The first half of the Hot Rodders of Tomorrow Engine Challenge 2017 Dual Championship is over. The event took place at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas, and included 27 teams from coast to coast. These teams battled to become one of the Top 4 teams to move on and compete in the Elite 8 playoffs for the 2017 National Championship at the PRI Show Dec. 6-9.
With five students per team, they disassemble and reassemble a traditional small block Chevy outfitted with the latest aftermarket parts. Teams must properly disassemble the engine including the removal of all 8 pistons, then reassemble it using correct torque and valve adjustment.
Team Howards Cams, from Lakeshore High School in Stevensville, MI, came in first place with an average time of 19:07. They also had the best time of the week at 17:44 and were the only team to have all three runs below the 20-minute mark.
Mitch Alsbro a Lakeshore H.S. Graduate now going to UNOH said “competing in the HROT competition has made it more affordable to go to college” He wants to continue his education and stay in the high-performance field. While team mate Cole Griffiths also going to UNOH said “HROT showed me how much team work means, that everyone has to do their part. It has improved my communication, problem solving and critical thinking skills”.
Other teams moving on to the Elite Eight competition at the PRI Show are:
Team Fragola Performance Systems, Fremd High School in Palatine, IL, came in second place with an average time of 20:56.
Team Aeromotive, Eastern Oklahoma Technology Center out of Choctaw, OK. took third place with an average time of 21:52.
Team Fel-Pro, Tulsa Technology Center from Broken Arrow, OK. Came in fourth place with an average time of 23:08.
These Top 4 teams from the SEMA Show and the Top 4 teams from the PRI Show will then compete head-to-head to earn the 1st place Champion Title of the 2017 Hot Rodders of Tomorrow Dual Championship and win scholarship vouchers ranging from $6,500 to $10,000 being provided by Universal Technical Institute (UTI), School of Automotive Machinists (SAM TECH), and Ohio Technical College (OTC).
The Elite 8 battle will start at 1:30PM EST on December 8 and will then continue to December 9.
Below are the final standings from Las Vegas:
