The German team YACO Racing entered two Camaro GT3s’ in the ADAC GT Masters debut in Zandvoort located in the Netherlands. This technically demanding 13 turn, 2.67 mile circuit put the two newly developed Sereni Camaros to the test with their powerful Katech engines. The newly developed Katech-powered cars showed their developers they are on the right track and that the Camaro GT3 is becoming a serious competitor.

After pushing hard to the front of the pack during the second race on Sunday, the Camaro GT3 #35 was hit on the left rear side by a Porsche at the end of the start/finish straight in lap 27. The subsequent damage to the suspension forced the car to retire early.
 

 
Hans Reiter (developer of the Camaro GT):
 
“I am pleased that we had no technical problems. Previously, we had found a large number of software errors and we worked hard to correct them until the race this weekend. We have explored the majority of the errors by now. The driver Charlie Geipel even set the fastest lap in his last race lap, proving that he is not too far away from the top. We are still losing too much time at the start which we need to analyse. I am convinced that we will have a real chance once we resolve this issue”.

Michigan 50 Companies to Watch is an awards program that discovers and celebrates the second-stage companies that make an impact in their markets, in their communities and in the state. Last month Katech was honered as on of those companies.

 Stephen Chue, president and technical director of Katech, as well as key members of the company were present at the awards ceremony in Lansing. It was a great team effort to come this far, and we will continue to strive toward being a more efficient and effective company. Governer Rick Snyder stated, ”It was good to pause and reflect on our success, but today we need to keep pushing towards our next goal”.

The Grand Prix of Miami in Homestead, FL started under a yellow flag due to hard rain and standing water on the track. Persistent rain and poor visibility led to 24 of the race’s 54 laps being run behind the pace car under yellow flag conditions. Conditions continued to deteriorate, leading race officials to halt the event 52 minutes short of the scheduled distance (2 hours, 45 minutes). The average speed was only 65.857 mph as the cars were sliding all-over the track. The rain was so bad that many of the surrounding towns around Homestead, FL were under flood warnings put out by the National Weather Service. With steady rain late Saturday morning during the scheduled time for qualifying, the session was cancelled and the starting grid was set by the point standings
 

Stevenson Motorsports #57: John Edwards, Robin Liddell

John Edwards and Robin Liddell were able to push through the rain and managed to grab 3rd position in the GT class. Their Katech-powered Chevrolet Camaro GT.R ran great finished 8th overall. Liddell states, “The conditions are pretty horrendous out there. But on the restart we managed to get into the lead, and then the #40 car hit me in turn 8, pushed me on the grass, so we lost a lot of spots. So that was a bit annoying. But managed to work our way back up, so not too bad.” Edwards stated, “It was a hard race just because the conditions were so treacherous. You couldn’t put a wheel wrong, you had to be really careful. It was changing conditions the whole time. For a couple of laps, the puddles would start to diminish, then more rain would come in and they’d get bigger, so you didn’t know what you had at any given time. It was a constant changing battle every lap.”
 

Autohaus Motorsports # 88: Paul Edwards, Jordan Taylor

The Katech-powered Chevrolet Camaro GT.R of Autohaus Motorsports finished 9th in class and 14th overall. Their finishing spot does not do the team justice, as they worked hard this weekend after encountering car issues. The team was able to sort everything out and get the #88 out on the track. The torrential downpours halted the race 52 minutes short, which left them at the back of the GT-class. Taylor stated, “There was so much spray, you couldn’t see more than two car lengths in front of you. I was trying to pop out to one side or the other, trying to get a clear view of what was going on. I couldn’t see the cars in front of me, couldn’t even see their tail lights.” The most frustrating fact was that shortly after officials stopped the event, the rain lightened and skies appeared to clear.
 

