Day Five: AMSOIL Engine Masters Challenge. Bischoff Throws Down the Gauntlet

Last night's Engine Masters Banquet was enjoyable as always. Clarence Barnes was once again Master of Ceremonies for the evening. It became apparent that this was a transition year for the AMSOIL Engine Masters Challenge. David Freiburger and David Kennedy, editors from Hot Rod magazine, each shared their enthusiasm for the new possibilities for the future of the Challenge. Ed Zinke, head of the EMC, was honored for his hard work and vision for the event.

This morning Johnny Hunkins explained some of the changes he envisions for the future. "It’s going to be a launching pad for all kinds of cool things. I think with the resources that Hot Rod Magazine can bring to bear on the Engine Masters Challenge they’ll be able to entice a lot of other people into the fray and bring in both different manufactures and engine builders that we didn’t have the resources or reach to bring in. So it’s a jumping off point. I’ve been with Engine Masters for 11 years since 2003 so I’ve seen it grow and run its natural course and I think it’s going to be a great thing."

The banquet ended with Ed Newman of AMSOIL drawing the running order out of a hat for today's final showdown. That running order today turned out to be: Tony Bischoff of BES first, Brad Nagel of Bradley Built Engines next, John Lahone of ALSO BES third, Chris Bennett of School of Automotive Machinists fourth and finally 5X champion Jon Kaase of Jon Kaase Racing.

This morning Tony Bischoff was set up twenty minutes early, hoping to start as soon as possible to take advantage of the cool morning air, but the start time was officially 7:30 so he had to wait.

The new rules this year permitted teams to carryover unused time from their qualifying runs in order to make adjustments during the final day on the dyno. Bischoff would have an additional 21 minutes to work with for any modifications required to get maximum results.

Tony Bischoff (second from left) with Team B.E.S. Racing Engines

When all was said and done, Tony was clearly on top of his game. Steve Dulcich, Editor in Chief and brand manager of Engine Masters Magazine, stated, "I don’t think anyone’s going to catch Bischoff. He’s so far in front, he’s gone. I’d be shocked if anyone came anywhere close to where Bischoff is performing.

"There’s a lot of tricks on that Bischoff motor. Stuff that you wouldn’t expect. The way he’s using the carburetor. You might think it’s peculiar that he’s got a carburetor and in the past all the top finishers were using fuel injection. Now why is that? There might be a reason. Bischoff is on to something there, I’ve got a few hints on what it is but I’ve been sworn to secrecy and I’m not gonna disclose anything at this point. But Bischoff, he plays all the angles and he doesn’t miss a trick. That’s why he’s a winner, that’s why he’s leading this competition right now. He’s not the only one but at this show, he’s the best."