At The Track
Damon Sampson
His goal here was to match his previous best, which he stated was 10.99 at 121 mph, achieved at Houston Raceway Park in 2008. For his first run at the track, Damon launched his Trans Am at 3,000 rpm and had a respectable 60-foot time of 1.636 seconds, earning an 11.829 e.t. at 115.62, even though he hit the rev limiter in Second gear. Over the next two runs, his 60-foot and timeslips got better, as he finally achieved a clean run on the third pass.
After the clean pass, Damon said it was time to enable the VVT and see how fast the car would go. After picking up almost a full three-tenths of a second and running an e.t of 11.469 at 119.43, he commented, "I was very impressed that the cam-phasing changes paid off in both the eighth- and quarter-mile times, and miles per hour. I didn't think the Bird would turn a personal best in the hot and humid conditions, but I believe that in good air the car will improve upon its best times."
Damon's only tuning changes were adjusting the front QA1 shock settings two clicks after the first pass to allow the rear tires to hit a bit harder, and flipping the switch on the last pass to turn on the VVT. Of his Bird's showing, he said, "The car hooked good on all of the passes and the track was well prepared. Other than the brutal heat, the participants were friendly, and my whole family got to watch the race, which was a definite plus. The images of Dad racing in 100-degree weather will no doubt leave a long-lasting impression."
Owen Priest
Owen's goal was to achieve an 8-second timeslip, primarily by dialing in the suspension and improving upon his 60-foot times. With brand-new drag slicks, he prepaired for his first pass. Owen dialed in 900 psi of nitrous pressure and launched off of the trans-brake at 3,000 rpm. As soon as the converter flashed, the car pulled its tires on its route to a 60-foot time of 1.428 and a 9.38-second e.t.
Since the e.t. had almost matched the previous best and the burnout was, in the words of Owen, "weak," he left the suspension alone, dialed in another 50 psi of nitrous pressure, and treated the Bird to a big smoky burnout to break in the new tires with a flourish. This time when the Bird launched it not only stuck, but had just the right amount of power to catapult it into the Texas sky, rewarding him with a 1.377-second 60-foot time and an eye-popping 9.15-second e.t. at over 151 mph.
Owen stated, "After the second pass, it was a calculated gamble to put more power into the car, as the track temps had been on a steady rise, and at some point the amount of track prep would be negated. Although the gamble didn't pay off, I was still amazed that on the hottest day of the year in Houston, the car ran as impressively as it did. Needless to say, in good air with reasonable track temps, I feel it will break through the 8-second barrier without a problem."
Owen's tuning changes were limited to adjusting the nitrous pressure and seasoning the new drag slicks. Of his Bird's outing, he said, "My Formula didn't hook well on the first pass due to not having enough heat in the slicks. On the second pass it was near perfect, but when the track temps surpassed 135 degrees, there was no way to keep the Formula from spinning when coming out, short of backing off on the power. Other than the heat and humidity, it was interesting to see the various combinations that participated and how fast the field was."
Conclusion
Small cubes versus big cubes, high-tech naturally aspirated versus high-tech power adder-which way do you go to get the best e.t.s?
Small-cubes often have a fighting chance in late-model races, especially if it's a high-tech entry like Damon's with a L92 block and the tremendous factory flow of the L92 rectangular-port heads. Throw in Variable Valve Timing and an excellent suspension, and great results should follow.
On the other hand, big-cubes and copious amounts of nitrous almost always trump all but the most dialed in small-cube entry. A total of 472 ci of LSX fury, topped with Warhawk LS7-X heads that flow over 400 cfm on the intake and a 300 direct-port nitrous system, equals the type of power that tube-chassis LS racers are pushing into the 7s.
Damon's high-tech L92 posted mid-11s, whereas Owen's LSX entry blazed the track with low 9s. Either combo will put a smile on any LS Bird owner's face.
Damon showed us that VVT works. If you compare his second and last run, which had nearly identical 60-foots, the Mast VVT dropped e.t.'s by almost 0.4 second and increased trap speed by 4 miles per hour. On a more consistent day from a temperature and density altitude perspective, the T/A may have dipped into the 10s.
Owen showed us that his reputation of having one of the fastest street cars is legit. Almost as impressive was how his car consistently pulled the wheels, and how he left his right foot planted as the Formula would slowly come back to Mother Earth and transform into a Maple Red juggernaut. Give it a cool day and the same tune-up, and it will dip into the 8s; add in another nitrous stage and mid 8s aren't out of the realm of possibility.
Whether you plan on building a high-tech F-body or are setting your sights on a "Fastest Street Car" title, it's still possible to have racecar performance with a street car. How you balance the power element with streetability is up to you.
HPP would like to thank the management and crew at Lonestar Motorsports Park and Late Model Racecraft for their assistance in making this Shootout possible, and to local Houston Pontiac hobbyists Lloyd Coulson, Larry Navarro, Dan Barton, Jimmy Braud, John Chung, Jeff Gee, Paul Kenney, and Les Newton for volunteering at the track and making the event run much more smoothly. On the hottest day of the year in Houston, it pays to have great companies to partner with and even better friends-especially ones that have ice-cold bottles of water.