Hello Brian,

That's a good questions. Part of the developments process that we do when designing new motors is definitely longevity testing. We start off initially developing the the basic engine design (bore, stroke, port count, port sizes, port timing, exhaust port height/shape and size, combustion chamber volume etc. etc. etc.) to provide the performance characteristics that we desire i.e. torque, power band, max rpm, fuel consumption etc. Through testing this is refined until we have a so called final design that we are happy with.

Then all of the final design parameters are programmed into the CNC machines and a small production run of whatever parts specific to the engine design is made. In this case it was the crank, head button, piston/sleeve, rods, combustion chamber and a couple of other parts. From these parts we then assemble a final pre-production batch of engines for testing. We check the fit off all of the components to make sure that there were no small programming errors i.e. crank pin diameter, sleeve and piston dimensions etc. Then piston/sleeve fit to make sure that they are within correct tolerances (as machined properly and that a proper amount of chrome is being applied to the sleeve in plating), we test the hardening of the crank etc. etc. Once all of this is checked to make sure it is correct we use these engines to do final component longevity testing.

Basically we then run them until they wear out under actual racing conditions. This allows us to double check that there are no weaknesses in the component design, no issues with hardening or metallurgy of the parts and also allows us to confirm that we did not under build any of the components i.e. weak rods that will snap, bushings that are not pressed in properly, crank pins that are not hardened properly so they will wear prematurely and/or snap off, incorrect fit of piston and sleeve that results in premature loss of compression, excessive wear on the piston due to incorrect material choice (too low of a silicoln content in the piston) etc. etc. The only way to really check/test this properly is by submitting the components to the same stresses and loads that they will see under actual use. This is what we did with the B5 engine that you are asking about that had 6+ gallons on it already when Kortz went to the nats (ironically I just spoke to him today and he is still racing with the same engine lol and it now has over 9 gallons on it!).

If the pre-production (and this might be the wrong term as they are production spec, maybe I should call them first run motors) make it through the racing phase and we do not see any issues/concerns that need to be addressed then we go into production with them. If there are issues we re-design the part, produce another batch and start all over with the testing again until we are satisfied with it.

Hope this gives you a little insight into our development process on engines. Ultimately what we end up with by taking the time to thoroughly test these products in this manner is in my opinion an engine that not only has the performance that the designer intended it to but also the longevity that I feel that they should have also. Being upfront over the last couple of years it's quite normal for Kortz to put 8-9 gallons on one of our engines under hardcore racing conditions without needing to change any components or the compression being shot. This is why I was also not concerned about going into the Nats with 6+ gallons on one of the first-run B5 test engines, it's something that we do all the time.

Regards,

Ron Hopkins
Werks Racing