E3 Spark Plugs News

Team E3 Racing winner Stephen Kildahl races a 30-foot Phantom powerboat hitting breakneck speeds of up to 95 miles per hour

Stephen Kildahl certainly knows his way around a powerboat. After all, he’s been piloting one since long before he could drive a car.

“I started racing when I was 9 years old, and moved up to the pro circuit when I was 16 years old,” says the Estero, Florida resident and second-year Team E3 Racing Tier 1 winner. “When I moved up to the pro circuit, I had to sign a release waiver. This is because they were allowing me to race under the minimum age requirement, which is 18.”

Team E3 Racing winner Stephen Kildahl (left) pilots while dad, Steve, mans the throttle on the Super Boat International Offshore Boat Racing Circuit.

Kildahl quickly proved himself a definite exception to the rule while going deck-to-deck against a pool of older and more experienced racers on the Super Boat International Offshore Boat Racing Circuit. Now entering his seventh season, he remains the youngest full time driver on the circuit and has racked up 15 career wins including three Florida championships, two national championships and two world championships. In 2012, Kildahl’s Scott Free Racing team, which includes father Steve Kildahl as the throttleman, finished second in the nationals standings and third in the Key West World Championships.

Kildahl currently races a 30-foot Phantom with a 525HP racing engine, hitting breakneck speeds of up to 95 miles per hour. While that’s a dangerous enough speed on land, it can be particularly perilous on the water — No set course features and a racing surface that literally changes with the winds and tides. Plus, while auto racers handle both the speed and the steering, powerboat racing is a team effort. One member pilots the craft while another mans the throttle. If one sees something the other doesn’t or makes an unexpected decision, it could mean the difference in winning, losing or even finishing the race.

E3 Spark Plugs congratulates Kildahl on an already spectacular racing career and a solidly competitive future.

E3 Spark Plugs is a proud sponsor of the Lucas Oil Drag Boat Racing Series.

There’s nothing quite like seeing nitro methane-burning Top Fuel drag boat boiling a 1/4-mile of water in 4.7 seconds at over 250 mph. If you thought drag racing on land was a sight to behold, wait until you see it on water. For racing fans, the Lucas Oil Drag Boat Racing Series is the place to go to witness these violent, air-splitting machines and now that more than 900 teams are competing for one national championship, you have even more opportunities to catch the action.

E3 Spark Plugs, the leader in multiple electrode, high performance spark plugs, has recently renewed its sponsorship of the Drag Boat Series as well as a strong presence across the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series and the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series as well. The partnership will include considerable branding presence at each event as well as part of the Lucas Oil Series’ extensive television exposure.

“All of us at E3 Spark Plugs are very excited to be a part of one of the most exciting racing series ever. There’s simply nothing like seeing these machines in person,” said Steve Joiner, E3′s Vice President of Marketing.

Backed by a five year, 100,000-mile warranty, E3 Spark Plugs, with their side-wire electrode, projects the combustion spark in a way that more quickly ignites the air/fuel mixture thereby creating a significantly faster and larger flame kernel. In effect, this burns more of the available fuel, resulting in increased combustion efficiency for improved power and fuel economy with reduced emissions. They are now available for most automotive, small engine and powersports applications at automotive and home improvement retail stores nationwide.

For more information and complete test results, visit www.e3sparkplugs.com. And in the meantime, check out the video below to get revved up for some wild drag boat racing action…

Competitive powerboat racer Dan Bunting (center) takes his sophomore turn with Team E3 Racing.

Dan Bunting returns for his second stint as a Team E3 Racing Tier 1 winner. And this time, he’s got two new rides and a world record to his name.

Bunting is a longtime competitive racer and owner of Extreme Powerboat Racing, a professional driving school that also offers marketing, design and promotional items plus safety and performance products geared toward the sport. Last year, he and his team made history by establishing the 1/4 mile straightaway speed record in their class at the American Power Boat Association (APBA) Records Run in New Martinsville, West Virginia. – a feat powered by E3 Spark Plugs.

The Extreme Powerboat Racing team, along with Flex Seal, finished the 2012 season first in the APBA points for their region, and sixth in the APR SuperLeague points. The team also landed the SuperLeague’s “Most Improved Driver” award and appeared in a nationwide FlexSeal commercial donning E3 Spark Plugs Racing Team shirts.

This year, Bunting has added two new powerboats to his racing fleet, one of which will become the E3 Spark Plugs Powerboat. And he intends to spread the word, sharing sponsored plugs with friends and competitors.

Meanwhile, the Formula 3 Points champ and founder of a second team, Tunnel Vision Racing, continues his career in law enforcement. A police officer since 1993, he has served as a deputy sheriff in Ohio and Colorado and has held the ranks of patrolman, lieutenant and chief of police, ergo the number and name of his previous boat, “Five-O.”

