06/02/2026
We've covered all sorts of sleds and builds for our weekly Featured Sleds here at Super Sled Online, and this week we're bringing you one of the newest, and most trick, Outlaw drag sleds built to date. Super Sled Nation, meet The Money Train!
The Money Train is the newest creation to come out of Dennis Mott's shop, Mott Motorsports LLC located in Harrison, Michigan. The sled is actually owned by Ron Smith, better known as "Big R", out of Niles, MI.
The Mott-Smith (or Smith-Mott, if you prefer) juggernaut is well known to regular supporters of Super Sled, as we've had Dennis Mott on our webcast shows, along with ace pilot Jeff Kerridge. This combination of Smith's sponsorship and logistics support, Mott's tuning and fabrication skills, and Jeff Kerridge's complete focus and lack of fear behind the bars, has been the benchmark in Outlaw Asphalt Snowmbile for close to a decade. The Money Train is the latest sled to roll out of their trailer, and by all accounts should be the fastest of the bunch.
Believe it or not, this completey insane build started life as a stock Yamaha Apex, which has of course been extermely modified to survive the power and speeds required of a competitive Outlaw drag sled. We're talking the potential of having our 750 HP availabe at the squeeze of a thumb, although Mott says that their expecations are to use around 650 HP. With that sort of power on tap, Mott's anticipating 1/8 mile times to be in the 4.50 second range, at over 155 MPH. Not bad for a stock Apex-based build, eh?
As you go through the pictorial here, take some time to really look over all of the trick parts and pieces in this build. The sled is built very stout, and will weigh in race ready at right around the 600 lb mark. The Money Train isn't a flyweight, but she's tough. Just take a look at all of the fabrication work that's involved in keeping the sled running straight, safe, and true. Mott estimates over 400 man-hours went into the build! Think about that for a minute. 400 hours. Or ten weeks of "normal" work time. Dennis wouldn't share any dollar figures with us, but if you add in the parts and pieces along with the 400+ build-hours, costs can add up in a big hurry!
The motor itself is a Mott Motorsports piece, built off of a Yamaha 4 cylinder block. The engine has been taken out to 1,125 cc's, and is forced fed fresh air and VP Import Fuel through a Precision 62 MM rear-mount turbo, liquid-filled charge tube (very trick!), Precision intercooler, and a custom set of modified watercraft throttle bodies. The exhaust gases pass through a custom fabricated header on the way back to the turbo.
All of that pressurized air and fuel is lit up by NGK plugs, with the "snap" coming from a Big Stuff 3 igntion system, which also serves as the data logger on the sled. We tried to get some more info from Mr. Mott on those trick throttle bodies and injectors, but all he would tell us is that they were currently running 4 injectors and had plans to go to 8 in the near future.
As any smart tuner and motor builder will do, Mott will share the basics on his sled and tune-up, but when it comes to the super-trick details, he gets vague in a hurry. We here at Super Sled respect that!
Any big-power four stroke turbo motor needs a fresh supply of clean oil to keep the bearings and other internal organs "happy". Mott prefers to use the Yama-Lube 10/40 semi-syn four stroke oil, four quarts at a time in the sleds dry-sump oiling system. One interesting tidbit he was willing to share, is that the way the VP Fuel burns, it tends to dilute the oil pretty quickly, which results in the 'Train getting an oil change after every race outing at the track.
The massive power and torque generated by the turbo Yami is handled by a one-off set of clutches from STM Powersports. A Carlisle belt transfers that twist from primary back to the converter.
Traction is provided by the usual Camoplast 10.5 asphalt track, which is wrapped around a Mott Motorsports built rear suspension using parts from both Pro Line, and Pro Stock Inc. Steerage is handled by ProLine asphalt skis.
With any new build, there are always bugs to be worked out of the sled, from one end to the other. The Mott-Smith crew did make the trek down to Georgia for some pre-season test-n-tune, and the Money Train is showing huge potential. Again, whether from modesty or with the intent to derail the competition, Mott was pretty tight lipped on pre-season performance numbers. We'll all learn what the sled can do at the first OSDRA race, this coming weekend at Milan Drag Strip.
If past performances from the team are any indication, once this 'Train gets on track, the money is gonna be rolling in!
Owner: Ron "Big R" Smith, Niles MI.
Crew Chief: Dennis Mott, Harrison, MI
Driver: Jeff Kerridge
Crew: Cheryl Cameron
Jon Gleason
Dan Gleason
Brad Walker
(and a host of family and friends!)
Sled: Yamaha Apex Outlaw
Engine: Mott Motorsports 1,125 cc Yamaha
Custom Watercraft Throttle Bodies
Turbo: Precision 62 mm, rear mount
EMS: Big Stuff 3
Fuel: VP Import
Plugs: NGK
Oil: Yama-Lube 10/40 semi-syn
Primary: STM Powersports
Converter: STM Powersports
Belt: Carlisle
Track: Camoplast 10.5
Skis: ProLine
Rear Suspension: Mott Motorsports Custom Piece, with ProLine and Pro Stock Inc components.
