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Congratulations to Tony Bischoff and BES Racing Engines... 5X Engine Masters Champion

When Jon Kaase looked at his numbers after his dyno run on day four of the 2014 AMSOIL Engine Masters Challenge he seemed crestfallen. He brought a powerful engine to the game, but when all was said and done after Thursday's end of the day run his gut told him he'd be coming up short in the final showdown.

Tony Bischoff (center) watches the numbers with BES Racing Engines on the block.

Sure enough, his instincts were keenly attuned to what was going on, and when the final story had been told, he didn't have it this year. Tony Bischoff started the final day with ginormous numbers and by day's end his score was insurmountable.

Congratulations, Tony. 5X Engine Master has to feel pretty good.

There was still a lot of power on display in the finals. When all was said and done, here's how it all shook out. 

1) SCORE: 3017.4 
ENTRY: BES Racing Engines ENGINE: 401ci Gen III Hemi 
AVERAGE PEAK POWER: 688.67 horsepower, 611.67 lb-ft

2) SCORE: 2920.9 
ENTRY: Bradley Built Engines ENGINE: 417ci Gen III Hemi 
AVERAGE PEAK POWER: 699.07 horsepower, 615.70 lb-ft

3) SCORE: 2913.5 
ENTRY: “Also BES,” John Lohone ENGINE: 401 LS 
AVERAGE PEAK POWER: 674.00 horsepower, 595.33 lb-ft

4) SCORE: 2904.1 
ENTRY: School of Automotive Machinists ENGINE: 436ci LS 
AVERAGE PEAK POWER: 725.33 horsepower, 644.00 lb-ft

5) SCORE: 2875.4 
ENTRY: Jon Kasse Racing ENGINE: 404ci Kaase Boss 9 
AVERAGE PEAK POWER: 677.33 horsepower, 597.00 lb-ft

For more details, and photos, visit the Hot Rod Blog.

Here are some additional shots from Lima, Ohio last week.

The Bradley Built Engine had some cool Brazilian technology affixed.

The local media dropped by to put our story on the evening news.

That's an oil pan, not a bed pan. All week the staff was exceedingly helpful.

John Lohone, like the other top guns, had double plugs per cylinder.

This was a first EMC for Hot Rod editor David Kennedy, here addressing the banquet.

The Brad Nagel made an impressive run, but came up short. 

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."

Joe Carroll Talks About Engine Building and AMSOIL

Many of the builders here are modest, and highly respected, among them Joe Carroll of Stonewall, Louisiana. According to competition director Wes Roberson he's a very astute builder. "He does very detailed work and leaves very little to chance."

After pulling some strong numbers we took a few minutes to learn more about his passions.

How did you get into Engine Building?

Joe Carroll: I used to work at an engine shop years ago, and it’s turned into a hobby. I’m a lineman, that’s how I make my living. If I had to build engines for a living then I’d probably be living in a cardboard box somewhere. It’s a hobby, it’s kind of a passion that me and some friends of ours do.

How did you get into Engine Masters?

JC: We began coming to Engine Masters when a friend of mine came in 2006 and we went to NYC and fell in love with the idea and the people around. It’s kind of turned into a family reunion every year so we just enjoy coming up here visiting, bringing a piece and see how we stand up against everybody.

Have you been coming every year?

JC: We’ve come every year since 2006. We came with our own piece in 2007 and have been here ever since.

Your take on AMSOIL?

JC: We love the Break-In Oil. We tried some before in another brand and the motor would kind of huff for a while when we did a Ford years ago. When we got on the AMSOIL, you’ll see a little almost steam come out of the breather before we pull. Then everything seals up and you can tell the numbers pick up on the dyno. That was our dead giveaway on it. The fuel numbers went up so that was a big plus for us. We left it in for I think 15 pulls and we left it in through the whole time. Then we came here and we dropped it and put the real deal in and we saw a little bit more horsepower, so that was a little more of a bonus for us this year.

Have you used AMSOIL in the past?

We’ve used AMSOIL in the past, and we’ve now gone to running it in our dirt bikes. We use the 2-stroke oil, too. It burns real clean so we’ve been impressed with everything that they’ve had. We’ve had to kind of shop around for it but we end up getting it and that’s all we’ve been running anymore.

* * * *

As of 2:00 p.m. Joe Carroll is still in the hunt.

Day Four: Big Guns at the AMSOIL Engine Masters Challenge

In second place after good dyno run.

It's all business here at UNOH in Lima as we open up the Day 4 of the AMSOIL Engine Masters Challenge. We arrive to find RCS Racing Engine / RCS-AMS on the block in Dyno Cell #1. The Ford 414 kicked out enough power to propel the team into second place as we start this final day of prelims.

Team captain Ron Stanislawczyk (left) has been building engines since he was a boy. His company, RCS Racing Engines has been building them for over 30 years. "We’re a pretty big facility. We built over 5,000 race engines in the past thirty years. We do dirt, asphalt, limited classes, crate engine classes. From NHRA Pro Stock, IHRA Pro-Stock, all the way down to the competition classes," said Stanislawczyk.

In the next cell Adney Brown of Performance Crankshaft was setting up. Brown selected Dominator 5W-20 for his 414 cu. in. Chevy engine, which took fourth place the first year he brought it. But the technology has changed significantly since then and he's thinking it may be time to step up. "It’s always been a good experience, good people, really an enjoyable competition," Brown noted.

The numbers tell the story.

Third up was Chris Thomas of Almost Kaase. Jon Kaase picked up Chris from the School of Automotive Machinist and it's clear the young man has received some strong training. After getting the engine hooked up, Jon Kaase went in and had the vent adjusted, saying, "This engine needs all the air it can get." When all was said and done, Team Almost Kaase leaped to the top of the heap with some superlative numbers.

Bradley Built Engines is on Dyno 2 getting ready to run, and then we'll break for lunch. Here are a few photos from today's action thus far.

Brad Nagel pouring 0W-20 into his 417 cu.in. Hemi.

Adney Brown prepares his Chev.

Hot Rod magazine getting the inside line on event coverage.

Between dyno runs, everyone is editing, sending, messaging, & just plain busy.