The love of racing and performance is something that for many is developed at an early age, in order to help fuel this passion we want to expose kids to a unique opportunity to showcase workmanship and the awareness of complex mechanisms.
Hot Rodders of Tomorrow Junior Engine Challenge was kicked off Feb. 24-25 at the Race and Performance Expo in Schaumburg, Ill., and let’s just say it was a huge hit! The contest is very simple a team comprised of 2 individuals; one team member must be 5-18 years of age must completely disassemble/reassemble a complete single cylinder OHV engine, utilizing only basic hand tools. Some of the goals of the premise behind this contest are to help individuals develop great communication skills and self-esteem. The contest also has a goal of helping youngsters develop great problem-solving skills and an understanding of an internal combustion engine.
Over the course of the 2 day RP Expo we proceeded to have the engines ran through over 72 times!, with kids waiting for over an hour to have a chance to develop and showcase their skills at tackling and perfecting the teams rebuilding skills on the small engine. We had several returning youngsters from last year’s RP Expo where the Jr. Engine Challenge was kicked off, with over 20 individuals that built the engine multiple times throughout the 2-day event! We had families that traveled to the Expo just to learn and build the engine from as far as Wisconsin and Southern Illinois!
The next event will be featured as part of the Hot Rodder of Tomorrow at the Piston Power show in Cleveland, OH March 16th-18th. Students will be able to demo and be trained on the single cylinder engine. Be sure to check the Hot Rodders of Tomorrow schedule for an event near you and join in on the exciting action!
For more information, visit HotRoddersofTomorrow.com or connect with them on social media on their Facebook Page.
