Final Wrap: The AERA International Expo 2005 and PERA Spring Marketing and Tech Meetings - Engine Builder Magazine

Final Wrap: The AERA International Expo 2005 and PERA Spring Marketing and Tech Meetings

News item: Steve Wynn, the brash Las Vegas casino developer who created the Mirage, Treasure Island and the Bellagio, opened his newest resort in Las Vegas on April 28th.

The first new casino resort to open in Las Vegas in five years, the Wynn Las Vegas is apparently a beautiful property that’s different than any other Las Vegas location.

I say "apparently," because even though I was in Las Vegas when it opened, I didn’t join the thousands of people who waited in line for four hours to get a glimpse inside the new $2.7 billion property.

I remembered something I had once heard Steve Wynn say: "Do you want to know how to be a winner in a casino? Own it!" Somehow, a gaming resort that calls itself "Wynn Las Vegas" is just too ironic. The only one likely to win is Steve himself.

No, I was in Las Vegas for an entirely different kind of experience, one that wasn’t quite so much of a gamble. The AERA International Expo 2005 and PERA Spring Marketing and Tech Meetings, held concurrently, offered enough valuable information that all who attended learned something. As Engine Builder contributor and industry icon Doug Anderson pointed out during his review of the Gen III family of engines to the PERA crowd, "Your trip out here will be paid for by the tips I’ll give you this morning."

Collectively, of course, everyone who went to Vegas for our industry’s association gatherings was a winner, but there were also a few individual jackpots I’d like to recognize as well:

    For proving to themselves and the assembled masses that they can do the job, congratulations go to Gail Ault, Susan Deegan, Sandi Holder and Becky Tardif for successfully firing the 357 cid Ford racing engine in the first-ever Clevite Women’s Engine Build contest. Despite predictions by some skeptics I spoke with, this was no joke. For overcoming a late race spin by an unnamed but disgruntled incoming Vanguard group member, a tip of the racing helmet to Engine Builder managing editor Brendan Baker for winning all the trophies at the Vanguard kart racing night. For proving that persistence pays off, congratulations to Paul Nelson, instructor at Northwest Technical College in Bemidji, MN. Clevite presented Paul with a special award honoring his support for students in all industry training programs. Likewise, Engine Builder publisher Dave Wooldridge was feted by AERA for his decades of unswerving support of this industry. John Wenskovitch, of DLK Auto Parts and Machine of Russelton, PA, was named the 2005 Victor Reinz Machinist of the Year. And Manitowoc Motor Machining and Parts, of Manitowoc, WI, captured the coveted 2005 Engine Builder Machine Shop of the Year title.

You might say anyone who goes home with more than he or she had at the beginning of the trip is a big winner in Las Vegas. And for my money, that’s anyone who attended either AERA or PERA’s events.

You May Also Like

Open Loop/Closed Loop and Learning

Closed-loop control can be programmed to either add or subtract up to a certain percentage of fuel in order for the engine to reach the target air/fuel ratio.

Electronic Fuel Injection (EFI) is all the rage today and rightfully so. EFI has many advantages that allow us to dial in the fuel in a dramatically more precise fashion than was ever possible with a carburetor. One of the tools at our disposal is the closed loop algorithm where the target air/fuel ratio commanded in the ECU is compared to the actual air/fuel ratio read by the O2 sensor. If the two do not match, the ECU makes small changes by either adding or subtracting from the commanded fuel in the fuel table to equalize the two. 

Top 10 Ken Block Gymkhana Films

Who doesn’t like a little bit of burnt rubber?

America’s Best Engine Shops 2022 | H&H Flatheads

Despite not being a fancy, state-of-the-art set up, Mike and his team at H&H have a great thing going. The equipment does exactly what it needs to, his team is experienced and the shop has built thousands of vintage engines for customers everywhere!

America’s Best Engine Shops 2022 | Choate Engineering Performance

This shop’s dedication to quality engine work, its growth, its machining capabilities and its impact in the diesel industry, all make Choate Engineering Performance well deserving of Engine Builder’s and Autolite’s 2022 America’s Best Diesel Engine Shop award.

America’s Best Engine Shops 2022 | 4 Piston Racing

The 4 Piston Racing facility in Danville, IN houses two buildings – one is 12,000 sq.-ft. and the other is 2,500 sq.-ft. The shop is very heavily focused on Honda cylinder heads and engine work to the tune of 300+ engines and 1,000 cylinder heads annually!

Other Posts

Randy Bauer Shares His Experience as PERA President

We recently spoke to Randy about his PERA presidency and what some of the biggest hurdles are facing the engine remanufacturing industry right now.

Women in Motorsports: Mattie Graves

Mattie Graves competes in the Outlaw Diesel Super Series (ODSS) dragster class, and is the only female doing so in a class that already has very few competitors in general. Find out more about this up and coming diesel drag racing star.

Women in Motorsports: Johnna Dunn

She got her drag racing license before she got her regular license, and that tells you everything you need to know about Johnna Dunn. She’s a drag racer and clutch specialist for her grandfather’s NHRA Top Fuel Funny Car team, Jim Dunn Racing.

Women in Motorsports: Kayla Blood

A veteran of the military, a former track star, an MMA fighter, Motocross and ATV racer, and now a Monster Jam driver, Kayla Blood has packed a lot into her still growing career. Now the driver of Soldier Fortune, she strives to make a name for herself and for other women looking to make motorsports a career.