E3 Spark Plugs congratulates Bunting and his team for their second-year Team E3 Racing win. Welcome back!

Check out the Extreme Powerboat Racing team, donning their Team E3 Spark Plugs garb, in this FlexSeal infomercial…

Check out those awesome shirts! Team E3 Racing winner Dan Bunting and his ExtremePowerboatRacing.com crew recently set the APBA world record for for quarter-mile speed. Check out other recent Team E3 accomplishments and get ready for your chance to win.

As we gear up for the next round, we’re catching up with a few winners from our inaugural Team E3 Racing class.

Team E3 Racing winner Cody Erdmann entered his #52 Ford Mustang in the Track Competition – Dwarf Class at the 50th Anniversary O’Reilly Auto Parts World of Wheels in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and drove away with the Outstanding in Class award. While there, he made a generous donation to the Pinstripe Legends Art Auction, helping to raise more than $54,000 for cancer research at the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin. On a fast track toward a pro racing career, Cody recently took second place in the Feature Race and the 2012 standings in the Slinger Super Speedway Championship series, winning the Top Qualifier of the Year honor.

A competitive speedboat racer since he was just 16, Stephen Kildahl and his Scott Free racing team recently snagged third place in the Super Boat International Key West World Championships, Superboat VEE Limited class. At 21, he’s the youngest full time driver on the circuit by at least 10 years and balances his time on the boat with his studies at Florida Gulf Coast University.

Fellow competitive boat racer and Team E3 Racing member Dan Bunting also made waves recently. His ExtremePowerboatRacing.com crew team established the quarter-mile speed world record at the American Power Boat Association (APBA) Records Run in New Martinsville, West Virginia.

Back on land, winner Terry Panciera and his Powered by the Complex lawn mower racing team took the checkered flag in the last race of the season and clinched the New England Lawn Mower Racing Association (NELMRA) points championship. And Team E3 Racing’s littlest winner, Jacob “Camokid” Putman won seven races in a row, including the season finale race at Manassas, Virginia’s Old Dominion Speedway, securing the Kid Kart 3 Class 2012 championship.

Are you an up-and-coming racer? Now is your chance to rev up your career! The Team E3 Racing 2013 Sponsorship Contest kicks off this Saturday, December 1. Enter to win $500 in cash, 16 E3 Spark Plugs, official apparel and decals for you and your team. You must be a fan of the E3 Spark Plugs Facebook Fan Page to win. Like us now, then check the E3 Spark Plugs blog for contest details on Saturday. We’ll pick 12 lucky winners.

Good luck!

Team E3 Racing winner Richard Smith serves as the throttleman and competition director for his family’s multi-championship winning Smith Brothers Offshore Racing Team.

There’s nothing like the thrill of a high-speed, heart-racing, sometimes-airborne rune across the surface of the water. It’s a feeling Team E3 Racing winner Richard Smith, Throttleman and Competition Director for his family’s multi-championship winning Smith Brothers Offshore Racing Team, knows well.

The team currently runs the OPA Amsoil Offshore Powerboat Racing Series, racing a 26-foot Joker Powerboats/CRC 611 powered by a 500 HP Mercruiser Big Block and a set of E3 racing spark plugs. Smith, a Souderton, Pennsylvania resident, has helped the team score numerous victories and championships including the 2009 Offshore Powerboat Association National Class Championship and the 2009 Geico Triple Crown.

Most recently, the team landed a hard fought victory in the International Offshore Powerboat Race earlier this month in the St. Clair River between Port Huron, Michigan and Sarnia, Canada – the only race in the series that crosses national borders. Smith and company battled eight other boats in the event’s largest class, competing seven laps for a total of 35 miles on the river’s turbulent waters. It was their first race started (though not the first attempted – Their boat was damaged in pre-race testing in a prior Ocean City, Maryland event) and their first victory of the season.

E3 Spark Plugs is proud to support Smith and his team!

Team E3 Racing Tier 1 winner Dan Bunting has finished in the top 10 of the APR series each of the past four years.

Dan Bunting’s competitive boat racing debut was not exactly all he had hoped for. In his very first race, the UIM World Championships in Marietta, Ohio, he barrel-rolled his boat on the eight qualifying lap. The experience might have been enough to send someone of lesser resolve paddling back to shore for a new landlubber’s hobby. But as a career police officer, Bunting had what it took to tough it out and try again. That’s why he’s a new member of Team E3 Racing.

Bunting quickly got his pride and his boat back into shape and headed back into the water in time for the next race. Long story short, he ended his rookie season in 10th place on the America Powerboat Racing (APR) SuperLeague Circuit and not only landed a Rookie of the Year title, but helped his team score the prestigious Betty May Best Dressed Team Award to boot. Today, he’s a team owner and Formula 3 Points champion.

