Fast Trucks Freightliner Big Rig Race Truck at 2011 SEMA Show
- 23 Feb 2012
His specialty is big trucks. Some People may have seen some of his stunts in such movies as; Fast Five or maybe even Training Day. There is no lack of wreckage in these great action packed films. One of the most memorable chase scenes, for me, involves two hopped up Dodge Chargers, a massive safe, and some excellent stunt driving. I am referring to the scene where the Fast and Furious team robs a bank in an attempt to drag the vault filled with money through the city to a safe place. In reality, during part of this scene the safe was actually towed with a big rig truck. Mike Ryan drove the truck while camera magic is used to cut out the big rig. This scene may by absurd but, will most certainly be remembered. Mike not only coordinates stunts, he also dedicates much of his time to his Freightliner race truck. When asked to describe the modifications done to the vehicle; he said it, "Is completely hand build from the ground up like a sprint car is." Aluminum frames rails were used to offer strength and keep the overall weight at a minimum. Most of the truck was put together at the Freightliner facility in Portland while the compound turbo engine was manufactured in Detroit. Mike claims, "The engine is just shy of 2000 horsepower." A truck this size definitely requires loads of horsepower.
One might be curious as to what the truck is used for. Why simply put, racing! The blue and orange gulf painted Freightliner has participated in a variety of races from hills climbs to land speed trials. Mike has taken this truck up to the top of Pike's Peak and even reached a max speed of 225.675 miles per hour at Bonneville. This upcoming year will be busy as ever for Mike's big rig race truck with events like Mid America Truck Show, Formula Drift, their 14th Pikes Peak, another year of SEMA and many more. At these events spectators will be able experience this amazing machine. One item in particular that one may see is the massive K&N air filter fastened to the motor right behind the cab of the truck. All of the air required to feed the powerful engine is filtered through the K&N high flow material. I asked Mike what he thought about K&N air filters and he claimed, "It's a tremendous product; there is no arguing that. I have not had a valve cover off in 5 years." This just proves that the K&N air filter offers excellent protection for the most extreme applications. Find K&N products for your vehicle using the K&N application search then use the K&N dealer search to find a K&N dealer in your part of the world. |
