C-TECH PERFORMANCE sponsored with CNC Porting a Cummins Diesel 12 Valve Head

Last November, the Boise State University student team called Greenspeed broke the land speed record for a truck (in its class) that uses vegetable oil with a run of 155 miles per hour. Now, they’re confidently ready to go after the faster, dirtier, petroleum-powered trucks.

To get that record, the modified 1998 Chevrolet S-10 pick-up truck – which has a dual-fuel powertrain that burns both regular diesel to start and then straight vegetable oil – will need to go faster than 215 miles per hour. The Greenspeed team announced its intent at the Washington Auto Show last week and hopes to set the new record during Speedweek at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah this August.

Even though the team of students is filled with confidence, the truck has not exactly been put through the on-road ringer. Thus far, it’s only driven about 4.5 miles burning SVO, since it only does so on the test track. The 155-mph record was set on a 1.3-mile dry lakebed called El Mirage in the Mojave Desert at a Southern California Timing Association race. That short distance is also why the team is confident it can hit 215 mph. At Bonneville, the 780 horsepower powertrain will have three miles to really get going.