This Supercharged Trans Am Will Ditch a Northern Winter for Warmer Weather and 9-Second Time Slips at Sick Week Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive
In addition to signaling the start of the drag-and-drive event season, Sick Week Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive also gives enthusiasts a chance to escape colder winter climates for the sun and warmer weather in Florida and Georgia.
This is a big part of the reason Andrew Baptiste will make the trip from Massachusetts south to participate in Sick Week with his 2002 Pontiac Trans Am.
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“I picked it because weather in New England sucks in January so it’s a good time to go south,” said Andrew about why Sick Week will be his first drag-and-drive event. With a 1,200-mile trip each way, Andrew will roll into Florida with a proven 9-second ride.
Andrew’s Trans Am might have left the factory with an all-aluminum LS1 engine, but it now sports a LQ4 iron block 6-liter LS bullet. The gen 3 LS is only a camshaft swap away from a completely stock long block, but Andrew chose to add some boost to the mix with a ProCharger F-1A supercharger.
A Holley Terminator X ECU calls the shots on the engine functions, and T56 Magnum manual 6-speed transmission receives the shifts from Andrew. Since factory GM 10-bolt rear ends are usually fragile like glass, Andrew upgraded to a Midwest Chassis 9-inch rear end.
“The drag-and-drive format forces me to actually drive the car, and I like chaos,” Andrew said on why he was drawn to try a drag-and-drive. “I’ve spent most of my life fixing problems on the fly without the right tools,” so Andrew feels he and his co-pilot Richie Johnson have a solid chance to succeed at Sick Week.
Written by Derek Putnam. Photos courtesy of Andrew Baptiste.
If you have thoughts / feedback / ideas, please e-mail us at derek@sickthemagazine.com