Team Fel-Pro Wins Hot Rodders Of Tomorrow National Championship

Main Navigation

Advertisement
Social Connect
Resources
Our Brand Family
Counterman - Babcox Media
Counterman has been serving auto parts jobbers, retailers and distributors since 1983.
News

Team Fel-Pro Wins Hot Rodders Of Tomorrow National Championship

The annual event challenges teams to disassemble and reassemble performance engines as quickly as possible without errors, resembling the teardown and reassembly processes commonly performed between rounds of professional drag racing.

Counterman Staff
By Counterman Staff
Published:

Five high school students from Oklahoma took Federal-Mogul Motorparts’ Fel-Pro Gaskets brand back to a familiar destination – the winner’s circle – by claiming the 2017 national championship in the Hot Rodders of Tomorrow Engine Challenge during the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) trade show in Indianapolis. The annual event challenges teams to disassemble and reassemble performance engines as quickly as possible without errors, resembling the teardown and reassembly processes commonly performed between rounds of professional drag racing.

Related Articles

Team Fel-Pro, comprised of five high school students enrolled in automotive technology programs at Tulsa Tech, Broken Arrow, Okla., won the title with an average time of 17:03, three seconds faster than the defending champion, Burton Center for Arts & Technology, Salem, Va. Team members will receive thousands of dollars in scholarship opportunities from leading post-secondary automotive technology institutions.

“Hot Rodders of Tomorrow is important to us because it builds awareness of the skills required for engine building among high school and trade school students and promotes hands-on learning and interest in automotive repair, with timed competition,” said Ann Skrycki-Mohler, brand manager, Fel-Pro, Federal-Mogul Motorparts. “These students train and compete all year to gain speed and accuracy, in many cases rebuilding their engines over 100 times in practice and competition during the season.
“Team Fel-Pro and the scores of other teams entered in this year’s competition are influencers to the careers available in the automotive and performance industries. That’s good news for the businesses that rely on highly skilled and dedicated engine machinists and vehicle technicians.”

Forty-five high school teams from across the U.S. competed for spots in the “Elite Eight” competition at PRI, one of the world’s largest trade shows for professionals involved in building, maintaining and racing performance vehicles. Team Fel-Pro qualified for the event by finishing fourth during a semi-final round held during the Specialty Equipment Markets Association (SEMA) Show in Las Vegas in November. For the Fel-Pro brand, this is the second team competition win, with the first coming in the inaugural Hot Rodders of Tomorrow event in 2008.

The Fel-Pro Gaskets brand is one of the most popular and trusted brands in the North American auto care and performance industries. Manufactured for nearly 100 years in Skokie, Ill., Fel-Pro gaskets and related products are installed each day within thousands of automotive service bays and machine shops and are a leading choice of do-it-yourselfers. Fel-Pro performance gaskets are used by many of the most successful professional stock car and drag racing teams as well as thousands of sportsman racers and street performance enthusiasts.

To learn more about Hot Rodders of Tomorrow, please visit www.hotroddersoftomorrow.com. More information regarding Fel-Pro gaskets is available at www.FelPro.com. Like Fel-Pro on Facebook at www.facebook.com/FelProGaskets and follow the brand on Twitter (@FelProGaskets) and Instagram (www.instagram.com/FelProGaskets).
About Federal-Mogul

Federal-Mogul LLC is a leading global supplier of products and services to the world’s manufacturers and servicers of vehicles and equipment in the automotive, light, medium and heavy-duty commercial, marine, rail, aerospace, power generation and industrial markets. The company’s products and services enable improved fuel economy, reduced emissions and enhanced vehicle safety.

You May Also Like

Auto Industry

Customer Service: How It’s Done

Customer service should be your number one priority, and it all starts with the greeting.

Eric Garbe
By Eric Garbe
Eric Garbe is a graduate of Columbus State Community College with a degree in Automotive Maintenance Technology. He has extensive independent and dealership field experience as a technician and shop owner and is an ASE Certified Master Technician and former Adjunct Automotive Professor. He has been professionally writing automotive technical articles and documents for many years and in his free time enjoys restoring old cars and creating custom interiors and upholstery.
Published:

This is always an important topic to discuss, because I consider excellent customer service one of the most important tools you can have to earn trust, respect and repeat business from the customers that come through your door. Whether that customer is do-it-yourselfer from across town or the professional repair shop across the street, your business depends on a solid relationship.It’s a subject that I am passionate about, and it’s one that many people are losing touch with. Whether you are communicating to someone in person, on the phone or using some type of social media, good customer service and bad can both exist. You can’t afford the latter, so this is the first in a series of topics which can and should be shared from the front of the shop to the back. No matter which role you hold, you represent the shop and yourself. Customer service should be your number one priority.First on the list is the greeting. From the second a customer walks in the door, they need to know you appreciate them coming in and how important they are to your business. First impressions are everything and here’s the correct way to do it each and every time: look them directly in the eye, smile and say hello!Of course, you can say “Good morning” or “Welcome to Joe’s Autocare,” but it should be a formal greeting and the most important thing is that you have smiled, looked them in the eye and recognized that they have walked through the door.You should always retain a formal greeting until you are on a first-name basis with a customer. Only once you have established that level of relationship is it OK to use the less formal greeting of “Hi,” followed by the person’s name.This greeting does more than just indicate respect and appreciation for someone walking through the door. Most likely there are customers both new and old who are in earshot of your conversation. For newer customers, this continues to build rapport and reinforce their positive view of your shop; they see that you demonstrate respect and treat everyone in the same manner. For repeat customers, even ones that have been coming for years, the greeting is important because the way you treat them is the reason they continue to come.And when a long-time customer comes in and you greet them with “Hi [First Name],” this indicates your appreciation for them and that you’re glad to see them as a person, more than just a customer. New customers that witness this will see that your repeat customers are comfortable enough to be on a first-name basis, another indication of the trust they have in you.

Read Full Article

More News Posts
MEMA Launches At-Home REPAIR Campaign

The next step in the campaign to get the REPAIR Act passed is to get aftermarket suppliers involved.

By Emma Henderson
Shaw Assumes Leadership of MEMA Original Equipment Suppliers

Collin Shaw succeeds Julie Fream who served 10 years in the position.

By Emma Henderson
AACF Launches 65th Anniversary Fundraising Initiative

The campaign aims to raise $65,000 through 1,000 donations of $65 each.

By Counterman Staff
Schaeffler Publishes 2023 Sustainability Report 

Schaeffler was awarded an “A” score in the climate change category for 2023 by the global non-profit environmental organization CDP for corporate transparency and performance.

By Emma Henderson
Schaeffler Sustainability Report

Other Posts

Introducing ‘Sustainability by Schaeffler’ on Counterman.com

In the weeks and months ahead, stay tuned for more sustainability content from Schaeffler and Counterman.

By Josh Cable
Schaeffler Sustainability
Jacki Lutz Named Content Director at Auto Care Association

Lutz will be tasked with leading a cross-functional and multimedia content strategy, development and execution across all platforms.

By Josh Cable
Jacki Lutz Auto Care
Auto Care Association Certified as a Great Place to Work

“This prestigious award is a testament to the association’s commitment to creating an inclusive, supportive and dynamic work environment for its employees,” Auto Care said.

By Josh Cable
HD Repair Shops Report Increases in Counter Sales, Labor Rates

The data comes from a Fullbay report published in partnership with ATA’s Technology and Maintenance Council.

By Josh Cable
Heavy Duty Repair