Playing with Power: Adrenaline Performance Challenge 2014 -

Playing with Power: Adrenaline Performance Challenge 2014

For the third year in a row, Adrenaline Performance of Shelley, Idaho, put on their Adrenaline Challenge. This dyno event and gathering was put together to give customers and spectators a place to prove their truck’s true potential on the PowerLabs Superflow chassis dyno.

This Adrenaline Challenge event is also a testament to the determination of Adrenaline Performance owner Cam Hulse. For most of his life, Hulse turned wrenches for other shops. In 2008, however, he decided to break out on his own and open Adrenaline Performance. The goals was simple: offer superior customer service and nothing but the best products to the local market. In the following years, the shop has grown into a very reputable and successful business for not only locals, but also for customers from all over the nation. For the past three years, Hulse has joined forces with Jeremy Bird, the owner of PowerLabs Dyno & Tuning, who specializes in the gasser side, to create what attendees say is one of the best dyno events in Idaho.

The competition started bright and early Saturday morning, with just about anything with wheels and an engine allowed to compete. The classes were broken down into Stock Diesel, Single Turbo, Twin Turbo, Pure Adrenaline, Muscle Car, Muscle Car Power Adder, Tuner Car, Tuner Car Power Adder, Gas Truck, Ladies, and 18 & Under. While that many classes may seem like a lot, Adrenaline Performance thinks it helps level the playing field and gives everyone a better chance at winning.

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Chris Rosscup of Coeur D’Alene, Idaho, made the eight-hour trip down for the event in his 2002 LB7 Chevrolet Duramax and didn’t disappoint. As the lead fabricator at Deviant Race Parts, the turbo-piping masterpiece under the hood was enough to crack the 1,000-hp mark and land him a solid fourth place finish in the Twin Turbo class.

Every entrant was given a nice little swag pack with apparel, coupons and decals from event sponsors. An ongoing raffle gave spectators more reason to stay for the day as they could win too. Due to the elevation, the Superflow dyno was run with a correction factor. This helped to give the competitors more realistic numbers. Those used to seeing sea level power numbers felt right at home and the thin air folks saw larger numbers than typical without a comp factor.

In the Stock Diesel class, modifications were unlimited, as long as the stock-appearing turbocharger could still be found under the hood. As we typically see at dyno competitions all over the country, the Stock Diesel class was once again dominated by 6.4L Power Stroke trucks. Jacob Versey’s 2008 Ford put down 739 hp. In a distant second, Tyrell Johnson’s 2006 LBZ-equipped GM turned in 651 hp, definitely not a number to be ashamed of. While not a diesel, there was a pretty nasty Dodge SRT10 truck outfitted with the big V-10 Viper motor that cracked out more than 900 hp to the wheels.

The Single Turbo class had 12 total entries with numbers running everywhere from 363 hp to the winning 788-hp run by Jake Johnson’s LB7 Duramax. The Alligator Performance Duramax brought home second place in the Single Turbo class with a 727-hp run on an all-stock motor. It was sporting only fueling and air upgrades.

Spectators got a great view of the dyno room with an overhead monitor broadcasting live data of each run… that is, if you could see through the smoke emitted by the single and dual stacks.

Diamond Eye Performance was on site showcasing their full diesel exhaust product line and showing off their massive 6.7L Power Stroke. Adrenaline Performance had multiple vendors on site to help support the event along with offering up swag packs and gear to be raffled off throughout the day.

It’s become quite common in the Rocky Mountain region to find bolt-on compound kits under the hood of an average daily driver, since this is usually the best route at making big power without losing low-end response. Because of this, the Twin Turbo class at the Adrenaline Challenge is always a competitive one and 2014’s event didn’t disappoint. With just 1.1 hp separating first and second place, the LBZ Duramax race truck from Alligator Performance barely edged out Custom Auto’s Duramax with a run of 1,336.6 hp, all on diesel fuel only, of course. We’re sure dyno operator Jeremy Bird’s ears are still ringing from the sound of those big-ball-bearing Garrett turbos singing at full boost. At a little more manageable power level, Verlon Southwick’s Duramax landed in third with 1,180 hp on tap.

Only the biggest and baddest trucks come out to play in the Pure Adrenaline class. This is the true “run what ya brung” class, and you had better hope your nitrous bottle is big enough. This class keeps the crowd on their toes in hopes of seeing something awesome, whether it be pure carnage or monster horsepower numbers. The 2008 Ford Power Stroke owned by John Walker put down a little better than 1,000 hp, but still came up more than 500 hp shy of first place. Custom Auto of nearby Idaho Falls, Idaho, had just snagged second place in the fuel-only Twin Turbo class at 1,335 hp. However, they were ready to spray their way to the moon in this class. As the regular cab short bed filled the dyno bay with enough smoke to black out the sun in spooling their large twins, driver Shiloh Ellingford hit the nitrous switch and peaked out a run of 1,552 hp to take home bragging rights on the day.

Has there ever been a more fitting sticker to represent the older mechanical 12-valve Cummins? With today’s latest common rail technology, it seems the old P-pump Cummins is getting more and more scarce, but it’s nowhere near forgotten and still proves to be a top contender in the horsepower war. Check out that custom dual-stack setup!

Alligator Performance has quickly become a household name and driving force in the performance diesel market. As true enthusiasts, their shop race truck, a 2006 Chevrolet LBZ Duramax, made the 500-mile drive for the event to bring home winning prize money in the Twin Turbo class with a monstrous 1,336-hp run.

THE MEN BEHIND THE EVENT

Adrenaline Performance owner Cam Hulse is a engine and transmission specialist, and his knowledge of Cummins, Duramax and Power Stroke diesels has made this shop very successful. The crew at Adrenaline Performance can perform just about any diesel-related task from basic repair to full competition transmission and engine builds that support 1,200+ horsepower. Within the Adrenaline Performance shop, you’ll also find Jeremy Bird, the owner of PowerLabs Dyno & Tuning. Bird specializes in gas tuning for both the American muscle and tuner car market. Bird’s years of dyno and tuning experience make the Adrenaline/PowerLabs combo a nasty one-two knockout punch when it comes to anything performance automotive related. For three years now, the two businesses have been joining forces to put on one of the best dyno events in the Rocky Mountain region.

The Adrenaline Performance and PowerLabs crew said that the 2014 Adrenaline Challenge was the best one yet with almost 70 vehicles running across the dyno rollers. Terra Hulse of Adrenaline Performance thanks the event sponsors as well as the many competitors and spectators who travelled so far to support the event. She and Cam hope for an even better gathering on the next go-round. DW