Speed School Podcast with Gale Banks

Speed School Podcast with Gale Banks

Gale Banks, the Godfather of turbocharging, shares over 65 years of automotive engineering know-how in this educational and entertaining audio series. From gearing for top speed to calculating Manifold Air Density, every automotive enthusiast stands to learn a thing or two from this land speed record-holding legend. Join Gale for exclusive interviews, frank talk, myth-busting, history lessons, and step-by-step how-tos.

Episodes

November 9, 2022 61 mins

Gale Banks wraps up his multi-part interview with Walt Ware, former President of Garrett AiResearch by revealing their biggest achievements. Did you know Walt was responsible for turbos in all Ford 7.3L Power Strokes? He was also responsible for creating the world's first robotic turbocharger assembly plant. The two also discuss how and why Banks transitioned from gas diesel to diesel performance in the early 80s. Banks Sidewinder ...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

Gale Banks is joined again by Walt Ware, former President of Garrett Air Research, a powerhouse in the turbo business. Walt details his journey from fixing Caterpillar's turbo supply chain to repairing Garrett's UK manufacturing arm. Not even a union strike could stop this determined engineer.

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

Walt Ware, former president of Garrett AiResearch, discusses the turbocharger's history in aerospace and how they eventually ended up in cars. 

00:00 Intro
02:40 Garrett's origin
09:25 Turbocharger origen
13:20 Triple spool jet engine
19:20 Operation Paperclip
27:05 Turbos compensate for altitude
36:10 Cafe standards force use of turbos
39:25 Detonation and O2 sensors
01:11:18 Banks and Garrett turbo marine projects
01:21:44 Turbo ...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

Walt Ware, former president of Garrett AiResearch, discusses the history of automotive turbocharging and how Garrett was forced into the turbo business. Walt also tells fascinating stories about working on the SR-71 Blackbird and F4 Phantom engines. Gale explains why people are blowing up Corvette C8s and reveals his next car purchase. 

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

Motor Trend's KJ Jones joins Gale Banks. KJ's fox body is one of the internet's most famous Mustangs. The former Mustang 5.0 editor and now Diesel Power Magazine content creator, recalls the challenges of transitioning from gas to diesel expert. Gale Banks speaks truth to power, previewing his upcoming diesel vs electric argument, and explores Toyota's groundbreaking diesel innovations. 

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

Matt Gamble, Banks Engine Program Manager, joins Gale Banks to discuss the company's forthcoming turn-key diesel engines. Gale recalls his first engine build, a 31 Ford Model A, explains his love affair with racing '53 Studebakers on dry lake beds, and answers your tech questions. 

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
Gale is joined by grandson Erik Reider, Banks' Special Projects Lead. Erik and Gale explain how measuring CFM on an industry-standard flow bench can be misleading. Measuring air mass flow is what the engine really cares about. And, Gale answers your questions.
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

Peter Treydte, Director of Emissions Compliance at SEMA, and former Banks employee explains EPA and CARB emissions testing and why it's so grueling. Gale discusses the past, present, and future of hybrid, hydrogen, diesel, gas, and electric vehicles. The two laugh about stories from Banks' early years. Gale answers your questions.

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

Gale is joined by Scott Birdsall, Pike's Peak record holder for the fastest diesel vehicle. He plans to return to Pike's Peak this June to beat his own record. But this time he won't be piloting his Cummins-powered 1949 Ford F1. He explains the new EcoDiesel-powered LeMans Prototype car and why Fast & Loud's Aaron Kaufman will take his seat in the Ford. 

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
Gale Banks is joined by Kevin Oeste, host of Bonneville Up to Speed Podcast, V8TV, and owner of V8 Speed & Resto. Oeste is also a former writer at Hot Rod Magazine and is currently the voice of the SEMA Show in Las Vegas. Everything he does is for the love of cars. The two discuss Banks' dry lake bed speed records as well as what it took to get there.
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

Gale Banks welcomes Kory Willis, owner of PPEI. The controversial Louisana-based tuner discusses his fight with the EPA, ownership of a Tesla Plaid, making sizeable horsepower gains on emissions-equipped vehicles, and valuable tips that he's learned from Gale. The two gearheads also discuss the future of automotive electrification including a story about Gale's adventure in Jay Leno's Tesla Model S Plaid.

Read more

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

Gale Banks welcomes Rick Young, Banks' 12th employee. Gale erupts in infectious laughter as Rick recalls hilarious antics during the company's early years. From racing exotics in Banks' 1,400 horsepower twin-turbo muscle cars to frightening customers in their own vehicles, Rick's epic tales have Gale falling off his chair. 

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
Gale Banks welcomes Csaba Csere, former technical director and editor-in-chief of Car and Driver. The two laugh about making history in a 700-hp, 200-mph street-legal Pontiac Trans Am. And, a hair-raising tale of a 170 mph test drive down a Southern California highway that almost cost their lives. Gale answers your questions.
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

Popular Podcasts

    If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

    Dateline NBC

    Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

    iHeartRadio 24/7 News: The Latest

    The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.

    Emergency Intercom

    Emergency Intercom is a comedy podcast by Enya Umanzor and Drew Phillips. There is no emergency, but there is an intense need for attention, so maybe listen up… You don’t want to know what happens if you don’t. (we will be violent)

    Crime Junkie

    Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by Audiochuck Media Company.

Advertise With Us
Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2026 iHeartMedia, Inc.

  • Help
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • AdChoicesAd Choices