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Camaro Car Show Event - Runnin' And Gunnin'
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Life Made Cooler
Through Technology
So you’ve decided to put down the polishing rag, step away from the fruit-scented detail spray, and do some good old-fashioned track thrashing on your ride. The problem is the guys down at the local cruise night will never believe it when you tell them about how you threw your car around the track. Well, have we got the evidence gatherer for you! Meet the GoPro Hero digital camera. The standard version seen here offers a 54-degree lens and five megapixles of resolution goodness. With a 2-gig SD memory card (not supplied) we were able to get almost a full hour of high quality video. That’s a lot of track time.
The 4.7-ounce camera can also be set to take a photo every two seconds for 64 minutes. Some quick work with a calculator puts that at 1,920 still shots. The motorsports version we picked up was about 180 bucks and included the suction cup mount and a bag full of various other mounting widgets. Recently GoPro has also released a new wide angle, 170-degree version that sells for under $200. At this event the camera worked flawlessly and the video was surprisingly good considering the price and size. It’s even waterproof. Just remember, if you’re recording something you shouldn’t be doing, video can be used in a court of law. To find out more visit www.goprocamera.com.
When all the points from the various events were tallied, there was an unlikely tie for the title of King of the Hill between Kyle Tucker and Vinnie Allegretta! The rules stipulate: in the event of a tie, the one with the quickest autocross lap is the winner. So congrats to Kyle for being named King, we hear it’s good to be one. Other winners were Bret Voelkel for the Quickest ET, Vinnie Allegretta for Peoples Choice, and Jake Parrott took home the Long Distance Award.
 Each car at the event is assigned...  Each car at the event is assigned a random number, then put through a basic technical inspection to make sure it’s safe to run. In this case, Jim Mulvey’s killer ’69 Camaro is given the number 38. Unfortunately, since Jim was running R-compound tires, he also got an “x” by his number. This meant he could run, but his times wouldn’t count towards winning an award. This year the minimum treadwear allowed was 180.
 After the driver’s safety...  After the driver’s safety meeting all of the drivers were given the chance to partake in the autocross ritual of walking the course. Not only is it good exercise, it’s also the best way to learn the complicated path they will later negotiate.
 Autocross events, like drag...  Autocross events, like drag races, are often won by a very slim margin. This being the case, timing lights are used to get the results and computers to keep track of them. Running the technology side of the event was left to Larry Callahan. This year he was a spectator, but next year he plans to have his Motivator Camaro on hand for a little track thrashing. We certainly approve of his reading material.
 Every year Steve Chryssos...  Every year Steve Chryssos has brought his streetfighter Camaro down from New York to flog at the RTTH event. Everything about this ride screams function over form, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t look cool. As the owner of Twist Machine, Steve offers both go and show parts. But, none of his billet goodies will ever make you slower, so it’s ok to indulge.
The event may have a lot... 
The event may have a lot of g-machines in attendance, but anyone is welcome to come join in the fun. Here, Mark Rupp takes his ’67 for dance amongst the cones. Even though his Camaro is more so set up for straight-line action, he still had a blast dodging and weaving. He managed a best time of 41.882. We even gave him bonus points for not hitting the photographer.
 At last year’s event Matt...  At last year’s event Matt Gober’s ’69 drop-top was fresh out of G-Force Design Concepts and wasn’t ready to hit the track. G-Force didn’t paint the car, but they did drop in an LS7 crate engine, DSE front subframe and Quadra-link rear suspension. This year Matt was finally ready to go cone cutting and had a blast whipping around the course with the wind in his hair. Best time was 38.966 seconds.
 Matt Altamore of Elgin, IL...  Matt Altamore of Elgin, IL has been working a long time on his flat-black Camaro dubbed “Project Chain Reaction.” The ’69 is motivated by an LS1 engine and a T56 trans. To keep it stuck to the track, Matt has grafted in an Alston subrame up front and a DSE Quadra-link out back. All we know is that it was one of the angriest looking Camaros at the event.
With the belt failure from... 
With the belt failure from the night before only a memory, Payton King got busy tossing his screaming yellow Camaro around the course. After the event Payton told us that he was hooked, and he planned on doing more to “up” the handling of his ’69. By the look in his eyes we could tell that he was definitely hell-bent on driving.
 Bret Voelkel of Air Ride Technologies...  Bret Voelkel of Air Ride Technologies beats on his Velocity Camaro even harder than he beats on the autocross cones, and that’s saying a lot! For a full feature and poster of this killer ride flip to page 46.
 Jake Parrott from Jake’s Rod...  Jake Parrott from Jake’s Rod Shop brought out his company’s ’69 Camaro test mule. Fitted out with Jake’s C5-based front subframe and torque-arm-equipped rear suspension the Camaro was throwing down great lap times all day long. Best of all, the primer paint meant he needn’t care about rock chips or cone rash.
The five drivers with the... 
The five drivers with the fastest times had a shootout to determine the autocross winner. In the end it was Kyle Tucker’s 35.141-second run giving him top honors.
 Whenever there’s a muscle...  Whenever there’s a muscle car driving event, the folks from Detroit Speed and Engineering (DSE) aren’t far behind. On Sunday the event moved to the 411 Dragway. What the eighth-mile strip lacks in looks, it more than makes up in fun. While DSE is known for building handling components, they dig anything that involves cars in motion and were eager to try some straight-line action.
 Throughout the day cars lined...  Throughout the day cars lined up for a blast down the track. Ford versus Chevy, Chevy versus Mopar, or in this case Camaro versus Camaro. Many of the participants were practically hot-lapping in an effort to squeeze in as many runs as possible.
Sure, at first glance one... 
Sure, at first glance one would look at Bret’s ’68 Camaro and put it in the handling category, but it can do so much more. Bret brought the low-slung ride to the drag strip and made pass after pass, eventually knocking down a very respectable 7.96 eighth-mile time. The World Products’ Warhawk 427 LS engine screamed and the autocross tires spun into a smoky blur, but it was enough to win the best ET award.
 With the King of the Hill...  With the King of the Hill title on the line, Vinnie Allegretta and company furiously worked to get his ’68 Camaro running right. He had to make a pass by 2 p.m. for it to count and, with a minute to spare he got down the track. He even managed to hot lap it around and tried the nitrous. Unfortunately, that only caused a lack of traction since he couldn’t run his drag tires. That meant his first run would be his best one. But would it be enough
to make him King?
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