This video uses a 360 degree camera to give us a unique, high tech view of a quarter mile drag race between a turbocharged 1967 Chevrolet Camaro and a supercharger 2002 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am.
This week’s Drag Race Monday video shows a quarter mile drag race between a 1967 Chevrolet Camaro powered by a turbocharged 5.3L LS V8 and a 2002 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am WS6 fitted with a ProCharger. A drag race between a turbocharged LS ’67 Camaro and just about anything would be interesting. The fact that this video pits an old school Chevy muscle car against a new school Pontiac muscle car – both of which are running forced induction – this has the makings of a great matchup.
To make the video even more interesting, it is shot with a 360-degree camera, so throughout the video, you can “look around” by tilting your device or by using the mouse to click and drag the camera angle. With this feature, we can see everything going on around the camera, rather than just seeing one fixed angle.
The video starts out with a quick walkaround of the 1967 Camaro, including an underhood shot which reveals the turbocharged 5.3L LS V8. After about 50 seconds of that, the video jumps ahead, where we find both cars on the track and the high tech camera is now inside of the 1967 Camaro. We ride along as the turbocharged 1st gen Camaro does a burnout, stages and makes the quarter mile run against the supercharged 4th gen Firebird. Although the Camaro hops out to an early lead, the Firebird takes the lead right away and pulls away throughout the run – winning by a length or so.
As you watch this video, keep in mind that you can effectively look all around, so you can watch the quarter mile pass between the Camaro and Firebird from many different views.
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
