From Gale Banks:
Gale asked me to post this on his behalf:
"Gentlemen, let's clear the air.
First I want to deal with those that claim that Banks' racing success is because of money. You've got it backwards. Our money success is because of racing (and winning) for the last 50 years. You can give a fool all the money in the world and he'll never win a race. I'm sorry, money is no substitute for knowledge and know how gained over time. If you've got that, then the money will help a ton. Without that, as the Bard said," a fool and his money are soon parted. " So enough with your sour grapes.
As to money, I started in 1958 in my dad's garage, he was an LA cop and a hell of a wrench. He made $395 a month of which I got none. I'm damn proud because I started with nothing and I know what it is to race building engines using other guys junk.
This is my 50th year building racing engines. I've screwed with every type of fuel from nitro methane to hydrogen. In 1974 while working on a future engines study, funded by the Ford Foundation, I became interested in diesel. By 1980 I found myself teaching graduate level, turbo diesel engine design, at General Motors Institute. At the same time I was running twin turbo marine versions of the then upcoming GM 6. 2L diesel in my engine dyno cell. Those prototype 6. 2's didn't go along with the joke and found various ways of putting their parts on the walls and floor of my dyno room. So I never did a marine version of that engine.
By late '81 we came out with our Sidewinder turbo for the 6. 2 pickups, being careful to honor the capabilities of the 6. 2. And, that started the light truck diesel power aftermarket. Every guy who came along with diesel products since then paints a target on my back and does his best to hit it. Some of them do it behind screen names on forums such as this one…that's BS. I deeply respect my competition with the exception of those individuals.
Enough about my career, I’m not writing this to bore you. This is about giving you the facts behind our D-Max powered drag truck. That truck is a follow on to the Cummins powered Sidewinder Dakota we ran at Bonneville in 2002 and the Donahoe/Banks F-250 Power Stroke Baja racer we are currently running against gas powered competition. We are currently second in points and have won a few races as well.
My S-10 Pro Stock truck is one that never saw the light of day as NHRA shut down Pro Stock Truck racing just after it was built. I bought it from the Panellas and it sat for years in my shop getting dusty. I've been wanting to put a D-Max in this thing but we've been working on a road race GMC pickup the last few years. The engine in the road race truck kills everything in the drive train south the clutch and we've spent the last two years building a durable drive train that will live 30 hours. It has not been easy, our longest race is a 25 hour enduro, and we're getting close.
Even though I'm in business, my budget is limited and since building my Bonneville Firebirds in the '80's I have had no factory money at all. The Cummins guys gave me used dyno test engines in 2001 and a lot of volunteer engineering help learning and running the then prototype CR 5. 9 engine. I paid it back by sharing my intake and exhaust port modifications with them and by bringing Cummins a world record for pickups. Those years were a dark time at Cummins, the stock was down in the $26 range, but when we toured the Banks Sidewinder Dakota thru the Cummins facilities in Columbus there were smiles all around.
As regards GM, I get no money from GM on my D-Max projects but they did give me a deal on my LLY support truck. So as to those of you who claim that we do our thing with factory money, please tell me who to call to get reimbursed.
Also, for the last 5 years we have been marketing partners with Bosch and we help each other in our mutual effort to popularize Diesel in the United States. I figure that if we can help the OEM's sell new diesel vehicles then all of us in the aftermarket will have more engines to victimize and a greater market for all.
At the end of the day, I'm a gearhead and hot rodding is my hobby. I do the business part of my day so I can earn enough to experiment in the shop. I love the shop, the engine room, the flow benches, the dyno rooms and the race track. I'm surrounded by a group of employee/friends who are living my dreams and I'm living theirs. We do the things we do together and they make me look like way more than I actually am. Some have been with me 30 years, the ones with more seniority have retired.
These are good guys and when you do not understand what we are doing some of you attack. Frankly, I don't get it, but when you attack my company in the future, do it in my name. These guys don't need their success diminished by the Banks haters.
As to the fellow, Greg Hogue, who was to be our driver on the drag race S-10. When he recently spent a few days with our team of volunteers great conflict resulted. So his driving this project is a non starter. Some of you have commented that he has been hard on Banks competitors in many of his posts. Thank you for pointing that out, it is not my style and I hope it's over. He is not going to run my truck and I trust he will stop running his mouth in such a harmful manner.
Greg Hogue is the main reason that we got the S-10 running, he bugged us all and it worked. I have him to thank for that and wish the chemistry had been better with my guys, but it was not to be. Please understand that he is not an employee of Banks and never has been. He is not our spokesman and posts his own stuff.
As I write this the guys and our racer are in the tech line at the Las Vegas NHRA meet. I've been successful in getting NHRA to accept turbo diesels running nitrous. I asked this such that NHRA would allow serious diesel competition at their meets. The deal with nitrous is smoke prevention. There are NHRA tracks running across the country every weekend. We need their acceptance to grow diesel drag racing beyond the cult status it currently seems to be stuck in.
Running smoke free is the only way in to NHRA meets. There are a lot of bandits out there who think smoke is macho, I'm not one of them. Smoke is the result of incomplete combustion. I prefer to burn the fuel in the engine. Smoke is power you can't read on the dyno or feel in the seat of your pants, period. And the EPA is watching the street smoke boys. Thanks to that, as a board member of SEMA I with others will be dealing with EPA at the upcoming SEMA show trying to protect the very guys who build and sell such products. Products who's smoke production will blot out the Sun.
Smoke is defended in some of the posts with a "stick it where the sun don’t shine if you don't like it" attitude. As to those guys, I guess that would be where ever they happen to be.
I think diesel can "Kick Gas" and the way to prove that is to race the gas burners where they are. We've done it at Bonneville and Baja, We're faster at Willow Springs and Thunder Hill and our new gearbox is looking tough. And, with what we've got going in NHRA, you can run classes as quick as 6. 50 seconds west of the Rockies and in 3 classes east of the Rockies. Our effort at Las Vegas marks the beginning of actual, non exhibition, serious NHRA diesel competition. That's where you will find us. We will be happy to see those of you that drag race, step up and compete, let's show the world what we've got.
As to the parts and engines we are developing; for Cummins we have just finished our high pressure testing on our Big Hoss intake manifold. It allows porting, mounts all stock components, has a 4" inlet, fits under the hood and is streetable and available. We are working on a stand alone racing ECU for common rail and have run a prototype successfully. Internal engine parts will follow.
For Duramax; Our Big Hoss manifold set is available, our 1800 lb-ft Banks Billet Allison torque converter and billet flex plate will be introduced at SEMA and available soon, many internal engine parts will follow. Also we currently have approximately 40 Duramax engines in stock for immediate shipment. These are complete "engines as shipped to the assembly line. " Our racing ECU will be available soon as well as a proper wire loom.
I look forward to seeing you at the races or welcome you to visit us in Azusa,
Gale Banks
Visit us on the web: www.bankspower.com"
Attention: TDR Forum Junkies 
Mine's not a record breaker by any means, but she works all week and tows every weekend. 
, But, you better have a boat load of money to do the research and development (also the brains and imagination). Nothing in life is for free. It is just a lot of hard work... 
