By SEMA Editors
 Team Autometer from Eastern Oklahoma County Tech Center finished with an average time of 19:28:20, and will travel to the PRI Show next month to compete for the national championship. | |
Hot Rodders of Tomorrow (HROT) just completed half of its Engine Challenge dual championship. Competing at the 2014 SEMA Show, the high schoolers in the Engine Challenge championship had the largest group of spectators at any Engine Challenge to date.
Team Autometer from Eastern Oklahoma County Tech Center set a new Engine Challenge record on their way to becoming one of the SEMA dual championship winners, completing a performance engine rebuild in 18:09. The average time of their three rebuilds was 19:28, giving them the first-place seed going into the national championship at the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Trade Show, December 11–13, in Indianapolis.
Team Moroso from Thomas County Central High School in Georgia came in second with an average time of 21:15. Just seven seconds behind them was Team Hedman from Illinois’ Belvidere North High School. A total of 15 teams completed at the SEMA dual championship, including one all-female team. The Royal Purple ladies, also from Thomas County Central High School, came in fifth overall with a time of 26:17. This is the highest-place finish ever achieved by an all-female team.
Only the top two teams from the SEMA Show will go on to compete in the final four at the PRI dual championship. Starting Wednesday–Friday, December 10–12, the PRI Show will host the second half of the dual championship as another 14 teams compete in hopes of being one of the two finalists. The four winning teams will then compete in the national championship on Friday night at 5:00 p.m. and two more times on Saturday at 9:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. All three runs will be averaged together, and the team with the best averaged time will become the 2014 Hot Rodder of Tomorrow national champion.
Besides gaining valuable skills, learning teamwork and proving their ability to perform under pressure, each team competing in the Engine Challenge dual championship will also be awarded scholarships to top automotive and technical secondary schools.
The results from the 2014 SEMA Show:
| Place | School | State | Team | Time Average | ||||
| 1st | Eastern Oklahoma County Tech Center | Oklahoma | Autometer | 19:28:20 | ||||
| 2nd | Thomas County Central High School | Georgia | Moroso | 21:15:40 | ||||
| 3rd | Belvidere North High School | Illinois | Hedman Hedders | 21:22:40 | ||||
| 4th | Lakeshore High School | Michigan | Weld Racing | 24:53:20 | ||||
| 5th | Thomas County Central High School | Georgia | Royal Purple | 26:17:40 | ||||
| 6th | Fremd High School | Illinois | Allstar | 27:04:20 | ||||
| 7th | Rancho Alamitos High School | California | Accel | 29:47:20 | ||||
| 8th | Tulsa Technology Center | Oklahoma | Taylor | 30:35:00 | ||||
| 9th | Loara High School | California | PRW | 30:38:20 | ||||
| 10th | South Elgin High School | Illinois | ARP | 33:53:40 | ||||
| 11th | Calabasas High School | California | Flowmaster | 34:04:40 | ||||
| 12th | Katella High School NOCROP | California | Fast | 34:37:40 | ||||
| 13th | Bolton High School | Tennessee | Magnaflow | 36:49:20 | ||||
| 14th | Franklin County Career Tech | Pennsylvania | Howard's Cams | 38:59:40 | ||||
| 15th | Madison High School | California | Motive Gear | 40:49:00 |