MMRA Approved Sealed Engine Program

MMRA is excited to announce a new MMRA approved sealed engine program for minicups with Extreme Engine Systems.  This is a goal we have had for 3 years now, and all the pieces have finally fallen into place.  We believe this will save money and time for racers while also helping to attract new racers to our sport.  With a major program like this, there are many questions to be answered so here is a traditional MMRA FAQ section:

1.  Is this mandatory?  No racers may continue to have engines built wherever they like.  It is simply an option for those who plan to run legal anyway and want to avoid costly and time consuming teardowns in post-race tech.

2.  What about Baby Grands?  At this time, MMRA only has a sealed engine program for minicups.  Baby Grands will continue to run unsealed engines built by whomever the racer chooses.

3.  How does it work?  When you buy an engine or rebuild from Extreme Engine Systems, you can ask for it to be sealed with new MMRA approved seals.  These seals are unique to MMRA and will be the only seals recognized by MMRA in post race tech inspections.  In addition to the seals, each engine will come with a "Sealed Engine Certification" which also logs the seal #, engine VIN, and is personally signed by Tim O'Brien and embossed with the EES corporate seal.  Seal #'s, engine VIN's, etc. will all be kept on file with MMRA and must always match.

4.  Is there more than one sealing station?  No.  There have been sealing programs attempted in the past but all failed because there were too many people with access to the seals, and the programs were compromised.  In this case, there are only two people who have access to the MMRA approved seals - MMRA President Pete Neimeier, and Extreme Engine Systems owner Tim O'Brien.  As such, the program is tightly controlled and its integrity will remain intact over time.

5.  Will an MMRA approved sealed engine ever be teched?  Possibly - In unusual circumstances, MMRA officials may opt to tear down an MMRA approved sealed engine.  An MMRA approved sealed engine will only be torn down under tightly controlled conditions with a minimum of Pete Neimeier and Tim O'Brien present.  This will be a rare occurrence and the owner of the engine will be fully compensated for any expenses to re-assemble and re-seal the engine. 

6.  Can local areas tech MMRA approved sealed engines?  No regional director, local tech official, or racer should ever tamper with or remove seals.  If anyone does tamper with or remove MMRA approved seals, the engine will be treated as unsealed by MMRA. 

7.  How will this save racers money?  At every Touring and Grand National race in 2004, MMRA tore down minicup engines to maintain a level playing field for competitors.  This costs racers money, and takes engines out of service.  If these same racers had sealed engines, the seals would have been inspected, and if intact, only the carburetor and header pipe would have received post race "engine" tech.  There would be no expenses for shipping, engine gaskets, re-assembly, etc.

8.  How will this build the sport?  New racers want to believe they have an equal opportunity to run up front.  In many series, it takes years to figure out who the "best" engine builder is.  With this program, new racers will see that many of the front runners are using the same sealed engine they can buy.  This will give them more confidence they can compete, and encourage them to get started.

9.  How will this help the local areas?  The MMRA approved sealed engine program benefits local areas because often local programs do not have the resources to perform extensive post-race engine tech.  As such, winners are questioned, and others lose heart, assuming they can't beat a cheater.  Now, if the winner is running an MMRA approved sealed engine, everyone will know the engine is legal.

10.  Are there other benefits?  Yes - at Touring and Grand National races, MMRA has only brought 3 cars in each division to post-race tech due to time constraints.  As more competitors have MMRA approved sealed engines, MMRA can tech more cars - thereby ensuring that a level playing field exists farther back than just the top 3 finishers.

11.  Can I protest a sealed engine?  Yes - however the protest fee will be $1,000 for an MMRA approved sealed engine.  The increased fee is because the engine may have to be shipped to MMRA and there may be travel expenses to bring all parties together to tech the engine.

12.  What if an MMRA approved sealed engine is teched and is illegal?  MMRA will have the seals analyzed and will determine if the racer tampered with/copied the seals - or if Tim sealed an illegal engine.  If the racer is at fault, they and their immediate family will be banned from MMRA competition for life.  If Tim sealed an illegal engine, EES will receive a huge fine from MMRA.  This fine was the reason there has not been an MMRA approved sealed engine program in the past - no one was willing to sign a contract with a huge fine.

13.  How soon can I get my engine sealed?  The program is available now.  Contact Tim O'Brien of Extreme Engine Systems at 828-681-8337 or on the web at www.8ees.com

14.  What do the seals look like?

15.  I have more questions - what do I do?  Please send an e-mail to mmra@mmraracing.com and we will reply.