Good News / Bad News: New Drag Week and Engine Masters Rules

[jayb]

Today at the PRI show, Hot Rod announced the basic outline of the 2015 Engine Masters rules, and the new finalized rules for Drag Week.  About a month ago the proposed Drag Week rules had come out, and they eliminated the class that I've been running for the last few years, Modified NA.  They also eliminated normal drag tires in favor of drag radials, and made changes to the Super Street, Pro Street, and other classes.  Most of the Drag Week guys I know were less than enthused with the new rules, and of course I was pretty unhappy with them because it knocked my Shelby clone out of the competition.  Hot Rod accepted emails over the last month or so asking for feedback on the proposed rules, and according to Freiburger at the meeting today, lots of people wrote in.  The upshot was that they basically changed the rules back to the way they were; the Modified NA class is back, and looking at the rules as they were posted on Hot Rod's site tonight, my Shelby clone still fits in the Modified NA class.  I was very, very happy to see that; what a relief!  I'll be going back again next year with the Shelby clone, once I get the big SOHC back together 

Since Popular Hot Rodding is no longer a magazine, Hot Rod has taken over the Engine Masters contest.  Barry R was waiting with great interest, of course, for today's look into next year's rules.  Unfortunately for Barry, and for all the rest of us for that matter, the new rules have made competition with an FE almost hopeless.  They are proposing to change Engine Masters to five separate classes, as follows:

- Chrysler Hemi class - only Chrysler hemis allowed to compete
- Spec Small Block class - Naturally aspirated small block engines, plus AMC, Buick, Pontiac, and Olds engines.  Specific heads will be required, but porting is allowed.  Modular Ford, LS, and Chrysler hemi prohibited.
- LS and Mod Motor class - 6.2 LSE and 5.0 Ford Coyote engines, with stock shortblocks.  Hot Rod will provide the short blocks at the event; the competitors have to bolt on their top end components prior to running on the dyno.
- Vintage V8 - Pre-1955 engines only
- Xtreme big block - Naturally aspirated, 505 cubic inch limit, scored RPM range 4000-8500.

The only class an FE fits into is the Xtreme big block class, and with the high end components available for other engine types, even a top shelf FE making 1000 HP is going to fall 200-300 HP short of the top level competitors.  Barry R is fit to be tied with this set of rules, especially in light of the fact that Pontiacs are allowed to compete as small blocks, but FEs have to compete as big blocks.  FEs of course were available in cubic inch displacements down to 332", and bore spacing on an FE is only 0.005" larger than a Pontiac.  So it really makes no sense that  Pontiac engine can compete in the small block class and an FE can't.  I had dinner with Barry and some other guys tonight, and as a result of these rule changes Barry is considering moving to Drag Week, rather than competing in Engine Masters, which would be a shame for all of us FE guys, of course.

Hot Rod is accepting input from the competitors about these rules from the Engine Masters competitors, and they are sure to get an earful from Barry.  One thing that we thought about at dinner would be that if Hot Rod allowed an SOHC to compete in the Chrysler Hemi class, that would offer an avenue for an FE to compete in a class other than the Xtreme big block class, and that it would be pretty fun to see those old 1960s engines duking it out in that class.  They are accepting input for the next week, so let's hope they give that idea some consideration, or at least let the FE compete in the small block class with the other engines of similar size, like the Pontiac.

[AlanCasida]

I checked the latest DW rules and, no big surprise, my FE(427/452) powered 65 Mustang is pretty much screwed in any realistic class unless I make some major changes. I don't really want to do that so if I go I will be in my Galaxie again...which is fine.

[fe66comet]

Really we as FE guys we become victim of the masses. Ford engines as a whole are divided by small block, 385 big block and Modular. Chevy and Dodge are kinda divided in the same manner, if you were running a 440 Dodge or tall deck Chevy 396 you would kinda fall in between also I would guess.

[Qikbbstang]

by Mopar?

I can't help but guess that's in some way being done to "crimp" Jon Kaase's style since he's the one that builds/sells Boss 9's and it's his Boss 9 heads on all engines that ran them. Let's not forget Kasse showed up with a tiny displacement Boss 9 head motor last year. To stick it to the Ford FE with the  +0.005 bore spacing vs Pontiac is a disgrace worthy of complaining about it to Hot Rod.
   SUCKS the way nothing newer the 20 year old Ford motors are not allowed.

