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 2015 SEMA Show in Las Vegas. 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’s Peach County High School from Fort Valley, Georgia, came in at an average time of just 17:20 to set the bar and take the SEMA Dual Championship’s top spot at the Engine Challenge Championship Finals.
In order to determine an overall Engine Challenge champion, the top four teams from the SEMA Show will compete against the top four teams from the second half of the Dual Championship, forming an “elite eight” showdown to be held at the PRI Show, December 10–12 in Indianapolis.
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 in Belvidere, Illinois. They completed their rebuilds in an average time of 22:37. Close behind them was Team K&N Engineering from Loara High School in Anaheim, California, posting an average time of 23:52. The final team to qualify for the Engine Challenge Finals was Team B&M from Franklin County Career and Technology Center in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, with an average time of 24:09.
Besides ranking first at the SEMA Show, Team ARP also set a new national record. They completed one of their rebuilds in just 16:11, 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 are $3.8 million 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 Thursday and Friday of the PRI Show, December 10–11. The elite-eight showdown will take place Saturday, December 12, beginning at 12:00 p.m.
For more information: Hot Rodders of Tomorrow website.
