While the owner was nervous, he and the boss made the first dyno pull with the LS1 from his IROC Camaro. At first, they ran the engine without the nitrous, monitoring the air-to-fuel numbers and the other vitals during the naturally aspirated blast. On this first run without the bottle, the LS1 made 547 horsepower and 513 lb-ft of torque at the crankshaft – both of which are respectable numbers.
Next, Vasilis connected the nitrous system with 150-horsepower jets and after much debate, the engine was fired and tested with the extra juice. On this run, the built LS1 made 691 horsepower and while we don’t get torque numbers for this first run, the owner immediately wanted more. He wanted to hit 700, so the boss suggests moving up to a 200-shot.
Vasilis agreed, made the changes to the nitrous system and the final run was made with the 200-horsepower jets. On this run, the built-and-bottled LS1 made 730 horsepower and 752 lb-ft of torque.
In the end, the LS1 picked up 144 horsepower on the 150-shot and 183 horsepower on the 200-shot. Vasilis celebrates with a big, smoky burnout.
For those wondering, we spoke with someone who is familiar with this shop and this Camaro, and he explained that late last year, this IROC Camaro ran 11.30s without the bottle. The owner hopes to head back this year with the bottle, presumably shooting for the 10-second range.
"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.