Cadillac Racing CTS-V.R: #3 Johnny O’Connell, #8 Andy Pilgrim

The 3rd round of the SCCA WCC took place this past weekend at Miller Motorsports Park in Utah. Johnny O’Connell was able to grab 2nd place, Andy Pilgrim took 4th. O’Connell extends his GT Drivers’ Championship lead with the runner-up finish, holding a 501 to 452 point lead over teammate Pilgrim. “It was a really good race with Patrick,” O’Connell said. “With us carrying all the weight, I figured out pretty early that he was just going to try to wear me down, make me use up my tires and then have his way with me. I actually backed my pace off a little to let him get close. I figured eventually he would take a run at me going into Turn 1. We raced each other super clean, and I think the fans enjoyed that. I was just hoping for traffic that never came. You have to give it to them. They were a little bit stronger today, but shoot, with 144 pounds…we were carrying a lot of weight.
 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DATE: 4/03/2012

Contact Information: Mike Kasatkin, Marketer, mike.k@katechengines.com, (586) 791-4120

Katech Inc. Honored as One of the 2012 “Michigan 50 Companies to Watch”

(Clinton Twp.) – Katech Inc. has been recognized as one of the 2012 “Michigan 50 Companies to Watch,” an awards program sponsored by the Edward Lowe Foundation and presented by Michigan Celebrates Small Business.

Katech Inc. will be honored at an awards ceremony during the eighth annual Michigan Celebrates Small Business event, May 3, 2012 in Lansing, Mich.

Katech is a global manufacturer of performance engines.  Specializing in professional racing, Katech offers a full spectrum of services ranging from innovative CAD/CAM design to prototyping, testing and manufacturing engines that meet customers’ strictest requirements..  Katech engines are also well suited for motorcycle, marine, military and industrial purposes. Made famous by the GM Corvette Racing team, Katech engines have powered legends A.J. Foyt, Dale Earnhart, Dale Earnhart Jr., Jimmy Johnson, Johnny O’Connell, and Ron Fellows and hold top honors from IROC, Trans-Am, IRL, ALMS, SCCA Pro, Grand-Am, FIA GT.  Katech received the “Global Motorsports Engine of the Year” in 2006 and the NASCAR “Engine Builder of the Year” award from 1995 to 1997 and.  Founded in greater Detroit (Michigan, USA) in 1977, Katech enjoys proximity to clients including General Motors and other manufacturers. More passion, more power:  www.KatechEngines.com

Stephen Chue, President and Technical Director of Katech said, “We have had great success in winning some of the most prestigious races in autoracing around the world, it is a great honor to be recognized by a panel of business and financial experts as one of the 50 second-stage companies to have the right elements to grow and contribute to the local community.”

Companies making it to the “Michigan 50 Companies to Watch” list are a remarkable group of second-stage companies. Defined as having 6 to 99 full-time-equivalent employees and generating $750,000 to $50 million in annual revenue or working capital from investors or grants, these companies form the backbone of Michigan’s economy. Representing all regions of the state and a diverse range of industries, companies like Katech Inc. are known for their exceptional entrepreneurial leadership, creation of innovation or use of innovation in creative ways, and their sustainable competitive advantage.

Winners were selected by Michigan-based judges from the banking, economic development, entrepreneurship development, industrial and venture capital communities.

Michigan 50 Companies to Watch is presented by Michigan Celebrates Small Business.

Founding underwriters are PNC Bank, Michigan Certified Development Corporation, Michigan Economic Development Corporation, Accident Fund Insurance Company of America and Dynamic Edge, Inc.

Contributing Underwriters are DTE Energy Foundation, Comcast Business Class, Comcast Spotlight, Varnum Attorneys at Law, Michigan Credit Union League & Affiliates, Huntington and DBI Office Interiors.

Michigan Celebrates Small Business was founded by the U.S. Small Business Administration, Michigan Economic Development Corporation, Michigan Small Business & Technology Development Center, Edward Lowe Foundation, Greater Lansing Business Monthly and Small Business Association of Michigan

# # #

On any given weekend, there are Katech engines powering race cars in numerous different venues around the world. Team owners pick Katech because of our racing heritage and reputation for reliability.  This past weekend the Super Stars series had it’s first race at Monza in Northern Italy.  Katech had two engines running in the GT class of the Grand-Am sports car series at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama. Yet another Katech engine ran in the ADAC Masters GT series at Oschersleben, in Germany. Katech would like to congratulate all of our teams on an outstanding performance this weekend, and we wish everyone the best of luck the rest of the season.

