Dodge Ram Race Truck Runs 9s in England: Track Time Tuesday

Old school Dodge Ram is a gorgeous representation of the classic American race truck.

There aren’t many old school Dodge Ram pickups in England and there are even fewer which have been built to cover the quarter mile in the 9-second range. However, this week’s Track Time Tuesday video comes to us from Santa Pod Raceway in England via the Caballo Diablo Drag Racing YouTube channel, and it has got to be one of the coolest classic Mopar race trucks outside of North America.

European Drag Racing

There are very few details included with this video of an older Dodge Ram tearing down the drag strip, but we know that the footage was captured at Santa Pod during an FIA European Drag Racing Championship event. Based on what we can see of the track, we would guess that this is a qualifying pass or a basic test run while there is some clean-up work going on in the right lane.

As a result there is no opponent for this Ram to race against, but in a country where big trucks are rare and big, fast trucks are practically unheard of, we imagine that this classic Dodge turned quite a few heads.

Early Dodge Ram Details

Sadly, the video doesn’t provide any details on this Dodge Ram race truck beyond the fact that it is running in the FIA Super Comp class of their drag racing championship. However, in searching around online, we found out some of the basic key details of this slick classic race truck.

This old school Dodge Ram is driven by Markus Ochsner of Arlesheim, Switzerland. We don’t know the year of the vehicle, but we know that it was S&W Race Cars with a 572-cubic inch Dart V8 topped with Dart heads. Power is sent to the rear wheels by means of a PowerGlide transmission and, as you can see, this Dodge Ram has a huge set of racing slicks out back.

As for the body, the basic lines of the early Dodge Ram D150 have been retained. A pro stock-style hood scoop has been added, along with a prominent rear spoiler system with channels running along the tonneau cover. There is also a parachute and a roll cage extending from the rear of the cab, but other than those basic upgrades, this truck looks like a proper Ram D-150 from the 1970s or early 1980s.

Of course, it runs a whole lot better than any stock Ram D-150 from that era, or any other era.

Truckin’ Down the Track

The video above begins with this classic Dodge Ram doing a bit, smoky burnout in preparation for the run. Once the tires are good and hot, Ochsner inches to the starting line, brings up the engine speed and waits for the green lights to drop. On green, the big truck comes tearing away from the line, nearly lifting the front tires off of the ground.

The old Dodge makes good progress down the track, stopping the times with what appears to be a 9.102 at 142.46 miles per hour. The German flag in front of the timing board makes it impossible to see the second number, but with how little is covered, we believe that it is a “1”. In any case, this old Ram D-150 is one insanely quick race truck, representing the Mopar Performance world in England.

Crank up your speakers and enjoy!

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Patrick Rall

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

Rall can be contacted at QuickMirada@Yahoo.com

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