The Hot Rodders of Tomorrow (HROT) Engine Challenge hosted its third event of the 2018 season at the Summit Piston Powered AutoRama in Cleveland, Ohio, March 16-18. Eight teams from three states competed at the event, with three of those teams qualifying for the Dual National Championship held at the SEMA and PRI Show later this year.
Team Vibrant Performance from Burton Center for Arts & Tech in Salem, Virginia, took first place with 18:12. In second place, Team Remflex from Franklin County Career & Technology Center in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, qualified with a 21:02 run time. Team Mr. Gasket of C D Hylton High School from Woodbridge, Virginia, came in fifth with 30:31.
To qualify for the Dual National Championship, a team must finish disassembling and reassembling a small-block Chevrolet engine in less than 33 minutes, including penalties.
During the event, street legal drag racer Jeff Lutz met with fans and signed autographs. “This is a great program to get kids involved in the automotive aftermarket. A very cool hands-on experience,” he said.
The Junior Engine Challenge also kicked off its second year at the show, where individuals or teams of two (with one team member being 5-18 years of age) completely disassemble/reassemble a complete single cylinder OHV engine, utilizing only basic hand tools. Over the course of three days, the engines were run through more than 90 times, according to HROT.
For more information on the Engine Challenge, visit HotRoddersofTomorrow.com or connect with them on Twitter and Facebook.