Super Stars: Solaris Motorsports, Chevrolet Lumina CR8

Francesco Sini, driver of the Solaris Chevrolet CR8 qualified 1st and finished 3rd this weekend, and was down only 1.6 seconds from the from the leader. They raced at Monza, located in Northern Italy it is a 3.6 mile, 11-turn track that is notorious around the world as  one of the fastest and deadliest tracks around. These are impressive results considering that this was the first race for team Solaris Motorsports.

Grand-Am GT class:  Autohaus Motorsports,Stevenson Motorsports.Chevrolet Camaro

Autohaus Motorsports #88, Paul Edwards, Jordan Taylor

Autohaus states “We finished the race in 6th place, which doesn’t reflect what our car, drivers or crew is capable of … but we’ll take it. Big thanks to our outstanding crew that worked especially hard this weekend repairing damage and getting the car ready.” Overall it was a good race at a very demanding track.

Stevenson Motorsports # 57, Robin Liddell, Ronnie Bremer

Team Stevenson Motorsports ran strong all weekend, and finished right behind Autohaus in 7th place in the GT-class. The Katech LS3-based engine performed flawlessly and propelled the car to a top-10 finish.

Yaco Racing, ADAC GT Masters, Chevrolet Camaro GT3

Team Yaco racing had their debut at the Oschersleben track in Germany. The Katech-built, LS-based engine ran great and had no issues. The Camaro GT did not have the opportunity to prove its qualities in its first race. The YACO team had difficulties to keep up with the large field of 40 cars. This problem was caused by the error memory in the central unit of the electronic engine control. This error memory was full during the sessions. Consequently, the central unit limited the maximum engine speed. The speed of the car was reduced which made it unsuitable for racing. This problem was caused by a software error and it will be solved with an update from the software manufacturer. Hans Reiter who developed the Camaro GT is still optimistic. “The software problem will be solved quickly and we will definitely do more tests to ensure the competitiveness of the car in the next GT Masters race.”

The 2.3 mile, 17-turn Barber Motorsports park in Birmingham, Alabama will be the location for the 2nd round of the Grand-Am Rolex sports-car series. The race will take place on Saturday, March 31st and will be aired on SPEED channel at 4pm ET. Katech Motorsports will have 2 cars in the race. Paul Edwards, driver of the Katech-powered # 88 Autohaus Chevrolet Camaro took the pole in today’s qualifying in the GT class. Robin Liddell qualified 3rd in his Katech-powered #57 Stevenson Chevrolet Camaro. On behalf of the Katech staff, we would like to wish everyone the best of luck and to have fun at Barber.

Autohaus Motorsports #88. John Edwards, Jordan Taylor

Stevenson Motorsports #57. Robin Liddell, Ronnie Bremer

On behalf of the Katech staff, we express our deepest condolences to Bill’s family, friends and racing community. Fritz Kayl, CEO and one of the founders of Katech knew Bill personally and had a long-lasting relationship on and off the track. “We’ve lost a friend, and Bill’s death is a great loss to the sport”

One of the worlds’ greatest drivers and innovators has died at the age of 81. According to the National Hot Road Association(NHRA), he died early Thursday morning. Bill was born in Malvern, Pennsylvania in 1930 and has been a fierce competitor in drag-racing since the 50′s. He re-invented the sport with numerous innovations in chassis and engine technology. Bill “Grumpy” Jenkings raced in stock, naturally aspirated and gasoline-fueled classes. He pioneered the Pro-Stock class and he won the first Pro-Stock event, the 1970 Winter-Nationals, in his 1968 Super Sport Camaro. At that same event he made Pro-Stocks’ first 9-second quarter mile pass.