Bunting pilots a Tunnel Boat in the APR Series Tour and has finished in the top 10 in series points each of the past four years. His team, Tunnel Vision Racing, is co-sponsored by Monster Energy, JEGS and the Hard Rock Café. Earlier this year, he decided to put all he’s learned about performance boats and equipment to profitable use and launch ExtremePowerboatRacing.com, an online store offering safety and performance parts for boat racing.

Team E3 Racing's Dan Bunting also is a career police officer.

Meanwhile, Bunting continues his law enforcement career. A police officer since 1993, he has served as a deputy sheriff in Ohio and Colorado and has held the ranks of patrolman, lieutenant and chief of police. So, the number and name of his previous boat, “Five-O” makes sense.

We here at E3 Spark Plugs congratulate Bunting on his continued success in boat racing and his new business endeavor. If you’re thinking about competing on the water, make sure you stock your boat with a set of high-performance racing spark plugs.

Team E3 Racing just got bigger. Announcing our March winners! Congrats to these 18 up and coming racers.

TIER 1 WINNERS (Win $500 cash, 25 E3 Spark Plugs and Official E3 Race Day Gear/Decals):

• Daniel Alvarez: Nineteen-year-old Daniel “The Hammer” Alvarez of Chappells, South Carolina is much more than a hobbyist when it comes to racing. He’s already got a solid start on a well-rounded racing career with a A.A.S. degree in Automotive Technology from Piedmont Technical College and a scholarship to veteran  racer Tony Blanchard’s RACE 1101 program, where he was so successful, the school created a new award in his honor. The X Factor Award will honor students who successfully recognize and brand a unique marketing image.
• Jacob Putman: Our littlest winner yet, Jacob “Camokid” Putman ran his first official Kid Kart race at Old Dominion Speedway in Manassas, Virginia at the tender age of four. Today, at six years old, he’s racked up multiple wins against kids with more years and more experience on him. And he’s part of two racing teams including J&D Outlaw Racing founded with friend Donald Whorton. He starts the 2012 Kid Kart 2 season as a member of the Excel Racing team.
• Daryl Barrett: Daryl Barrett of Gorham, New York’s Asylum Motorsports Group has been involved in every facet of racing since the age of four. He’s been a driver, crewmember, crew chief, engineer and owner and has worked with several successful racing teams over the course of his career, which includes over 250 wins. He races in the Grand-Am and the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) World Challenge series in DP, GT, GS and GTS classes.
• Jeremy Higgins: Nineteen-year-old Jeremy Higgins races dirt track and this year will compete in the AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Twins class and the Expert Singles class on tracks throughout the United States. He races a 2010 Yamaha and graduates college as a powersports technician this spring.
• James Luckett: That’s “Officer Luckett” to you. James Luckett of Romeoville, Illinois is a police officer who participates in exhibition and high school races via Beat the Heat, a nonprofit organization that works to keep kids off the streets. Driving his marked 1980 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme down the drag, Luckett encourages kids to “make the trip to the strip” rather than race illegally on the street.
• John Guthu: De Pere’ Wisconsin’s John  Guthu loves a run on his snowmobile – no snow necessary. He’s entering his eight season in competitive grass drag racing with a new series, the Midstate Grass Drag Circuit. He landed a championship title in his first year of racing and has finished in the top three points every year since in the 600CC non-studded class.

TIER 2 WINNERS (Win 1 Set of up to 8 Plugs and Official E3 Race Day Gear/Decals):

• Brody Goble: Canada’s Brody Goble has been winning on the racetrack since 2005. He’s the  2011 CACC Canada Sports Car Rookie of the Year and a 2012 inductee into the Autosport Dynamics’ ASD Mob program, which recognizes the top emerging drivers in drifting.
• Eric Roberts: Racing isn’t just about the drivers. Eric Roberts is crew chief on a 1979 Chevy Caprice in the Road Warrior class at Punta Gorda Speedway. The Lehigh Acres, Florida resident says he won over a skeptical driver when the team won its first victory after switching to E3 car spark plugs.
• Richard Smith: Souderton, Pennsylvania’s Richard Smith serves as the throttleman for his family’s multi-championship winning Smith Brothers Offshore Racing Team. The team races a 26-foot Joker Powerboat powered by a 500 HP Mercruiser Big Block and a set of E3 racing spark plugs.
• David Pochedly: Painesville, Ohio’s David Pochedly describes himself as a “normal person that believes that E3 Spark Plugs are unbeatable in performance.” He runs them in all his rides, including a 1981 mud truck on 40-inch tires and a worn-out 1998 Dodge Dakota with 230-miles that tops out at 125mph on E3s.
• Daniel Yarbrough: Daniel Yarbrough honed his mechanical skills building mini stock rollers that raced at the Thunder Hill Raceway in his hometown Lawrenceburg, Tennessee. Today, he continues building cars and engines for a living, and uses only E3 Spark Plugs.
• Terry Panciera: Terry Panciera of Bristol, Connecticut is a member of the United States Lawn Mower Racing Association. He’s entering his second season in competitive lawnmower racing on a 1985 Lawn Chief.

