Performance parts retailer Tennessee Speed & Sport held their first “Hot Rodders of Tomorrow Engine Challenge” Division 2 Championship Sunday February 28, 2010 at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium.
A total of 9 High School Auto Tech teams participated. The teams are made up of invited auto technology classes from local high schools. Each team consists of five students and the instructor/coach. The individual schools set standards and guidelines for involvement. Grades, attendance and skill are all part of the making of a team. Through this event these students get an opportunity to showcase their talents and knowledge gained during classroom sessions and workshops. It provides opportunities for students to develop and build teamwork, demonstrate their skills, enthusiasm, and ingenuity, build their confidence and commitment to excellence.
Students must properly disassemble the engine using only hand tools, utilizing proper detorque and disassembly procedure. The air cleaner, carb, distributor, plug wires, spark plugs, manifold, headers, heads, lifters, rocker arms, push rods, timing chain and cover. Then the oil filter, oil pan, oil pump, plus all eight pistons are then removed. The cam and crank remain in the block. The team then returns behind their bench and wait for the judges to call them back, teams then begin working to reassemble once again with correct assembly procedure and torque specs, all while being viewed by judges and spectators. Time added penalties for dropped components, improper disassembly, assembly, sportsmanship, etc. will be added to ensure correct assembly. All procedure penalties are in the rule book provided to the schools at the start of the school year. The engines when reassembled would fire up and run if gas, water, and oil were added. The team with the fastest time including penalty minutes wins.
East Ridge High School from Chattanooga, TN. sponsored by Automotive Racing Products (ARP) took first place with the fastest time of 43 minutes and 23 seconds and will be representing Division 2 at the National Championship dubbed “Showdown at SEMA” (Specialty Equipment Market Association) at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas in November. There, they will be competing against Division 3 (Race & Performance Expo March 6-7, 2010 in St. Charles, IL.) Division 7 (Edelbrock’s Rev’ved up 4 Kidz Charity Car Show April, 24-25, 2010) Division 4 (Painless Performance Open House May, 8, 2010) and Division 8 (Lane Automotive Car Show May, 29, 2010) winners plus the1st place national runner up.
DIVISION 2 HOT RODDERS OF TOMORROW ENGINE CHALLENGE RESULTS:
1st Place – Team ARP - East Ridge High School – Chattanooga, TN. – 43:23
2nd Place – Team MSD – Morristown High School – Morristown, TN. – 68:00
3rd Place – Team MOROSO – Cleveland High School – Cleveland, TN. – 68:52
4th Place – Team Comp Cams – Bolton High School – Arlington, TN. – 77:35
5th Place – Team Speed-Pro – Mt. Pleasant High School – Mt. Pleasant, TN. – 99:26
6th Place – Team Be Cool – Sequoyah Tech. Center – Soddy Daisy, TN. – 106:00
7th Place – Team Auto Meter – Morgan County Career & Tech Ctr. – Wartburg, TN. – 107:10
8th Place – Team Edelbrock - Central High School - Shelbyville, TN. – 113:25
9th Place – Team PRW – Volunteer High School – Church Hill, TN. – 125:52