Not exactly the silver streak!
Here I am setting up (and letting my car air out) in the pits at Grand Bend Dragway. Twas an early rise and shine in order to be there at 9:30 a.m. when time-trials were supposed to begin. As it turned out, things didn’t really get cooking until closer to 11. And by cooking, I also mean hot and humid; definitely not the best conditions to be racing a bone stock, V6 Firebird with 187xxx kilometres on the clock!
However when my good buddy (and best man) Dave told me he and his wife Pam were heading up for the day with his super fast, would-be-sleeper if not for the rims and tires, supercharged 2017 Ford Mustang GT, I just couldn’t resist!
As this was a bracket-racing event (I entered TROPHY class in hopes of racing only street cars), I knew for sure I would get a minimum of three runs. The first two were time trials – they help you determine what number to dial in – and the last one was an actual race. For anyone who cares to know the brutal truth, these Firebirds sure look sporty but with only 200 HP and 225 lbs-ft of torque, they’re by no means fast…
- R1 16.123 @ 83.51 mph lost to mid 80s Mustang GLX V8 convertible (TT)
- R2 16.031 @ 82.47 mph win against 07 Pontiac Grand Prix 3.8 (TT)
- R3 16.069 @ 83.17 mph lost to vintage Chevy Nova (Round One and done)
Now all things considered it was a really fun day but honestly, I was hoping my car could break into the high 15s. I’ve read elsewhere on the ‘net that back in the day factory-fresh V6 Firebirds and Camaros were capable of it. A bit of wishful thinking twenty years on, I know.
At any rate, guess this just means I’ll have to soup it up a bit eh?
RDW