will it run on pump gas ?

I have 10.8 to 1 and with 32* (the car wants 38) of timing and 93 pump gas I`m still spark knocking. How did the guys in the Mopar Muscle Magazine`s big block shoot out run 11-1 cr on 93 octane? I`d like to mix some 110 octane with my pump gas but 50/50 is getting too expensive. Is there a formula I can use to calculate octane when mixing the two? Another thing is if I let the car sit for several days, I have to pump the crap out of the pedal to get her going again. Where`s my fuel going, into the air? It`s a Holley 2300.