Jane, Stop This Crazy Thing!
Good golly Miss Molly! I realized that I’ve been lax on getting my Blog entries in as of late, but I honestly didn’t think I was that overdue! Sorry guys and gals (Umm… and Gale especially!). I looked at the site the other morning and saw the date of my last Blog. Shameful… just plain shameful.
So what have I been doing all this time? What’s my excuse for being so tardy? Well, a bunch of stuff has been going on, and as always I’ve got my hands in every cookie jar. Things have been way too busy lately, which is both good and bad. See, aside from writing for the Blog (which we all know I haven’t done in way too long, so don’t bring that up), I work with the Race Shop, Engineering, Marketing, P.R. and just about any other departments that reside under our roof. Yep, I’m a John of all trades. And even if I’m not directly involved in what goes on in a day my name gets thrown into the mix. Sometimes it’s almost as if I can almost see that bus that’s coming to run me down far off in the distance. Anyhow, things have been wilder and busier than a high school party that’s thrown when the parents are gone. The only difference is that there’s a method to the madness… at least I’m hoping there is. Let’s take an account of what’s been brewing since my information blackout, shall we:
The Type-R was finally completed and ready to rumble… in theory that is. Seems that besides the fact the steering wasn’t up to the task (that’s gonna be a Blog on its own) there was still much to do. Then again, racing is an evolutionary process and every time you take out a car, especially one made from scratch with new technology, you learn something new. The great thing is that it just keeps getting better and better!
Lot’s of TV stuff went on. Had the crew from Xtreme 4X4 over for a whole week filming an episode about building a Duramax engine. I have to tell ya guys… Jessie is a hoot. Not only is she pretty hot, but she can kick your tail too! No wonder everyone’s got a crush on her. Both she and Ian are the real thing, not just bozos in front of a camera.
We also had Sam from Two Guys Garage come over to film an interview and walkthrough of the Banks campus with Gale. Keep your ears unplugged for this one as Gale spills the beans on some of the projects we’ve been working on. The guy just can’t keep a secret!
Our relationship with Bosch has grown quite a bit. Not only have we been working together on the race program, but we have actively been pushing the advantages of today’s diesel technology. Not only did we worked on the DCX Tech Fair I wrote about (when I was actively writing), but we assisted with a Cummins Tech Fair in Indiana (where Don Alexander and I gave a presentation on performance diesel and gave rides in our Ram All-Terrain) and a pretty big event at the Irwindale Speedway. That event at Irwindale featured a mix of 14 diesel cars and trucks available for the press to drive, our fleet of street and race vehicles on display, and staff of folks there to answer questions on what was what and why it was great. The staff included Banks personal (yours truly among the lot), Bosch reps (from the top on down), and GM and Chrysler guys. Check back soon for more info on that event.
* Now I don’t know if I’m supposed to tell you or not, but we’ve been working with GM on more than just the Duramax race program. We are considered now by GM as an official performance engine builder and have been awarded the exclusive rights to develop and sell the Duramax engine. That means the good ‘ol glory days of the Banks engine business are coming back as we’re making waves already with our upcoming marine version plans of the engine, as well as performance builds. The Duramax isn’t the only one we’re fooling with; we’re also working on the Ecotec family of engines. Both of these ventures will be written in future Blogs (I promise!).
Ok, there it is. I know I’ve forgotten a few things, but I’m sure they’ll bite me sooner or later. So, am I forgiven? I’ll do my best to keep you guys up to speed and do so without getting busted for letting too much out the door. Hang in there and stay tuned, because there’s a bunch of cool things happening at the “house of power” that’ll knock your socks off!