The problem at Pikes Peak is air density. Coming off the turns, the truck showed black smoke because the turbos alone were not getting enough dense air into the engine. Our answer was a supercharged-and-turbocharged diesel backed up by multiple Banks Straight-Shot water-methanol systems doing different jobs across the same vehicle. We inject a 50/50 methanol-water mix at the supercharger inlet to control temperature through the blower and into the turbocharger compressor while adding fuel energy. Then we use an Auto-Chiller to fog distilled water onto the intercooler face so evaporation pulls more heat out of the boost air than outside airflow alone. After that, intake-manifold injection adds another layer of cooling and power cylinder by cylinder. This same Straight-Shot hardware also cools the brakes by misting the rotor center and internal air channels while the truck is on the brakes. That matters because the truck needs acceleration, top-end power, and repeatable braking on the same run. With microprocessor control and Banks IQ in the cab, the whole package works as one system instead of a pile of separate parts.
The video opens by explaining the limitation seen in the previous run: there was not enough air density coming off the turns, and the visible black smoke showed that the turbos alone were not sufficient. To address that, the team developed a supercharged and turbocharged diesel engine combination. The core idea is to improve charge density throughout the system so the engine has more oxygen available when fuel is added.
Gale explains that both the supercharger and the turbocharger are density machines. Their job is to increase air density, measured as more pounds per cubic foot of air entering the engine. The intercooler at the nose of the vehicle contributes to the same goal by cooling the compressed air, which also increases density. In this setup, the induction system is not treated as a single device but as a chain of components, each intended to raise charge density and support more power.
To further increase performance, the engine adds fuel energy through a 50/50 methanol-and-water mixture injected into the inlet of the supercharger. This is done to control the temperature leaving the supercharger and entering the turbocharger compressor. Banks refers to this as its first Straight Shot injection system on the vehicle. In practical terms, the mixture helps manage compressor discharge temperature while also contributing to the overall power strategy.
After compression, the air travels to the intercooler in the nose of the vehicle. Under normal conditions, the intercooler is cooled only by outside air rushing through it, which removes heat from the boosted intake charge. On this truck, Banks adds what it calls an Auto Chiller to make the intercooler work harder than normal.
The Auto Chiller uses five nozzles and is based on the company's computer-controlled water-methanol Straight Shot system. In this application, however, the system is used to fog distilled water onto the face of the intercooler. As that water evaporates, it chills the intercooler surface and improves heat rejection from the intake charge. The result is denser air and, as described in the video, more power.
Once the air has been cooled and reaches the intake manifold, the system adds another layer of charge conditioning and fueling. The manifold carries six injectors, one for each intake port on the inline-six engine. This is presented as another stage in the overall multi-system approach.
Banks also references its Double Shot and Triple Shot configurations. The Triple Shot setup is described as using two pumps, six nozzles, and extensive computer control in the intake manifold. In this truck, the combined effect of the super-turbo arrangement, the water-methanol system at the blower inlet, the manifold injection, and the Auto Chiller at the intercooler is to increase vehicle speed by improving charge density and combustion support at multiple points in the intake path.
The discussion then shifts from power production to braking. Although the brakes had been upgraded for the current year, the truck had still experienced brake loss the previous year. That brake fade led to a spin, even though the driver still managed to break his own record.
To prevent a repeat, Banks adapted its Straight Shot system into a four-point brake-cooling system. Whenever the driver is on the brakes, the system mists fluid into the center of the rotor so it can move outward through the rotor's internal air channels and cool the brake assembly while braking is taking place. The goal is controlled temperature reduction rather than maximum cooling. The brakes are intended to run nominally around 1,100 degrees Fahrenheit, and the team does not want them much below that. At the same time, they want to avoid temperatures in the 1,500 to 1,600 degree Fahrenheit range, where braking performance and durability become more problematic.
A major theme of the build is that these are not isolated add-ons. The truck uses multiple Banks Straight Shot systems performing different jobs on the same vehicle: making power, chilling the intercooler, and cooling the brakes. All of these functions are automatic and run through a microprocessor-based control setup.
That automation is important because each subsystem has to respond to operating conditions without distracting the driver. Rather than relying on manual activation, the vehicle coordinates injection, cooling, and related functions through electronic control so the systems can support performance and reliability in real time.
The truck also carries a Banks iQ display and control interface. The screen shown in the video provides key information such as elevation and vehicle speed, data the driver had not previously had available in the truck. The plan goes beyond simple monitoring.
According to the explanation, this front-end interface will ultimately control everything happening in the vehicle in terms of engine management, injection-system management, boost control, and related functions. In other words, the Banks iQ is being integrated as the central operator interface for the truck's broader electronic control architecture.
Taken together, the vehicle's development centers on one engineering objective: increasing and managing air density while controlling temperature everywhere that matters. The supercharger and turbocharger raise density mechanically, the intercooler removes heat conventionally, the Auto Chiller improves intercooler effectiveness through evaporative cooling, and the water-methanol systems support both temperature control and added energy at different points in the intake path. At the same time, the same Straight Shot technology is repurposed to manage brake temperature during deceleration.
The result is a highly integrated diesel competition package in which induction, cooling, braking, and electronic control are all linked. The video presents the truck not as a collection of separate upgrades, but as a coordinated system designed to solve the specific problems seen in prior runs: insufficient air density off the turns, excess smoke, and brake overheating.