Sam Logan, February 3, 2015
Up to 40 of this country’s most gifted race engine builders will descend upon the University of Northwestern Ohio in Lima to compete in the prestigious annual five-day contest known as the Engine Masters Challenge.
Scheduled for October 5-9, crucial changes will affect this year’s format. The first change signals the end of Popular Hot Rodding magazine’s reign and the beginning of Hot Rod’s future. The largest auto performance magazine in the world, Hot Rod’s page circulation is estimated to be four times larger than that of the former PHR, and their website traffic approximately ten times greater.
Even more interesting news is what Hot Rod plans to do with the contest. Significantly, they decided rather than settle for the traditional one or two elite classes they would expand the tournament to include five categories—crowning a winner at the end of each day.
Steve Dulcich
From the magazines’ perspective the new concept is brilliant. They set out to stimulate the imagination of the common enthusiast with a wider campaign. As a result, the new regulations allow them to exploit their editorial before a much greater audience during the course of the succeeding year—a concept not possible for Hot Rod hitherto.
In addition, the rule makers are sympathetic to the idea that competing engines can be sold and put to productive use after the contest, unlike past dyno racing engines that were rarely useful to anyone without significant modification.
At last year’s PRI exhibition, held on the second week of December in Indianapolis, Hot Rod, instead of conveying the rules, presented the engine builders with their new concept of five basic categories. They invited the engine builders to inform them of their thoughts and requested all feed-back to be returned to them before December end.
Displayed below is a copy of the PRI document. The final regulations will be revealed within the next 10 to 14 days.
2015 Amsoil Engine Masters Challenge – Dyno Racing Concepts
The competition will be divided into 5 classes, with each class competing on a specific day.
Each class will have specific rules that apply to that class.
The winner of each class will be determined at the end of that day’s competition.
Top three teams for each class will place in winner’s circle.
Dyno Racing Classes:
Hemi Generational Competition:
Normally aspirated OEM production passenger car Chrysler Corporation Hemi V8, 1951 to present.
435 cubic inch maximum.
Allows for both distributor ignition and coil-on plug.
Spec Small Block:
Normally aspirated OEM production passenger car Chrysler, Ford, Chevy small block engine types and AMC, Buick, Olds, Pontiac pushrod V8. Modular Ford, LS, and Chrysler Hemi prohibited.
Legal spec head will be specified. Porting allowed.
LS and Mod Motor Showdown:
Current production OEM production passenger car 6.2 LS3 and Ford Coyote 5.0 MOD motors to be specified. Two separate classes have been devised for normally aspirated engines. The LS entrants compete against each other and similarly the Ford Coyote.
Short block assemblies will be provided to competitors and may not be altered.
Competitors bring parts and tools to competition to compete.
Vintage V8:
Normally aspirated 1954 or earlier OEM domestic production passenger car V8 engines, with the exception of any Hemi from Chrysler.
Displacement unrestricted.
Many part categories unlimited.
Xtreme Big Block:
Normally aspirated domestic passenger car engine.
505 maximum cubic inch limit.
Scored RPM range: 4000-8500 rpm (to be revised). Average HP and torque over 3 pulls.
To stay informed visit: http://www.hotrod.com/events/engine-masters-challenge/
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