Pete Albano's passion for off-roading started when he was a kid, spending countless weekends modifying his remote-controlled cars at the local RC raceway. His father took notice and quickly had young Pete turning wrenches with him side by side in the family garage. As the years went by, Pete hooked up with Peter Kay and Todd Wittman and assisted them with pit support for their Superlite Series race car, which was a fan favorite in the short-course races at Glen Helen Raceway. This was his first real introduction into the world of dirt and he was hooked. He quickly packed up his bags and moved to Phoenix, Arizona, where he could help Todd with his racing career for a couple of years and soak up as much experience and knowledge of fabrication as possible.
It just so happened that Todd was very close friends with Rick and Jeff Geiser of Geiser Brothers Racing, a pair known for turning out some of the top Trophy Trucks and capturing titles in the likes of the Baja 1000. The brothers had been lending Todd a hand at building his race cars. Pete knew it was the opportunity he was looking for. He was now spending time learning from some of the best in the business, which would help his design, geometry, fabrication, and shock-technology education grow by leaps and bounds.
Spending time surrounded by numerous race cars, Pete quickly found a love for modifying shocks. His experience inside a race shock was very confusing and frustrating at first, but patience and persistence paid off when people started asking him for his advice. He soon realized that making a car go fast meant a lot more than a high horsepower number and a lead foot. Pete became fascinated with the infinite adjustability of shocks and the ability to make such a drastic difference in a car's capability by making the proper adjustments.
Today, Pete is the owner of Precision Shockworks based in Upland, California. He has worked on numerous race cars since his Superlite days and is very well known within the local desert racing scene as being the guy to call when your truck isn't taking that whoop section just right. Recently, he completed building his '89 Ford Ranger 4x4 into a prerunner we knew our readers would appreciate
Editor's Note
I couldn't complete this article without letting our readers know just how great this truck is in the dirt. We headed out to El Mirage, California, for the photo shoot and had a blast. Pete was very familiar with this area, so he was able to open up the truck and really show off for us. After buckling up my harness and securing my helmet he took me on a ride I will never forget. This is the best leaf-sprung truck I have ridden in to date. In fact, I could argue it even soaked up whoops better than a few four-link trucks I have had the pleasure of riding in. Pete really knows how to tune a truck.
Pete would like to thank his father Joe and brother Tony, as well as his friends, for helping him complete his truck. Without their help, this would have never been possible. For the machined parts he couldn't fabricate himself, Pete turned to Jorge Zapata of Zapco Engineering.