As if the all-conquering Audi R10 TDI endurance racer wasn't evidence enough that diesel power deserves a place in enthusiasts' hearts, Gale Banks and Banks Engineering offer more: The Banks team's Chevrolet S-10-bodied Sidewinder D-Max Type-D now owns the world record for the quickest and fastest quarter-mile pass for a diesel-powered vehicle: 8.21 seconds at 165.5 mph, recorded during the NHRA AC Delco Nationals, held at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. And perhaps more surprising, the only smoke the red Sidewinder produced came from its thoroughly abused tires. Gale Banks notes that the secret to clean, smoke-free diesel performance "lies in producing a more efficient combustion process in the cylinder that burns all the fuel in the engine, rather than dumping unburned fuel out the exhaust as thick black smoke." Producing close to 1,000 horsepower, the Sidewinder's engine started out as 6.6-liter Duramax V-8 — the same engine GM fits to heavy duty Chevy Silverado or GMC Sierra pickups. Banks' team modified the valvetrain and cylinder heads and added a freer-breathing BankSpeed intake, a pair of Honeywell/Garrett racing turbochargers, and a Banks Nitrous system. Banks earned the FIA World Record for the fastest diesel pickup on the Bonneville Salt Flats back in 2002, recording a 217.306-mph two-way “flying mile” run.
More photos of the Sidewinder after the break, plus a video of the truck's record-setting pass, courtesy of Banks Engineering.
