WCC

Laguna Seca raceway is an 11-turn, 2.238-mile circuit located in Monterey, California. It held Saturday’s Pirelli World Challenge race. Cadillac Racing’s factory driver Andy Pilgrim was able to secure a 3rd place in his Katech-powered #8 Cadillac CTS-V.R coupe. Pilgrim was happy with his third-place run while carrying rewards weights, and had to hold off a charging Lawson Aschenbach at the finish. Pilgrim states, “Manufacturers points are all we care about. Of course, I was going to try and get to Alex Figge, because I wanted him to be a cushion between us and the Porsche. It just really kept me focused. Lawson raced me fair and really close.
 
Cadillac drivers sitone-two in the Championship point standings. O’Connell is on top with 573, followed by Pilgrim with 559. Pobst moved to third with 502, followed by Aschenbach, 427, and Sofronas, 409.  Safronas retired with a mechanical problem on the front straight to bring out the race’s first caution on lap 15. Cadillac also maintained the Manufacturers Championship lead over Porsche 37 to 33.  Volvo closes the gap with 25, followed by Chevrolet with eight.
 

LMPC

Competition was very tough among the nine PC-classentrants.  After a full day of racing around the legendary Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca’s 2.238-mile, 11-turn track, the top three cars were a mere 1.725 seconds apart. Core Autorsport #05 driven by Jon Bennett and Colin Braun took first place. Jon Bennett, founder and co-pilot of CORE Autosport #05 Composite Resources ORECA FLM09 stated “This is a dream come true, It’s been a long time getting here for me and I’m very honored and proud to be part of CORE Autosport. I drove the wheels off of this car during my stint. Colin put together a smokin’ move at the end of the race and here we are. “I’m so happy. It’s just an unbelievable result.

 
The 2012 ALMS season has been filled with wins and podiums in three rounds of competition for Rock Hill, SC-based CORE Autosport. The season-opening 12 Hours of Sebring was won by lead driver Popow in the #06 machine, as well as the second round on the streets of Long Beach with the #05 Bennett / Braun pairing taking third spot in both events. Thanks to consecutive wins and podium finishes in the three 2012 ALMS rounds, CORE Autosport holds a comfortable lead in the 2012 ALMS PC driver and team championships.

Grand-Am

New Jersey Motorsports park is a 2.25-mile, 14-turn road circuit located about an hour south of Philadelphia. Robin Liddell and John Edwards powered the No. 57 Stevenson Motorsports Camaro GT.R to a solid second place finish at the end of the 2.75-hour race. The No. 57 Stevenson Motorsports Camaro GT.R started on the pole, the team did an excellent job in the GT class getting a second place finish. The #88 Autohaus Motorsports team had a strong performance as well and finished fifth.

 

 
Runner-up in GT, Robin Liddell stated, “Well, it was a really hard race for us. John [Edwards] did an excellent job this weekend coming back from an injured and qualified the car on the pole. It looked really strong. We decided to try and save fuel and run the two-stop race; seemed to be playing into our hands with no cautions. And I think we all needed to save a bit near the end. But yeah, very, very hard. We were about five laps short on the tires so everybody around us was a wee bit better. But we were just hanging on. I know myself and the No. 42 and the No. 44 were absolutely all over the place just trying to hang on at the end there.”

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”.

 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”.

Street Attack 500
RHS block with piston squirters, main and head studs
Forged crank/rods/pistons
Torquer LS7 110 camshaft
WCCH-ported heads with bronze guides
Ti/Mo intake valves/LS7 exhaust valves
FAST LSXR intake with NW102mm TB
ARE Stage 3 with Katech red pump

Street Attack 500 engine dyno

Getting ready to go back in the car:

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.
 

ALMS-PC

 
In the ALMS PC-class, Katech-powered Core Autosport machines continued their winning streak with a decisive win on the streets of Long Beach. Katech’s Rich Priester stated, “Qualifying was cancelled because of the rain, the cars were lined up based on their team points. The teams did not get a lot of track time, it all came down to the best chassis set-up.”
 
The #06 Core ORECA FLM09 of Alex Popow and Ryan Dalziel finished first in the PC-class and third overall. Their sister car; the #05, driven by team founder Jon Bennett and Colin Braun finished third and fifth overall. It was also the second year in a row that the team took the pole and the race at Long Beach. Colin Braun stated, “I knew I was going to have to fight from the beginning, even though I was starting on the pole, so I was confident and aggressive.  In the first turn of the first lap I got caught between two LMP2 cars and they made me a sandwich – one hit me on one side and the other hit me on the other side, but I was able to pass both.”
 

