TRUCK FEST 2013

Diesels On The Mountain

When August rolls around in the Colorado Rockies, you can count on diesel trucks converging on Bandimere Speedway just outside of Denver for Truck Fest. Formerly ATS Diesels on the Mountain, this year’s diesel day was sponsored by Merritt Equipment and local diesel shop Five R Trucks and it featured a full day of action with everything from diesel drags to a rock crawl competition, show and shine and huge vendor midway. The day before, ATS Diesel Performance, which is just up the road from Bandimere in Arvada, Colorado, had an open house and dyno day at their facility. 

Truck Fest featured six drag racing classes from the big rigs, which sidled their way down the strip as one would expect any multi-ton vehicle built for hauling to do, to the blistering passes of the 150-mph trucks in the Pro Diesel class. This class is essentially an unlimited class although no tube chassis are allowed. Topping the class was a regular on the diesel circuit, Dimitri Millard’s 1,460-hp 2001 Chevy Silverado which ran in the high nines, winning his class with a 9.862 @ 149.43 to Texan Tyler Montgomery’s 10.071 @ 139.16. “That was the most fun I’ve ever had being beaten,” said Montgomery as the men collected their trophies.

Unfortunately for the rest of the fields, Mother Nature would not allow their respective title bouts to take place. Just as the sun was setting and the lights came on in the famous drag strip built into the side of the mountain, the skies opened up and a watery deluge sent the majority of competitors packing. The scant few who remained through the downpour got to see a few heated bouts on the strip before the venue shut down, but those who attended during the day, an estimated 8,000 had their fare share of diesels, shiny show trucks and various vendors such as ATS, the aforementioned Five-R and Mile High Motorsports, and the usual array of county fair food vendors.

Off-road types got their fill of the rock crawling in the parking lot below sponsored by 4 Wheel parts, while ATVs even had their own chance to duel on the quarter-mile as did the rest of the classes, such as Pro Diesel, Diesel Pickup, 2WD Street Eliminator/4×4 Street Eliminator as well as the aforementioned Pro Truck Eliminator and Big Rig. Fred Butler of Morrison, Colorado, took the trophy in the latter class with a time of 16.07.

For more information on the upcoming 2014 event, check out the schedule on Bandimere Speedway’s official website, www.bandimere.com. DW

Sponsors:

ATS Diesel Performance
Merritt Equipment
Five R Trucks
4 Wheel Parts
Rocky Mountain Mobile Trucks
Colorado Motor Carriers Association
Douglas County Diesel