Bill “Grumpy” Jenkins was inspiration for grassroots drag racers across America. As a driver, master engine builder, and championship-winning team owner. Throughout his racing career, Bill constantly challenged the norm and always thought out-side the box. He experimented with unconventional set-ups such as taking advantage of NHRA’s weight allowances and using them to his advantage. Mr. Jenkins crammed a 331 CID small block Chevrolet into a short-wheelbase Vega and dominated the field. He invented the tubular chassis and brought the dry-sump oiling system to drag-racing.

2012 marks the 23^rd season of the World Challenge Championship. It has been named the most competitive road racing series by AutoWeek, Car & Driver and RACER Magazine. The series is all about world-class drivers piloting production-based cars that come from more than 10 auto manufacturers. It’s a formula that has and will continue to serve the interests of manufacturers, drivers, automotive enthusiasts and race fans. Cadillac Racing’s potent Katech-powered CTS-V.R Coupe race cars return to the track in 2012 to compete for the Pirelli World Challenge Series title. They finished 2011 with victories in two of the season’s final four events and a flurry of podium finishes. Both the # 3 and # 8 Katech-powered CTS-V.R Coupes have been updated with advances in body work and powertrain. The team is focused on capturing both the Driver and Manufacturer titles. No strangers to the checkered flag of a race, veteran racecar drivers Johnny O’Connell and Andy Pilgrim bring a fierce sense of competition to the Cadillac Racing team. O’Connell is behind the wheel of the # 3 car, and Pilgrim drives the # 8 car, and both cars are based on the critically acclaimed Cadillac CTS-V Coupe production car.
 

 
The 2012 WCC season kicked off this previous weekend with the season opener in St. Petersburg, Florida. Katech engines performed flawlessly and propelled the Cadillac CTS-V.Rs to the top of the podium. During race 1 on Saturday, Johnny O’Connell finished right behind Porsche 911 of Aschenbach. But after official review O’Connel was declared the winner of race one. The officials revealed that Aschenbach passed multiple cars and took the lead at the scene of a local yellow between turns three and four for the stalled # 23 Mustang Boss on the final lap. As a result, Aschenbach was penalized 60 seconds, dropping him to 11th in class and 27th in the final race standings. This marked the sixth career victory for O’Connell in World Challenge competition and his third St. Pete win. The second race on Sunday showed how well the Cadillac’s were running, with a 2^nd and 3^rd podium finish.
 

 
O’Connell will move on to Long Beach with the early GT points lead, 265-239, over Aschenbach.  This marks his second consecutive victory in the Katech-powered # 3 Cadillac Racing CTS-V.R on Saturday night after winning the 2011 season finale at Road Atlanta.  O’Connell states, “It really shows all the hard work that Cadillac did in the offseason. We had really good cars. I actually had a better car today. We had made some changes to it overnight to make it more nimble and it was, but the added weight that we got from winning yesterday made a difference. That is the hardest I’ve driven in a long time. I was just pushing so hard.”
 

 
Andy Pilgrim, of Marina Del Rey, FL., made it two Cadillacs on the Race 2 podium with a third-place run in the Katech-powered # 8 Cadillac Racing CTS-V.R Coupe. Pilgrim was at the center of a number of wild starts and restarts but he managed to keep it clean and secure another solid result. Pilgrim finished fourth in Race 1.”It was very wild,” Pilgrim said. “The restarts were especially wild. I was hoping we’d both get top fives this weekend and get out of here, because you never know with this place. It’s a street course and there’s a lot of damaged equipment. It’s just a street race. I’m very happy with top three today. Johnny got a great win yesterday and for me, it’s always a team deal, but I’m glad to be on the podium. What can I say? It’s St. Pete and we’re out of here with two top fives, so I’m happy.”
 
-Mike Kasatkin, Marketing Dept.

Sixty-four cars started the 60th Anniversary Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring and after twelve long hours of racing, Katech engines did not have a single issue. The finishing order for the race was; CORE #06 first, PR1 second, CORE #05 third and all three cars were within one lap at the end. PR1 was poised to win with their strategy but in the last ten minutes or so lost all gears except fifth & sixth, which showed that the engines make good torque and PR1 was very appreciative of that. They only went down about 3 seconds a lap only using fifth & sixth!! On behalf of the Katech staff, we would like to congratulate everyone that participated in the historic 12 Hours of Sebring.

