Frequent Flyer – This 8-Second GT-R Has Traveled Through Three Countries to Be a Competitor at Numerous Events, Including Rocky Mountain Race Week
Whether through movies and tv, games or just because of the overall product, there are certain cars and trucks that become icons in the industry.
The Nissan Skyline is one that has gained favor with several factions, from gamers to drifting enthusiasts and even collectors. But another Nissan is on that list as well; the GT-R.
For Trevor and Erin Branden, this 2010 GT-R has become a jack of all trades. After owning over a dozen of the Nissan Skyline models (including one that he built for the SEMA show), Trevor made the move to this GT-R in 2011, and it’s been a storied history since then.
“My dad got me into cars at a very young age, and I started drag racing in the mid-late 1990’s,” said Trevor. “I raced at a local track, and I got my wife racing in the early 2000’s. From there we had a family and slowed down our racing. But we’ve got back into rallying / racing, plus drag racing once I got the GT-R”.
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The early years of owning the GT-R had the Branden’s attended such events as TK2K, Bull run Canada and the Dust ball Rally. “In 2016, we drove the car from Northern Alberta in the winter all the way to Houston,” said Trevor.
They ended up racing on the winter tires, as the tires waiting for them could not be used because the rims were the wrong offset. “Then we drove home in 36 hours in a blizzard,” said Trevor.
Even though the GT-R in stock form is impressive, the Branden’s decided to step up the performance factor. Originally sporting a 3.8-liter stock block and stock crankshaft engine making 1400 horsepower, the current bullet is based around a T1 Stage 6 4.1-liter stroker engine.
Wearing an ETS 1700 pro series turbo kit with Garrett turbochargers and an ETS Race intercooler, the combo has been dyno-tuned to 1660 wheel-horsepower, with more room to turn it up. A Motec standalone ECU engine management system controls it all, and a Sheps Stage 6 transmission accepts the job of passing the power to all four wheels.
Since moving to drag-and-drive style events, Trevor has become a regular at Rocky Mountain Race Week gatherings, attending a half-dozen events and finishing second two times.
His most recent outing at the 2023 summer event had the GT-R in the top two in the Limited Street class, before a 12-second pass at Pueblo knocked the Nissan down to the fifth-finishing spot.
“My wife has attended 90-percent of all of our trips / racing / adventures,” said Trevor. But he’s had a few different people in the passenger seat for Rocky Mountain Race Week. “Amadeo Jamarillo has attended the last few events as my co-pilot,” said Trevor.
“He is from Texas, and we met through mutual friends that we had met through rallying. He has a mechanical aptitude, and a background in imports which has helped immensely. He also is an avid photographer, which he does as a hobby. But he also has the unique ability to be able to fall asleep in a racing seat in our loud GT-R,” he laughed.
Despite the setback at Rocky Mountain Race Week 1.0, Trevor plans to return for the fall event. “My goal for 2023 is to get my first 7-second pass at Bandimere before it shuts down,” he said, and his 2024 plans include attending Sick Week, as well as another appearance at both Rocky Mountain Race Week 1.0 and 2.0.
Written by Derek Putnam. Photos courtesy of Trevor and Erin Branden, and 1320 Video.
If you have thoughts / feedback / ideas, please e-mail us at derek@sickthemagazine.com