This comes down to using the right engine for the job. A twin-turbo small-block can make serious power in a compact package, from about 600 horsepower on pump fuel and moderate boost to roughly 1100 horsepower with intercooling, more boost, and more octane. On the diesel side, the advantage is different: strong power under load, lower-rpm operation, and the kind of durability and fuel economy that matter in towing, endurance racing, and off-road use. That is why we put diesel platforms to work in drag racing, road racing, and Baja-style competition. Just as important, diesel performance does not have to mean black smoke. Proper tuning and system design can keep the power while cleaning up the image of diesel performance.
Peter from Banks Performance introduced a twin-turbo system built around the GM small-block 350. In its basic form, the package is capable of roughly 600 horsepower on standard-octane fuel with about 8 to 9 pounds of boost. He described it as a versatile system because the same foundation can support much higher output when additional supporting hardware and fuel quality are added.
According to Banks, the system can approach 1,100 horsepower when the combination includes intercooling, increased boost, and higher-octane fuel. The discussion framed the package not as a single fixed-power setup, but as a scalable turbo system for the small-block Chevy. The progression was straightforward: modest boost and pump fuel produce a strong streetable result, while intercooling and more aggressive tuning move the combination into far more extreme territory.
Although the twin-turbo small-block setup was described as somewhat traditional in layout, its fitment was said to be broad enough to work under the hood of older GM vehicles that used the small-block Chevy, including pickup trucks up to roughly the mid-1980s. Even so, Peter noted that the package was currently being used primarily in custom hot rod applications rather than as a mainstream truck retrofit.
The conversation then shifted to Banks' larger diesel-performance business. Peter explained that diesel is a major part of the company's market, covering Ford, Chevy, and Dodge diesel pickup trucks. Banks offers products for those platforms that can add as much as about 150 horsepower. He emphasized that the diesel customer base spans both practical towing users and competitive enthusiasts, including people racing diesel trucks, and said the company develops products intended to support that full range of use.
Beyond street and towing upgrades, Banks is also involved in more extreme diesel motorsports projects. Peter highlighted a diesel drag-race pickup built around the Duramax platform, with the stated goal of becoming the first diesel pickup truck to run in the seven-second range. He also mentioned that video of the truck could be found at the Nitrous Express booth at the event. The drag truck was presented as an ambitious development effort intended to push diesel performance into territory usually associated with gasoline race vehicles.
Banks is using the same Duramax platform in a road-race pickup truck as well. Peter said that truck had already been running competitively, and the team hoped to begin winning long-endurance events within the next few months. He connected that effort to the broader success diesel had already shown in road racing, citing Audi's achievements and explaining that Banks wanted American pickup-truck platforms to gain recognition in the same arena.
The company was also pursuing off-road diesel development. Peter referenced work with Donahoe Racing on a Ford Super Duty and noted that Gale Banks had driven that truck in the Baja 1000 the previous year. He characterized the project as especially entertaining because the truck reportedly made more power than the suspension could effectively use, underscoring how serious the diesel performance program had become.
Peter explained that diesel offers several meaningful advantages in racing and endurance applications. Fuel economy is one of the biggest, particularly in road-race and off-road conditions where range and fuel strategy matter. Durability is another major factor. At similar horsepower levels, he said a diesel can deliver greater durability than a gasoline engine because it typically operates at lower RPM and uses heavier, more robust components.
He also made it clear that Banks' interest was not only technical but strategic. The company wants diesel performance to gain broader recognition in the United States. In his view, diesel represents an excellent performance option that many automakers had not fully emphasized, even though direct-injection diesel technology was beginning to gain momentum and public acceptance.
A significant part of the discussion focused on how much diesel technology has changed. Peter argued that modern diesels are no longer defined by the old stereotypes of excessive noise, odor, and visible soot. They are quieter than earlier generations, less smelly, and increasingly clean. He acknowledged diesel's negative legacy, especially the association with black smoke, but said Banks deliberately works against that image.
He pointed out that Banks race vehicles are tuned so they do not trail black smoke. That approach is part of a broader effort to present diesel as a clean and credible performance technology. In his view, improving diesel's image is essential if it is to be recognized not just as a work fuel, but as an environmentally responsible option when properly engineered and calibrated.
Peter concluded by arguing that diesel has real environmental potential when treated properly. He said diesel fuel can burn cleaner than gasoline in the right application, and he emphasized another important advantage: diesel engines can operate on fuel derived from biological sources. He specifically mentioned vegetable oil and soybean-based fuels as examples, noting that these create opportunities to produce fuel domestically.
That flexibility, combined with diesel's efficiency, durability, and performance capability, was presented as a major reason Banks continues to invest in diesel development across drag racing, road racing, off-road competition, towing, and street performance. The overall message was that diesel should be viewed not as a niche curiosity, but as a serious and expanding performance platform with both competitive and practical advantages.