[cjetmech]

Freiburger is real good at screwing things up lately. Some of the proposed DW rules were just wacko, and the EM change is a disaster. Wonder why they felt such a drastic change was needed? I didn't see anything wrong in the first place. He should stick to roadkill and leave this rule making to more knowledgeable folks.

[blykins]

I'm equally bummed....I was actually trying to get something together for 2015.

[Dumpling]

So I have a 326 cu inch dohc hemi Aston Martin V8 on a pallet I was given...where/how does that fit in the rule categories? Currently with 4 webers, would I get an efi manifold, run the webers, or get a single-quad intake somehow?

Sounds like Mopar is going to be a big-time sponsor and doesn't want any kind of level playing field.  Are there displacement restrictions in the hemi class?  Limits on raised cam blocks?

Where does the Cleveland fall, raised deck Cleveland's?

In this day and age, where's the I-4, I-6, and V6 categories?  They're ignoring a large group of potential sponsors, competitors, and readers.

[RJP]

EM/HRM will continue changing  the rules until Chevys win....

[Qikbbstang]

Pardon me for asking but my hero has always been Smokey Yunick. Smokey taught me to look more at what the rules don't say rather then what the rules say.
  With an FEs bore spacing only 0.005" greater than a Pontiac, the Pontiac being "legal" and the FE being illegal....Couldn't the center two bores simply be offset bored either with or without sleeves to "re-arrange" the the two center bore centers a measly .005 closer together and the two outside bores be offset bored .010" to reflect the locations to the center cylinders to match that Pontiac?
Everyone especially (Bow Tie Babies and MooPar Masters) knows Ford's tolerances were loose.  Seeing is believing let them measure the FE block. Heck that minimal number would not even bother a head gasket.
   I recall Smokey rather seriously relocated the location of crankshaft in a Hudson Hornet just to achieve a better crank angle. The offset bore of an FE ought to be less complicated then relocating a crankshaft bore in a block.

[jayb]

Bore spacing isn't the cutoff for the class, BB, I was just using that to show the minor differences in the engines.  The rules for the small block spec class say that Pontiacs can compete, but not FEs.

[Cyclone03]

I have to wonder if Survival ,Brent , Dove, and Kieth Craft all bought adds in Hot Rod if the rules would look different ?

[Barry_R]

I am trying to structure a coherently worded response to the tentative rules instead of just an emotional tirade. I am generally much better expressing my opinions with the written word than in conversation. In the ten years since Ai "Woody" Wood dragged me kicking and screaming into EMC participation I have learned an unbelievable amount about engines, competition, and comraderie. I have made many fine acquaintances and several of my very best friends as a result of my time spent involved. It remains the highlight of my year and something I always look forward to.

David commented that he wanted me in Drag Week, and perhaps its time to make a change. I do want to run Drag Week. I think its incredibly cool and longingly look at the coverage every year since it began. But it also requires a far higher degree of commitment in terms of both finances and time, while not delivering the engine specific focus that makes the Engine Masters so viable for my business. The higher cost and lower reward makes a move to Drag Week an emotion driven personal effort rather than a good business move. With a business to run, a threesome of young girls at home, and a working spouse this is a decision I would have to consider very, very carefully.

I'm less bothered by the "writing out" of my chosen engine family than I am by the fact that they did it without improving the contest nor addressing the readership related issues brought up in our discussions during the event. An over-riding comment was that the readers could not relate to what was being built, and that the engines were purpose built and not really salable after the challenge. Neither of those has been cleanly addressed in this revision. If anything, they've moved yet further away from the mainstream, running the risk of alienating the existing competitors and the followers while at the same time rendering the challenge irrelevant to the larger population of readers. Seems a very high risk with a nominal reward.

The first day is a Chrysler Hemi celebration that will show how poorly a legendary engine fares against a modern architecture. With Chrysler fans already being a very small but vocal percentage of the reader population this seems like a great way to alienate half of them, while the rest of the readers skip past that day entirely. I thought that one of the Mopar groups already has a standalone dyno contest - why duplicate that effort? Twenty percent of the contest is "lost" with no gain in readership nor relevance.

Day two is a logistical nightmare for both entrants and management. The LS and mod motor guys need to be joined by the new Hemi for the contest to be at all relevant. Anybody entering with serious intent will need to have a short block for development and then use (purchase?) another short block at the event. Might not be a cost negative since dedicated race style short blocks are pricy - but not a huge cost savings either. The risk of a short block issue outside of competitor control is high. And the odds of properly assembling a mod motor in any kind of abbreviated timeframe renders that group a significant disadvantage. Might as well just have a LS crate motor challenge from the large suppliers/advertisers. Another 20% of the contest lost with minimal gain, although some readers might like the garage build flavor.

