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Team Vibrant Performance Wins 2018 Hot Rodders of Tomorrow National Championship

By SEMA Editors

Team Vibrant PerformanceTeam Vibrant Performance, from Burton Center for Arts & Tech in Salem, Virginia, are the winners of the 2018 Hot Rodders of Tomorrow Engine Challenge Dual Championship.

The Final Half of the Hot Rodders of Tomorrow Engine Challenge 2018 Dual Championship took place last week at the PRI Show in Indianapolis. The championship included 17 teams that  traveled coast-to-coast to battle to be one of the Top 4 teams to move on and compete in the Elite Eight playoffs.

A total of 44 teams competed at the SEMA and PRI shows just to get into the Elite Eight competition. The top-four SEMA Show seeds against the top-four PRI show seeds.

The total time difference between first and fourth place teams was only two minutes and eight seconds. In the end, Team Vibrant Performance, from Burton Center for Arts & Tech in Salem, Virginia, won with an average time of 17:26.

The top four teams that moved on to the Elite Eight from the PRI Trade Show were Team Engine & Performance Warehouse from Elkhart Area Career Center, Elkhart, Indiana, who came in fourth place with an average time of 24:13. Team RHS Racing Heads from Forsyth Central High School in Cumming, Georgia, came in third place with an average of 24:04. Team Allstar Performance also from Forsyth Central High School in Cumming, Georgia, came in second place with an average of 21:16. The first place team was Team Vibrant Performance, from Burton Center for Arts & Tech in Salem, Virginia, with the best average of 18:12.

The top four teams from the SEMA Show were Team Custom Automotive Network (CAN), from Eastern Oklahoma Technology Center out of Choctaw, Oklahoma, with an average time of 18:35. Team Canton Racing Products, Lakeshore High School in Stevensville, Michigan, came in second place with an average of 19:57. Team Mr. Gasket, C D Hylton High School from Woodbridge, Pennsylvania, took third place with an average of 22:42. The first-place team was Edelbrock; Hunter High School from West Valley City, Utah, came in fourth place with an average of 23:57.

The times are based on three important parts. First, it is the average of the three times the teams competed. Second are the penalty minutes added for mistakes made during dis-assembly and re-assembly and the third part is a 50-question written test on parts and tools identification along with general engine and rules knowledge.

Each student earned scholarship opportunities ranging from $5,000–$10,000 from Ohio Technical College, School of Automotive Machinists & Technology, and Universal Technical Institute.

More information about the Hot Rodders of Tomorrow program is available from Greg Parker at gparker@hotroddersoftomorrow.org.