By SEMA Editors

Team Weld Racing from Eastern Oklahoma County Tech Center was the 2015 Hot Rodders of Tomorrow national champion with an average time of 18:19.

The 2016 Hot Rodders of Tomorrow Engine Challenge is set to kick off during the ninth-annual Race and Performance (RP) Expo, to be held February 20–21 in Schaumburg, Illinois. The Engine Challenge, also entering its ninth season, has experienced tremendous growth over the past eight years. This year, 32 high-school teams will compete against each other in performance engine rebuilds.

Last year’s Engine Challenge champion, Team Weld Racing from Eastern Oklahoma County Tech Center, completed four engine rebuilds in an average time of 18:19. Five high-school students work together to tear down and rebuild a performance engine quicker than what’s required of most professionals. The teams competing at the Expo will look for times of 35 minutes or better, without penalties, in order to qualify for the Dual Championships to be held at the SEMA and PRI Shows later this year.

After outgrowing its old location, this will be the first year in the RP Expo’s new location, the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center. For more information, including hotel reservations, visit www.raceperformanceexpo.com.

By SEMA Editors

Team Weld Racing from Eastern Oklahoma County Tech Center was the 2015 Hot Rodders of Tomorrow national champion with an average time of 18:19.

The 2016 Hot Rodders of Tomorrow Engine Challenge is set to kick off during the ninth-annual Race and Performance (RP) Expo, to be held February 20–21 in Schaumburg, Illinois. The Engine Challenge, also entering its ninth season, has experienced tremendous growth over the past eight years. This year, 32 high-school teams will compete against each other in performance engine rebuilds.

Last year’s Engine Challenge champion, Team Weld Racing from Eastern Oklahoma County Tech Center, completed four engine rebuilds in an average time of 18:19. Five high-school students work together to tear down and rebuild a performance engine quicker than what’s required of most professionals. The teams competing at the Expo will look for times of 35 minutes or better, without penalties, in order to qualify for the Dual Championships to be held at the SEMA and PRI Shows later this year.

After outgrowing its old location, this will be the first year in the RP Expo’s new location, the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center. For more information, including hotel reservations, visit www.raceperformanceexpo.com.

By SEMA Editors

Team Weld Racing from Eastern Oklahoma County Tech Center was the 2015 Hot Rodders of Tomorrow national champion with an average time of 18:19.

The 2016 Hot Rodders of Tomorrow Engine Challenge is set to kick off during the ninth-annual Race and Performance (RP) Expo, to be held February 20–21 in Schaumburg, Illinois. The Engine Challenge, also entering its ninth season, has experienced tremendous growth over the past eight years. This year, 32 high-school teams will compete against each other in performance engine rebuilds.

Last year’s Engine Challenge champion, Team Weld Racing from Eastern Oklahoma County Tech Center, completed four engine rebuilds in an average time of 18:19. Five high-school students work together to tear down and rebuild a performance engine quicker than what’s required of most professionals. The teams competing at the Expo will look for times of 35 minutes or better, without penalties, in order to qualify for the Dual Championships to be held at the SEMA and PRI Shows later this year.

After outgrowing its old location, this will be the first year in the RP Expo’s new location, the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center. For more information, including hotel reservations, visit www.raceperformanceexpo.com.

By SEMA Editors

Team Weld Racing from Eastern Oklahoma County Tech Center was the 2015 Hot Rodders of Tomorrow national champion with an average time of 18:19.

The 2016 Hot Rodders of Tomorrow Engine Challenge is set to kick off during the ninth-annual Race and Performance (RP) Expo, to be held February 20–21 in Schaumburg, Illinois. The Engine Challenge, also entering its ninth season, has experienced tremendous growth over the past eight years. This year, 32 high-school teams will compete against each other in performance engine rebuilds.

Last year’s Engine Challenge champion, Team Weld Racing from Eastern Oklahoma County Tech Center, completed four engine rebuilds in an average time of 18:19. Five high-school students work together to tear down and rebuild a performance engine quicker than what’s required of most professionals. The teams competing at the Expo will look for times of 35 minutes or better, without penalties, in order to qualify for the Dual Championships to be held at the SEMA and PRI Shows later this year.

After outgrowing its old location, this will be the first year in the RP Expo’s new location, the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center. For more information, including hotel reservations, visit www.raceperformanceexpo.com.

The ’16 Ford Focus RS is coming to the SEMA Garage. The all-new, third-generation, high-performance all-wheel-drive hatch features a specially tuned 2.3L EcoBoost engine delivering well in excess of 315 hp, along with the most powerful Ford RS braking system ever. This pre-production Focus RS will be available exclusively to SEMA members. 

The ’16 Ford Focus RS is coming to the SEMA Garage. The all-new, third-generation, high-performance all-wheel-drive hatch features a specially tuned 2.3L EcoBoost engine delivering well in excess of 315 hp, along with the most powerful Ford RS braking system ever. This pre-production Focus RS will be available exclusively to SEMA members. 

The ’16 Ford Focus RS is coming to the SEMA Garage. The all-new, third-generation, high-performance all-wheel-drive hatch features a specially tuned 2.3L EcoBoost engine delivering well in excess of 315 hp, along with the most powerful Ford RS braking system ever. This pre-production Focus RS will be available exclusively to SEMA members. 

The ’16 Ford Focus RS is coming to the SEMA Garage. The all-new, third-generation, high-performance all-wheel-drive hatch features a specially tuned 2.3L EcoBoost engine delivering well in excess of 315 hp, along with the most powerful Ford RS braking system ever. This pre-production Focus RS will be available exclusively to SEMA members. 

The ’16 Ford Focus RS is coming to the SEMA Garage. The all-new, third-generation, high-performance all-wheel-drive hatch features a specially tuned 2.3L EcoBoost engine delivering well in excess of 315 hp, along with the most powerful Ford RS braking system ever. This pre-production Focus RS will be available exclusively to SEMA members. 

By Carr Winn and Mark Schaal

Off-road racer Erik Miller's car took first place this year at the 10th annual King of the Hammers (KOH). Miller’s vehicle worked relentlessly finishing the 165 mile course in 7 hours, 30 minutes and 55 seconds.

“This motor sang the whole day,” Miller said Friday afternoon, 25 minutes before second place finisher Jason Scherer would cross the finish line. “I knew if we kept it smart, kept it conservative, that's what you have to do here.”

Third-place finisher was Raul Gomez (8:23:57), who broke away from Shannon Campbell (8:26:18) in the latter stage of the race after Campbell ran into technical difficulties.

History also was made at this year’s Hammers as Bailey Campbell (8:45:18), the 19-year-old daughter of Shannon Campbell was the top female KOH driver ever, finishing fifth, and the only female racing this year.

“I'm so freaking excited,” she said to media photographers crowded around her vehicle. The teenage racer beat sixth-place finisher Jason T. Shipman (8:49:15) by about four minutes, who actually finished earlier than Campbell because he started earlier.

Read on for more information on the 2016 King of the Hammers.