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It’s been very busy for Derek Rose as of late. With the Ultimate Callout Challenge [2] on the horizon, the Florida resident and diesel drag racer is double-timing his efforts to get his 2006 Dodge Ram 2500 ready for race day.
Still, the man has to move forward and ensure that his Cummins makes it in time for Ultimate Callout Challenge. He has been running back and forth these past few days, but was able to sit down for a few minutes to talk with us about how he got started racing, his BD Diesel [3] sponsorship, and what he hopes to achieve at the Ultimate Callout Challenge.
[4]Derek’s best pass was 9.21 seconds at 153 mph. He hopes to beat that at this year’s UCC by running consistently in the 8.70-8.80 range.
“I started getting into drag racing after I quit racing motocross,” said Derek. “I needed something else to occupy my time. It was back in 2006, and the diesel scene was exploding. My brother and I bought Dodges and had fun with them.”
However, it wasn’t until 2011 that Derek made the jump into racing diesels. “I would race the daily driver, which was making about 870 horsepower,” he said. “I decided it wasn’t cutting it anymore, so I decided to buy a truck with the intention of making it a dedicated race truck. The one I bought was a wrecked 2006 Cummins regular cab, straight out of a salvage auction.”
Over the next eight months, Derek worked to straighten out the frame, get new axles, a new body, and other essentials. “It’s gotten something new every year,” he commented.
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BD Diesel came into the picture from Derek’s use of their products in other builds. “I worked with Brian Roth at BD, and through a lot of trial and error, we made it to the top,” said Derek. “We worked with the company’s engineers and raised the bar on what their products could provide.”
Currently, the truck uses BD Diesel’s Trackmaster transmission, 12mm CP3 injection pumps, a transmission cooler, staging limiter, and steering components. “They’ve always treated me right,” said Derek. “And I like that they have a willingness to push the diesel scene to the next level. They’ve put a lot of time, money, and resources into improving diesel performance.”
While Derek hopes this year will be a landmark one for his racing efforts, the stress is palpable. “We really want to get the truck ready in time,” he added. “We have a new billet block and billet head, and we have a lot of one-off parts that nobody’s ever run before. Just to give you an idea of the work put in, we have been building the engine since August. There are a lot of loose ends we’re trying to wrap up.”
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However, if all goes well, Derek expects he’ll make consistent passes in the 8.70-.80 second range, and the team will be pleased if they make it to the podium. “If the truck gets done and does what it’s supposed to, I believe it will arrive in the top three,” he commented.
We wish Derek and his team the best of luck at Ultimate Callout Challenge. And if you’re looking to see how you can modify your truck for the next level, check out BD Diesel’s website [8] and Facebook page [9].