to the starter had shorted, and a small electrical fire ensued. After putting out the fire, Mike retired the LeMans from competition for the day.
His tuning consisted of lowering his tire pressure from 13.5 psi to 13 psi and changing out his carb's air bleeds. Of the event, Mike said, "It was a great experience," but that his LeMans "did not perform as expected." He thought the track was great and that it allowed him to experiment with transbrake launches. To make the event better, Mike suggested we allow even more time for racing.
Tom Fredericks
Tom's Ventura is set up as a street/strip car using a mildly built 400. His first pass was a 12.124 at 109.06 mph, and his goal was to break into the 11s. Though his second pass was slightly slower, by the third run he was down to a 12.04 at 109.15 mph. Could he shave off 0.005-second and escape from the 12s? His fourth pass was a sign of things to come: a 12.000 at 109.58 mph and he had one last opportunity this day to see his goal become reality. It happened on his fifth and final pass, an 11.92 at 110.10 mph.
Tom's tuning consisted of maintaining 36-degrees timing, but increasing rear tire psi from 12 to 14 in 1- and 1/2-psi increments, and increasing the shift point from 5,200 up to 6,000. When asked what he liked about the event, Tom said, "It was great fun-meeting new Pontiac people and having a chance to test a new car. It was an excellent program and I was happy to be a part of it." Asked about how his Ventura responded to the track, he said, "The car reacted great. It hooked well and went straight."
Conclusion
In a racing hobby filled with thousands of GTOs and Firebirds, it's not unusual to find a few racers who want to stand out from the crowd with a different Pontiac. That's why this LeMans Sport and Ventura were chosen for Part I of the Shootout. Though neither car came from the factory with high-performance options nor set their owners back a fortune in purchase price, both transformed their high-teen stockers into 9- and 11-second race cars, while still retaining somewhat-stock appearances.
The difference between the two Pontiacs featured in this Shootout is the degree to which each owner wanted his race car to perform. Undoubtedly, an iron-head 400 is not designed to compete head on against a 505ci IA-II, so there was no direct competition between our two racers. Instead, both men set their goals for what they wanted to achieve for their vehicles and how to reach personal bests.
What did both racers show us? Mike demonstrated that a one-owner A-body can surprise a crowd with its performance, without having GTO emblems attached to its fenders. All it took was setting a goal and a lot of hard work. But with its power, Mike and his LeMans Sport also demonstrated that wheelstands, although they look spectacular, can prevent you from achieving your best e.t.'s.
Tom showed us that an X-body Pontiac can be just as fun as a GTO or Trans Am, and that experimenting with tire pressures and shift points can produce a dramatic effect on e.t.'s. As Mike demonstrated, a personal best might be hidden in small changes to your engine tuning that cost you nothing to find.
The two drivers and their Pontiacs featured in this Shootout both showed us that all Pontiacs can be great fun at dragstrips, without incurring the costly investment of a collector-car GTO or Trans Am. These men put their investment into performance, and it paid off in great times and good memories.
Whether you plan on building a LeMans you've had since high school, an eBay-find Ventura, or any other Pontiac to go racing, the cars and engine builds detailed in this Shootout will give you plenty of ideas for your project.
HPP would like to thank the management and crew at Summit Motorsports Park for their assistance in making this Shootout possible.