Day three is a very viable segment with a small block focus. Although I could (and may...) try to "twist the arms that be" for FE inclusion based on OE displacements and bore centers, the truth is that with only eight open spots they will receive a veritable deluge of entries for this single day. Probably 90+% of the entries will be in contention for the eight entries that comprise 20% of the show.

Day four is really out there from a reader relevance view. Pre-54 V8s are nailhead Buick, Y block Ford, flathead, Caddy pieces that are largely relegated to the land speed and street rod community. Cool? You bet. Chosen in any way for their performance potential? Never - except for a very few cryptic land speed efforts. Readers may find an occasional article about these to be interesting, but any competitive rewards are so far out of scope as to be meaningless outside of the tightly confined Bonneville categories where creativity is held in highest regard. And very, very few of these actually get built as a percentage of the performance marketplace. A neat thing to do, but not an Engine Masters sort of deal as far as I can tell - more of a stand alone article for the vintage enthusiast. Hot Rod Deluxe? Another 20% pulled out of our calendar with minimal or no gain...

Day five is pro Stock circa year 2000. I could enter the baddest to the bone FE in the history of mankind and still come up 300 horsepower or 30% short of competitive. I do not ever come into this deal expecting to "win" but I do try to bring a serious and honest effort. Nothing I could do would be perceived as such. If this collection of rules were viable in other ways I would actually be "cool" with it and either choose to compete or stand down. But 505 inches is too small for most current big block crate or catalog race strokers, where 540, 557, or 632 sizes are the norm at a much lower RPM. So again we are not serving the readers or racers with useful information, creating dedicated and non-salable entries, and essentially repeating the sins of our forefathers (even without an FE as a backmarker).

I truly believe that the Engine Masters Challenge needs revision and new blood to give it long term viability. If those moves do not include my entries I really am OK with it. But I also really want those changes to enhance and improve the competition so I can look on for years to come and say "I ran in that contest" - instead of "they used to have this contest". This first effort at rules revision may well have been highly debated within the editorial group, but from an outside perspective they do not provide the impression of a respectful, well thought out and readership aligned effort. The huge population of LS, 383 Chevy, 347 Ford, 540 Chevy type engines that are by far the most popular are fighting for the same 20% of calendar time as the comparatively miniscule population of vintage engine guys.

The folks at Hot Rod are unquestionably the best in the business.
As such I hold them to a higher standard.
And I expect a better effort.
Time for a "reboot".

[Qikbbstang]

Looks like Barry has run into-----The ENGINE MASTERS NAZI------ NO ENGINE MASTERS FOR YOU!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVqBzP0xdKk
Barry I understand your pain and with your comments about high numbers all trying for the same class it looks like Hot Rod accepts they've created a monster and are willing to accept the bloodshed of the masses that are left out.  In that respect you'd think they'd have featured the small high zoot production turbo/blown 4cyl/6cyl motors rather then the antique motors.

Hope you see the humor in above.

Got to say I'm psyched about watching the LS and Mod Motor class. Hard to believe the rules look like they play right into the Fords hands: "  Hot Rod will provide the short blocks at the event; the competitors have to bolt on their top end components prior to running on the dyno."

By their rules of Hot Rod providing the "short blocks"  Chevy's will run the stock cam provided and Ford w/two cams in each head can run their own choice of cams. Obviously Chevy's have cam in block and Ford does not. I've discussed with some insiders about running Coyote's in Drag Racing they lock out the production variable valve timing/overlap for top end but in Engine Masters where you are looking for wide band power the variable valve timing and overlap of the Coyote shines.. Obviously the RPM band is going to play a big part the DOHC Fords like to rev into oblivion.


 
LS and Mod Motor class - 6.2 LSE and 5.0 Ford Coyote engines, with stock shortblocks.  Hot Rod will provide the short blocks at the event; the competitors have to bolt on their top end components prior to running on the dyno.

[jayb]

BB, the LS motors get to put in their own cams.   

[sumfoo1]

Yeah i'm stoked that they're actually going to spur the market on N/A  modern engines rather than just  build the bottom end strong and boost the snot out of it which is pretty much how the majority of the mod motors I've seen have been built.


Granted i like turbos but slapping 12 psi on a 600hp motor for over 1000hp sounds a lot better to me than slapping 30psi on a 350hp motor for 1000.

And screwing the FEs  sucks... our engines don't punch out to 505 well.