 
CORE Autosport drivers Alex Popow, E.J. Viso and Burt Frisselle in the Katech-powered ORECA FLM09 have won the 60th Annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring in sunny Florida, in the LMPC class (12th overall). CORE Autosport dominated the podium for the historic event, scoring a third-place finish (15th overall) for the sister #05 machine driven by team founder/owner Jon Bennett, Colin Braun and Eric Lux.  Co-driver Alex Popow of the LMPC-class winner #06 Core Autorsport stated,  ”I’ve got to hand it to E.J. It was that last hour where he fought to keep the car up front.  And to think that he and I got first place at Sebring after less than a week in the car.  Amazing.” For Burt Frisselle this was an especially emotional win.  Thirty-five years prior (1977), Burt’s father Brad won the 12-hour classic and was present for this years’ race.

PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports team owner, Bobby Oergel, would have liked to stand one step higher on Sebring’s podium, but he is still inspired by his team’s performance during the twelve hour race. “In terms of pure execution, the crew performed flawlessly all week,” Oergel exclaimed. “I really couldn’t be more proud of them. We’re all true racers on this team, so we’re obviously not thrilled that we didn’t win tonight. But we are eagerly anticipating running for the team championship this year and championships are won when you make a bad race exceptional, and that’s exactly what we accomplished tonight. Rudy, Ken, Butch, and the guys took a car with a busted nose and only two gears and nearly won the 12 Hours of Sebring with it. That’s the type of team that can challenge for wins and the championship, and that’s why our heads are held up high.”

 
Bar1 #7 car had steering rack problem and crashed a couple times before retiring and the #8 car overheated the front brakes half-way through the race.  Dempsey had all mechanical issues with the starter and electrical system.  RSR was out front in the beginning but ended up burning up the clutch.  Muscle Milk struggled a little but was doing ok till an accident sent them to the garage.
 

Saturday March 17th marks the 60th running of the historic 12 hours of Sebring live from sunny Florida. It is also the opening round of the new-for-2012 FIA World Endurance Championship. The PC class race cars feature a full carbon fiber chassis and body work, carbon brakes and an Xtrac sequential gearbox with paddle shifting. Katech is the official engine supplier for the nine-car PC field. These cars are lightweight and can reach speeds of 170 mph. Qualifying will take place on Friday March 16, 3:20 PM – 4:25 PM. The race will kick off Saturday March 17, 10:30
 
Follow the race with live timing: http://www.imsaracing.net/2003/lt/ltc.html
 

Dempsey/Silicon Tech Racing #25

Henri Richard, Duncan Ende, Ryan Lewis, Dane Cameron

Core Autosport #05 & #06

#05 Colin Braun, David Martinez, Jon Bennet

#06 Alex Popow, E.J. Viso, Burt Frisselle

PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports #52

Butch Leitzinger, Rudy Junco

Performance Tech #18

Anthony Nicolisi, Jarrett Boon

Rocket Sports Racing #9

Bruno Junqueria, Tomy Drissi

Merchant Services Racing #7 & #8

Chapman Ducote, Javier Acheverria, Pablo Sanchez #7

Kyle Marcelli, Lucas Downs,Dean Stirling #8

 Muscle Milk Pickett Racing #5

Memo Gidley, Mike Guasch

Katech customers are very loyal.Once they realize the high level of craftsmanship and pride that Katech employees have, they come back for repeat business. In this instance a customer came to us for a Street Attack build. Katech Performance built him an engine based on the existing LS7 platform; he then preceded to road race the car.  After attending several Katech Track Attack events and logging over 40 hours, the customer was hooked on road racing and the engine was ready for a rebuild.  Instead of going to another engine builder the customer came back for another build, a full race Track Attack LS7.

A build of this magnitude fits well with Katech, as we are experienced with building cars of this stature. Katech became famous in endurance road-racing by winning 24 hour races such as Daytona and Le Mans. This is no small feat as engines have to be extremely durable, yet maintain great power throughout the duration of the race and beyond.

