Banks Dragster Development UPDATE

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BANKS’ DRAGSTER DEVELOPMENT CONTINUES …

May 4, 2009 - - Both Banks’ Sidewinder Top Diesel Dragster and record-holding Sidewinder S-10 Pro-Stock Pick-Up were both scheduled to take part in the TS Performance Outlaw Drags, set for this Saturday, May 9 at Beech Bend Dragstrip in Bowling Green, Kentucky. They’ll need to take a bye on that date.

In early testing at Famoso last week the team experienced two transmission failures in the new dragster which effectively took it out of the program for this weekend at Bowling Green. However, both “Banks Sidewinders” have already been scheduled to run on June 6 at the upcoming NHRDA Diesel National event at O’Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis.

The Bakersfield test session was the first time that the Dragster had ever been on a track and the first few passes showed that the track was having a hard time “holding” the race car (providing grip for the Sidewinder’s massive slicks) so the engine tune was eased-up, “softened” somewhat as was the new multi-adjustable slider clutch.

As the new car break-in runs progressed, the crew got more and more aggressive on the setup and, later in the afternoon, a hard pass was called for.

It was a spectacular run for the first thousand feet, and that’s when Wes Anderson shifted up to 5th gear at just over 160 miles per hour and that’s when the transmission failed under load. Bang! Anderson immediately cut the engine and shoved the clutch in and he ended up coasting through the lights somewhere a little south of 180 miles an hour.

A day later the crew had completely rebuilt the transmission overnight and had the machine on the line for the next series of tests. On the second run of the day, and this time at close to 200 miles per hour, the transmission again failed going into 5th. Bang! This time, after quickly shutting down the engine and stepping on the clutch, Anderson pulled one of the Sidewinder’s twin drags chutes for a little added retardation. He ended up going through the lights at 181.08 miles per hour at 7.17 seconds … With the chute out and in full bloom!

Despite the transmission failure not allowing the car to ever make a full pass , two of the Sidewinder’s critical time-to-distance numbers were taken as strong indicators of the machine’s potential with a 1.097 60-foot, and a 4.588 time to the 1/8-mile.

The Banks-modified Twin turbo Duramax diesel V-8 engine is very different from gasoline-powered engines. It produces almost equal amounts of torque and horsepower with torque leading the way up the RPM scale. The sort of brute force that Banks is able to pull out of a Duramax is always guaranteed to put maximum stress on every component in the driveline. 1,300+ horsepower is one thing, but an equal dose of torque is something that has always been both a bane and a boon to Banks.

“Killing transmissions and rear ends in race cars and trucks and stern drives in boats, is the story of my life,” said Gale Banks. “But we always find ways to beef them up and get the job done … Stay tuned, we’re testing this weekend at Speedworld Dragstrip in Whittman, Arizona just outside Phoenix starting this coming Thursday May 7.”

[bankspower]