Sometimes it is good to be us. Yesterday was one of those times. When RJ and the team with Big Red Camaro told us to come out and watch standing start testing with the Big Red Camaro, we were excited. Honestly, I thought it was another one of their occasions to show off just what this amazing Camaro can do and figured we would be getting some cool quarter mile times. This was not the case. This was a test session, in fact its very first test session since being completely rebuilt after the fire, and the point was to get this car as drivable and fast as possible for the upcoming Mojave Mile event.

This meant we were going to be using Famoso’s dragstrip in a slightly different way than normal.

Because mile, and mile and a half events, are a long drag race, getting up to speed as quickly as possible is the name of the game. The quicker you can get moving the faster you will ultimately go. Accelerating at the maximum for the entire course will result in the highest top speed possible. But lots of guys just cruise off the starting line. Or, they and their cars are incapable of doing anything but cruising from the start because they will just boil the tires. This was the case with the previous version of Big Red.

In truth, there was more to it than that as well. The rear suspension system was just not capable of handling the launch and would chatter and hop and then blow the tires off. But that system is long gone since the rebuild following the fire.

So are a lot of other things. Like the Carburetor.

Yep, Big Red has now entered the 21st century and is Holley EFI Equipped. In addition, there is Traction Control, Racepak Data Logging, and more on tap to help tune this sucker. But it is a lot more than electronics. Many new systems have been added, including those for ballast, cooling, and traction. With a new 4-link suspension underneath it, Big Red is ready to rock and roll with some serious mechanical bite when needed. And it was needed yesterday.

I was on site streaming live to Facebook, snapping some photos, and watching the crew work their magic. In addition to the normal Big Red crew, Eric from Westech Performance Group was on hand to tap the keys on the Holley EFI and Racepak data, and the Big Red film crew was running around catching shots of all kinds. They’ve got some cool stuff that should be a riot to watch on iTunes later.

Remember how I said that they were using Famoso in a slightly different way from the norm? Well, that’s because RJ was driving from the finish line towards the sand. Yes, he was going the correct direction, but only using the shutdown area so as to have no advantage of traction compound and a prepped racetrack when that is not how standing mile events are.

Starting the day off with the 4-link adjusted to a very neutral setting, and the car only tuned on the dyno, it showed just how big a beast it was at the first hit of the throttle. With more than 2000 horsepower available, and only about 1400 on tap for the day, Big Red blew the tires off immediately and had RJ chasing it all around as he pedaled it. But Eric and the crew got good data. And they started making adjustments to the Holley EFI, traction control, and more. They were making the car more drivable, getting the traction control to start helping, and at the same time allowing RJ to learn how to drive what is a very very different combo and car.

The first two or three runs were a lot of tire smoking sideways action. But they were slightly better each time. After run three or four the car was really coming around as was RJ. He was leaving the line harder than he had ever been able to in the past, and was gaining more and more confidence. Every pass had Eric reviewing data and talking to RJ and the crew. Dave was right there also, making suggestions and observations and using the super slow motion footage from the starting line to see what the car was doing. As Eric made electronics tweaks the team made 4-link adjustments and man did they work well together. By the end, RJ was leaving the starting line pretty hard, laying down some black tracks but only barely hazing the tires, and keeping the car aimed straight and accelerating. This sucker is going to be fast.

And here is one funny thing…

Besides great electronic data, which shows the car is moving out really nicely, the camera crew knew that it was accelerating much harder because the camera mounts they normally use were not able to stay in place with the added g-load during acceleration. Data is good.

With a goal of 260 mph, to beat their current best at Mojave of 251, they are going to have to do everything right. That is why they were testing. At the end of the day, RJ was happy, the crew was happy, and everyone seemed to be ready for the next steps. So what are they? Well, next up is Mojave and we’ll have photo coverage from the event to share with you. Then the car goes back home to get setup for Pike’s Peak mode which means removing the Rossler 4L80e and replacing it with a stick trans, removing the water ballast tank out back and replacing it with a fuel cell, installing the radiator and unblocking the grille, along with some other plumbing and wiring changes. We can’t wait to watch it all go down.

HERE ARE ALL THE RUNS VIA FACEBOOK LIVE, CHECK OUT ALL THE PHOTOS BELOW THAT