To bring the build to the next level and turn this Corvette into a full Track Attack Z06 Katech scrapped the LS7 and went with a completely different engine. A strong block had to be selected, so we went with a RHS LS race block which has priority main oiling and allows the main bearings to see oil before it goes to the cam and valvetrain.  This block is made of a heavy-duty A357-T6 Aluminum, which is much stronger than the softer material used in the factory LS7 block.The RHS cylinder case has added crank clearance if a customer wants to increase stroke up to 4.600”.  A Callies Compstar crankshaft and H-beam rods were used with forged pistons that are cooled by oil squirters. The camshaft of choice for this engine is GM stage 3.  It has been proven to provide a stable valvetrain and make great power.An ARE pump and pan are used to combat oil starvation experienced in high lateral-g turns. To supply air and fuel LS7 cylinder heads and a FAST 102mm intake are fed by a huge billet throttle body and injectors.  This combination made 644 HP on Katech’s engine dyno and is track ready.

The Le Mans Prototype Class cars are the fastest closed-wheel racing cars used in circuit racing today. They are considered a class above production-based grand touring cars which compete alongside them in sports car racing. Their cost and technology makes them comparable to Formula One cars, including reaching a higher top speed than Formula One. The ALMS just completed a test at the 17 turn, 3.7 mile Sebring International Raceway held on February 8 – 9, 2012 in Sebring, Florida. The main goal of the test was to get the drivers acclimated to the cars, test their set-ups and make necessary adjustments. Katech Motorsports is proud to be the exlusive engine provider for the LMPC class, and we are now building new parts for the teams. These new parts include; oiling system upgrades, billet engine front covers and high performance throttle-bodies. We have started manufacturing these parts in order to make them readily available to the teams at a reasonable cost.

Eager to get the 2012 racing season started, the Dempsey/Silicon Tech Racing team was on hand for the annual American Le Mans Series winter test. This was the first outing for the #25 Oreca FLM09 car and it performed flawlessly. The two-day test would provide plenty of opportunity for the drivers Duncan Ende, Dane Cameron and Ryan Lewis to acquaint themselves with the LMPC machinery, along with their new team. A collaboration between Dempsey Racing, owned by actor and driver Patrick Dempsey and Silicon Tech Racing. The team was able to put down some great lap times once the drivers were able to get used to the systems. The car’s pace would prove strong from the moment it hit the track, and it topped the LMPC class after the two day test. As the two day test progressed the #25 car cranked out the fastest lap of 1:53, which was over a second faster than the competition. “We had a very strong, and very productive, two-day test in Sebring,” said Ende. “The LMPC class this year looks to be very competitive, with a lot of very strong teams and drivers, so it was important for us to get a strong start. Dane and Ryan have raced in LMPC in the past, so they were able to help me get acclimated to the car and really shorten our learning curve. I couldn’t be happier with how things went for us at the test.”

Throughout the testing PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports was able to shake down their #52 car and turn some great lap times. The #52 is driven by Rudy Junco, Butch Leitzinger and Ken Dobson, even though they were not able to snag the best lap time, they ran consistently throughout the test and tuned their car for the Sebring 12 hour race. “The competition in LMPC has increased considerably this year, there’s no doubt about that,” Dobson said. “I’m not that concerned though. Looking up and down the field, I believe that we have the strongest driver lineup in the paddock, we’ve all won with PR1/Mathiasen last year, so I’m feeling very confident that we’ll be able to compete for wins again this year.”

Team Core Autosport was also at the Sebring winter test, dialing their #05 driven by Jon Bennett, Colin Braun and David Martiniez. They were also fielding the #06 driven by Antonio, Matt and Lucas Downs. The drivers stated, “The purpose of this test, especially for me, was to get some laps in the LMPC car, which I’d not driven before the test. I must say the car was quite good out of the box, which I would expect from the team that won the championship last year. The car has amazing horsepower; – It feels like a big, live, huge race car, – different than anything I’ve ever driven. At Sebring, there’s plenty of room to really open it up.  From where I’ve been, working to get to this level is a huge learning curve and I’m taking it step by step.  I’m just working on gaining confidence and bringing down my times. This test was a great experience and I thank CORE Autosport for hosting me and my brothers.”

