I've always loved that Army tag line. It's powerful, to the point, and reminds me that no matter how hard I'm working on something, there's always someone else out there who's willing to take it up a notch. Think about it. Right now, as you read this, somebody, somewhere, is working to make their diesel better. It doesn't matter what time zone you're in, what day it is, or what the weather is like outside. Rest assured, they're out there. And they're working hard
My job is to search these people out. I spend a lot of time (some may say too much time) at the shops, the drag strips, the dynos, and the engineering facilities these people work at from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. I've sat in on hundreds of meetings, met thousands of people, and worked with scores of products that many of you have plugged in or bolted on to your diesel. Over the last five years or so I've also come to realize that some of the best products, practices, and procedures done out there don't always happen during regular business hours.
The type of work I'm talking about can only be done by the true enthusiast. Those of you reading this know who you are. You're the individuals who don't live and die by the bottom line, the status quo, or buy into the marketing hype. The true enthusiast doesn't stop because it's quitting time, or because it's a holiday, or because the boss said they can take the rest of the day off. A true enthusiast can't do that. A true enthusiast does what he or she does because that's who they are. And I am happy to report that enthusiasts have infiltrated the ranks of most of the aftermarket, car manufacturers, and motorsports out there. Sometimes, if we're really lucky, they're the ones that run the show.
Now, I'm not writing this to make you feel lazy or to encourage people to become workaholics. I'm just trying to make the point that these are the types of people you want to buy products from, or, as in my case, have working for you.
Again, I know this all from experience. Over the next few months you'll notice some new names have come onboard to bring you these pages you hold in your hand. To get me over the hump with this month's issue, I have brought in Feature Editor Trevor Reed to share his wit and insight with the Diesel Power readers. Trevor has already come through in the clutch to help me with the first ever Diesel Power Challenge, which you will be reading about next month. On top of that, he wrote more pages in this issue than I could ever have asked him to in good conscience. I'll be sure to compensate him with an additional $1.50/year salary increase. Thanks, Trevor!
Speaking of the Diesel Power Challenge...we had an amazing inaugural event. I'm blown away at how advanced diesel performance has gotten already. I don't want to ruin the surprise for anyone that hasn't read the rumors floating around on the Internet yet. But suffice it to say, not one of the trucks made less than 1,000 lb-ft of torque at the rear wheels. And the highest horsepower number (721 hp!) was recorded by the same truck that came in second in the fuel economy test. Truly impressive stuff! If you live east of the Rockies and are interested in proving what you and your diesel-powered truck can do, we're going to hold another Diesel Power Challenge event at the end of September. I've already got over 100 entries sitting on my desk that we'll pick 10 competitors from.
For our West Coast event, none of the competitors had more than two weeks' notice that they were invited to compete. So, don't be expecting much of a warning if you already submitted an entry for the DPC and we tap you to be part of it. Hey, fair is fair. How strong is your army? -David Kennedydavid.kennedy@primedia.com