 
The Muscle Milk #5, Katech-powered Oreca FLM-09 piloted by Mike Guasch and Memo Gidley also had a great race. They moved up from fourth in class on the grid to finish second in class and fourth overall. “It was just a lot of emotions and for it to come together in the race and finish on the podium is fantastic. Mike did an unbelievable stint and got the car into the lead. Unfortunately we lost a little bit of time in the pits but we went back out and just ran a smart race and finished second. It’s awesome to get back on the podium again. I’ve had a lot of success in the past at Long Beach and saw a lot of friends and fans. It’s been a great weekend.”
 

SCCA-World Challenge

 
Katech powered Cadillac CTS-V.R’s dominate the streets of Long Beach! The two Pratt & Miller prepared Silver Bullets finished 1^st and 3^rd after starting 2^nd and 3^rd behind the All Wheel Drive K-Pax Volvo of Randy Pobst. Andy Pilgrim in the #8 CTSV.R had an awesome launch against the AWD Volvo and was able to tuck in and stay behind Pobst for the first part of the race. As the race progressed, the tires on the 2WD Cadillac seam to hold up better and allowed Andy make his pass for the lead.
 

 
Pobst placed 2^nd and was sandwiched between the two Cadillacs as Johnny O’Connell, grabbed the final spot on the GT podium with a third-place finish in his # 3 Cadillac Racing Cadillac CTS-V.R. Johnny O’Connell, who started third, leaves Long Beach atop the GT point standings by 13 points, 374-361, over Pilgrim thanks to three straight podium results – including a season-opening victory in St. Pete.

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

# # #

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.”

Autohaus Motorsports #88. John Edwards, Jordan Taylor

Stevenson Motorsports #57. Robin Liddell, Ronnie Bremer

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.

 
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.

 
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

The new Katech-powered Sareni United Camaro GT3 debuted at the GT Open at the Paul Ricard HTTT in the south of France last weekend. In the free practice sessions the US GT racing car demonstrated that it will be a strong competitor in future GT3 series races. The Camaro was driven by Albert von Thurn und Taxis (DEU), Stefan Rosina (SLK) and Peter Kox (NLD). Thurn und Taxis and Rosina are going to share a Reiter Engineering Lamborghini Gallardo LP600+ in the 2012 ADAC GT Masters season.

Hans Reiter who developed the new Camaro GT is pleased with its performance: “Everybody did a good job. However, there is a lot of work to do until the start of the season. We still need to fine-tune the Camaro.” The GT car was transported to the BoP (Balance of Performance) for tuning  after the free practice sessions. Therefore it was missing in the starting grid of the actual race.

The Yaco Racing team (DEU) will use the car for a race for the first time when they compete in the ADCA GT Masters series and the FIA GT3 European Championship with two Camaros GTs. The first race of the new ADAC GT Masters season will take place at the Motorsport arena in Oschersleben on March 31 and April 1, 2012.

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.

Katech now manufactures remote clutch bleeder kits for the C5 Corvette.  Our C6 bleeder has been very popular and customers have commented on the quality over other units so we decided to make one for the C5 Corvette also.  The kit fits 1997-2004 Corvettes and allows you to bleed the clutch from under the hood, rather than the very difficult position of under the car.  It also makes for a great way of flushing out your clutch hydraulic system and completely exchanging the fluid, prolonging clutch hydraulic system life.  The bleeder is a great addition to our LS9X and LS9R clutch kits now available for C5.

Order online:
http://store.katechengines.com/c5-remote-clutch-bleeder-kit-p299.aspx

These new Katech Performance logo hooded zip up jackets are soft, comfortable, and great for cool spring weather.

-Sublimated print design
-Fleece inside
-Zip up front with pocket
-Hood with print inside
-Very comfortable
-Available in sizes S-3XL (runs on the large side)
-Made in the USA!

This first batch is going fast. Our second batch will be due in late April.

Order online:
http://store.katechengines.com/jacket-katech-performance-hooded-zip-up-p304.aspx

View our complete line-up of 2012 apparel here:
http://store.katechengines.com/apparel-c15.aspx

Benton and his father are long time gear-heads and have been restoring and racing cars for years.  This has been Benton’s brain child and it began with a Riggins tubular chassis for superior handling and weight savings as well as fiberglass Derhaag C5 body work. Benton Bryan reached out to Katech Performance in order to power this race car. Katech Engineering came up with an engine package that provides high horsepower as well as durability for endurance racing. They started with a C5-R block, which was used in the Le Mans 24 hour  C5-R Corvettes, and is intended for endurance racing engines. The primary difference between this block and the Gen 4 production blocks is the 356-T6 aluminum used to increase stiffness. A Callies crankshaft and Compstar connecting rods were used to ensure a strong bottom end. A GM Stage-3 camshaft was employed to make excellent power and maintain stable valvetrain. Katech used LS7 cylinder heads that flow upwards of 370 cfm. In order to supply the maximum amount of air and fuel to the heads a GM single plane manifold is fed by a Kinsler throttle body with Katech billet fuel rails. This combination produced a staggering 661 hp and 561 ft-lbs and has already set a GT car track record at the Paul Ricard track in Southern France.

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.