The first half of the 2015 Hot Rodders of Tomorrow Engine Challenge Dual Championship is complete. Twenty-two teams competed in the Engine Challenge, held at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas, Nevada. These teams – comprised solely of high school students – faced off against each other and the clock to complete performance engine rebuilds, and, for the first time, also took a 50 question written exam to further test their knowledge. Team ARP – Peach County High School from Fort Valley, GA. came in at an average time of just 17 minutes and 20 seconds to set the bar and take the top spot from the SEMA Dual Championship.
In order to determine an overall Engine Challenge Champion, the top four teams from SEMA will compete against the top four teams from the second half of the Dual Championship, forming an “elite eight” showdown held at the PRI Show, December 10-12 in Indianapolis, Indiana. With their incredible time, Team ARP has secured their spot at these Engine Challenge Championship Finals.
Three other teams completed rebuilds in less than 25 minutes and also qualify for the Engine Challenge Finals. Coming in second at the SEMA Dual Championship was Team Taylor from Belvidere North High School, Belvidere, IL. They completed their rebuilds in an average time of 22 minutes and 37 seconds. Close behind them was Team K&N Engineering from Loara High School, Anaheim, CA. Their average time was 23 minutes and 52 seconds. The final team to qualify for the Engine Challenge Finals was Team B&M from Franklin County Career and Technology Center, Chambersburg, PA. with an average time of 24 minutes and 9 seconds.
Besides ranking first at the SEMA Show, Team ARP also set a new National Record. They completed one of their rebuilds in just 16 minutes and 11 seconds, beating the previous record of 16:22 held by Team Nitrous Express.
These teams are competing for more than just the title of 2015 Engine Challenge Champion. There is 3.8 million dollars in scholarships on the line for these high school students from a variety of career, technology and automotive colleges. The Hot Rodders of Tomorrow Engine Challenge fuels a lifelong automotive passion in high school students, preparing them for careers in the field.
For the second year in a row, an all female team made an appearance in the Dual Championship. It was the first time, however, an all female team also had a female instructor. Team Edelbrock, also from Belvidere High School, coached by female instructor Jill Arata, made history as they finished 11th overall with an average time of 28:31.
“As always, we were very impressed with the teams’ performances at the SEMA Show,” stated Hot Rodders of Tomorrow President, Jim Bingham. “They continue to amaze us with their dedication and hard work. We are honored to be a part of their journey in the automotive field. We can’t wait to see the final outcome of the 2015 Engine Challenge Championship.”
The second half of the Dual Championship will be held on Thursday and Friday of the PRI Show, December 10-11. The elite eight showdown will take place on Saturday, December 12, beginning at noon.