Muscle Milk/Pickett Racing completed a successful and productive ALMS Winter Test. The Muscle Milk team then continued with the shakedown of its car by giving Lucas Luhr, Klaus Graf and Simon Pagenhaud each a turn behind the wheel, in order for them to get comfortable in their new surroundings. Gauch stated, “Today was our first ALMS open test with the Muscle Milk Pickett Racing LMPC car, we’ve been testing all off-season already and we felt like we had it somewhat sorted out. It was nice because we got here and pulled the car right off the truck and the setup was very, very good, very close.” The teams will return to Sebring later in February for another test before the race week in March. The 2012 ALMS season begins with the 60th Anniversary Twelve Hours of Sebring fueled by Fresh from Florida on Saturday, March 17^th.

This beast of an engine was recently finished for a Katech customer who wanted a fully built, race capable power plant. We started out with a C5-R block for a solid foundation and we added a Sonny Bryant crankshaft, Carrillo connecting rods and custom-built Mahle 13:1 pistons for a bulletproof bottom end. A 4.125” bore matched with a 3.575” stroke turns this engine into a 382 cubic inch high rpm monster. It has a custom grind solid roller camshaft by Comp Cams with Jesel .937” solid lifters, Trend one-piece pushrods. To cope with the immense lateral g-forces of a high downforce racer, a custom 6-stage dry-sump system was designed.

The top end of this engine is equally impressive and helps make 680 HP @ 7400 rpm and 560 ft/lbs @ 5600 rpm. It has Katech C5-R heads, which were CNC ported in house and is also equipped with Del-West titanium valves and Comp Cams valve springs. The intake setup on this engine is extraordinary and allows this engine to breathe deep. Each cylinder has its’ own Harrop throttle body with an individual carbon fiber runner. This configuration allows Katech engineers to finely tune the power curve. In order to precisely control this engine, a Motec M-880 EFI system was used.

This year marked the 50^th running of the 24 hours of Daytona and it attracted the largest crowd in history of the event, with various attendance estimates ranging from 60,000-80,000. The 44 car Grand Touring (GT) field that included 9 manufacturers also toppled the GT entry record. The fans filled the entire infield and watched as the cars logged a grueling 2,700 miles.

The Daytona 24 is known as one of the most demanding and challenging races in the motorsports community. Chevrolet Racing sponsored Camaro GT.R’s had an outstanding performance. Even with the Camaros’ much larger frontal area, they ran in front of the Ferraris, Fords, Audis, Vipers and Mazdas throughout the entirety of the race.

In the (GT) class the Katech Motorsports prepared LS3 engines performed flawlessly and propelled the #57 Stevenson Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro GT.R to a 4^th in class finish, making them the top finisher for Chevrolet and placing 14^th overall in the race. Driver of the #57, John Edwards stated “we cut our fuel close, didn’t have to splash at the end, but in the end we still couldn’t get around or catch up to any of the top three Porsches.” The #88 Autohaus Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro GT.R made a hard charge at the end to pass the Mazda and grab the 9^th finishing position in the GT class and 20^th overall. It was a great start to the season for Chevrolet Racing.

The 24 hours of Daytona is a very different race because of its’ long duration, which makes it difficult to maintain momentum and carry the same level of intensity throughout the race. Throughout the 2012 season the Grand-Am series will hold one other Endurance event, the 6 hour race at Watkins Glen, the rest of this year’s races will be Sprint races less than 3 hours long. Porsches have dominated the GT class at Daytona for years, they are just better suited for the long straights and high banks of the race course. However, as the season continues there will be tighter tracks that will suit the Chevrolets better. The second event of the seasons is set for March 30-31, 2012 at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama.

