By SEMA Editors
 Team Howards Cams of Lakeshore High School from Stevensville, Michigan, scored the No. 1 seed at the 2017 SEMA Show, recording an average time of 19:07. They will travel to the PRI Trade Show in December to compete for the national championship. |
After 21 rounds at the 2017 The SEMA Show, four of the 27 Hot Rodders of Tomorrow teams are moving on to the Elite Eight at the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Trade Show, to be held December 7–9, in Indianapolis.
Seeded No. 1, Team Howards Cams of Lakeshore High School from Stevensville, Michigan, recorded 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.
The No. 2 seed belongs to Team Fragola Performance Systems of Fremd High School from Palatine, Illinois, with an average time of 20:56. Team Aeromotive Fuel Systems of Eastern Oklahoma Tech Center from Choctaw, Oklahoma, secured the No. 3 seed with an average time of 21:52. The fourth-seeded Team Fel-Pro Gaskets of Tulsa Tech Center from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, recorded an average time of 23:08.
With five students per team, they disassemble and reassemble a traditional small-block Chevy engine outfitted with the latest aftermarket parts. Teams must properly disassemble the engine, including the removal of all eight pistons, then reassemble it using correct torque and valve adjustment.
These four teams will compete head-to-head against the top four teams from the PRI Trade Show to determine the national champion. The winners will receive scholarship vouchers ranging from $6,500–$10,000 from Universal Technical Institute (UTI), School of Automotive Machinists (SAM TECH) and Ohio Technical College (OTC).
The Elite 8 battle will start December 8, at 1:30 p.m., and conclude December 9.
For more information, visit www.hotroddersoftomorrow.com.