The 50^th running of the 24 hours of Daytona will take place this upcoming weekend. There will be several cars using Katech Motorsports engines. We have put together a spotter’s guide for our fans to keep track of the cars. The action begins with a 10:00 am practice session Thursday, January 26 with GT qualifying scheduled for 4:15pm the same day. The 50th Rolex 24 at Daytona will take the green flag at 3:30pm Saturday, January 28.

Stevenson Motorsports: #57-Robin Liddell, John Edwards and Robbie Bremer

Stevenson Motorsports: #75- Al Carter,  Hugh Plumb and Eric Curran

Autohaus Motorsports: #88-Jordan Taylor, Paul Edwards, Tommy Milner and  Matthew Marsh

Michael Baughman Racing: #46 – Jeff Nowicki, Mike Baughman, Ray Mason Jr and  Armand Fuaml

I’m happy to announce that Katech Track Attack 2012 is ON! After a year off in 2011 we are back at Autobahn Country Club in Joliet IL for two days of our annual luxury HPDE.

Where: Autobahn Country Club – South Circuit, Joliet IL

When: Mon/Tue July 30/31

Pro Drivers:

Johnny O’Connell

Andy Pilgrim

more pro drivers TBA

Who can attend?

Registration opens to Track Attack alumni today (1/24/12)

Registration opens to everyone else 1/31/12

The event is open to all skill levels. If you’ve never been to an HPDE before this is a great place to get lots of instruction. If you’re an HPDE pro you’ll also love this event for it’s loads of track time.

What is included?

Plenty of track time – last time we ran 13 20-minute sessions in two days

Track support – Katech technicians available to do minor work on your car

Instructional classes

Pro drivers to offer instruction rides

Some of the best HPDE instructors around

All food – light breakfast, catered lunch and dinners

Vendors for product demonstration/support – TBA

Unbelievable camaraderie

a few more surprises we’re working on

Basically everything except lodging and travel

What does it cost?

$899.99 for you, your car and a guest

Now for the fine print:

Space is limited. Alumni will have priority registration for the first week then it is open to all Katech customers past, present and future and all Corvette forum members. First come, first serve. Event is held rain or shine. Since commitments are made based on participation, no refunds or exchanges will be given after registration. Registration is transferable if necessary. Pro drivers subject to change without notice.

We hope to see all of our alumni as well as many fresh faces this year. So, start planning your pilgrimage. We get participants from all over the country. We will have transportation services available from Katech. If we get several participants from the same region we can also arrange enclosed transportation.

Click the link below for event homepage and registration

http://events.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=qjcnxifab&oeidk=a07e5izr45n07c06342

Come inside to view our favorite video of the week. The video features a C5 Corvette with a Track Attack LS7, make sure to watch and feel free to comment!

Katech-powered Corvette sets track record at Paul Ricard

We have some exciting black Friday deals for you that continue through the week of cyber Monday.  Coupon codes are active 11/25-12/2.

The deals:

1. Buy a Katech billet belt tensioner get a free Katech Performance logo t-shirt PLUS a $50 gift card.
Coupon codes:
TENSIONER1 for cars (KAT-A4425)
TENSIONER2 for trucks (KAT-A4426)

2. Buy any LS9X or LS9R clutch kit get a free Katech Performance logo t-shirt PLUS a $100 gift card. *
Coupon code: CLUTCH

3. Buy any splitter, side skirt kit, or spoiler get a free Katech Performance logo t-shirt PLUS a $50 gift card for each component you purchase.
Coupon code: AERO

There is no limit to the quantity of products added to your cart.  If you buy 10 tensioners, you get 10 free shirts and $500 in gift cards.  However, only one coupon code can be entered per transaction.  If you need to use multiple coupons you’ll need to place separate orders.

Free Katech Performance logo shirt only applies to PN# KAT-6409.

Your gift certificate will arrive via email to the address provided in your order after the order is processed.  Gift certificates are active for 6 months.

*Excludes KAT-A6187

Katech will be displaying at the PRI show in Orlando, FL December 1-3.  Be sure to stop by the ARE/Katech booth #3739 to check out Katech’s hottest new products as well as ARE’s LS7 dry sump system upgrade.