TIER 3 WINNERS (Win Official E3 Race Day Gear and Decals):

• Bill Watson
• Ronald Volner
• Jeff Byer
• Frank Speer
• Ben Newburn
• Jerry Manes

Check the E3 Spark Plugs blog and Facebook fan page for updates on all our Team E3 Racing winners.

Team E3 Racing winner Stephen Kildahl is the youngest competitor on the Super Boat International Offshore Boat Racing Circuit.

Estero, Florida’s Stephen Kildahl is, quite literally, an exception to the rule. That’s why he’s one of the inaugural class of Team E3 Racing Tier 1 winners.

Kildahl has been racing speedboats since age 16, when he received a special dispensation to compete on the Super Boat International Offshore Boat Racing Circuit. The rule book said competitors must be at least 18 years old, but Kildahl’s talent and skill were clearly beyond his years. And he’s since proven that the move was a good one.

In just four years, Kildahl has racked up 14 career wins, one world championship, two national championships and three Florida championships. And at age 20, he remains the youngest full time driver on the circuit by at least 10 years, regularly going deck-to-deck with racers boasting many more years of experience on the water. That’s quite an accomplishment, especially considering that many deem boat racing tougher than car, truck or motorcycle racing. After all, with boat racing, there is no solid surface or set course features. Everything changes with the winds, the tides, etc.

Team E3 Racing winner Stephen Kildahl accepting an award from a Cocoa Beach beauty.

“You never know what you are going to get,” Kildahl told a Tampa Bay Times reporter just before the Clearwater Super Boat National/Florida Championship last September. “Every day it is something different. Conditions can change from the beginning to the end of the race.”

Plus, while auto racers handle both the speed and the steering, powerboat racing is a team effort with one team member at the wheel and the other at the throttle. If one sees something the other doesn’t or makes an unexpected decision, it could mean the difference in winning, losing or even finishing the race.

For the 2012 powerboat racing season, Kildahl will be behind the wheel of a 30-foot Phantom with a 525HP racing engine. He and his new team, Scott Free Racing, expect to hit speeds of 90-95 miles per hour. So if you’re on the water, stay out of his way! And be sure to stock your own boat with a set of E3 racing spark plugs. If you’re on dry land, check the E3 Spark Plugs blog and Facebook fan page for updates on Kildahl’s racing career.

E3 Spark Plugs offers tips to make sure your motorized toys and tools are ready for springtime.

Come March 17, just a week away, spring will have officially sprung and people everywhere will be happily anticipating some warm-weather fun. Of course, many will be anticipating for a bit longer than others. Those living in the nation’s northernmost states may see another snowstorm or two before the grass greens and the locals don tank tops and flip flops. Either way, E3 Spark Plugs says March is the ideal time for springtime maintenance on all those motorized rides and tools that you’ll be using when the higher temperatures return.

Top priority might be your lawn and garden tools, including lawn mowers, hedge trimmers and chainsaws. If you haven’t already, replace the spark plugs, drain the old oil and gas and fill up anew, replace filters, sharpen or replace dull blades, and repair or replace any broken or worn parts including grips, cables and belts.

Itching to take that ATV out of the garage and hit the trails? Or are you an avid angler looking forward to some time on the water? Now is the time to replace the fluid in the lower gearbox of your boat’s outboard motor and replace the oil and fuel in your ATV. Also pick up new sets of boat spark plugs or powersports / performance spark plugs, including a back up set and a plug wrench to keep in your tackle box or ATV toolbox. Check E3 Spark Plugs’ online catalog to find just the right plugs for your tools and toys.

While you’re at it, it’s also a great time to check your wallet for expired driver’s licenses, fishing and hunting licenses or firearm licenses. Also check your tags and inspection stickers to make sure they’re still valid. Better to spend a few minutes now than to have your day on the water or the trails cut short when you get busted for past-due renewals.

E3 spark Plugs offers tips to winterize your boat so you can hit the water hard come springtime.

If you’re a hard-core duck hunter, you can skip this E3 Spark Plugs blog post seeing how you’re probably in your boat with a site line on a feathered target right now. Otherwise, your boat is likely out of the water and out of mind. Come springtime, you might wish we weren’t right about that “out of mind” part. Lucky for you, we’ve got some great tips for winterizing your boat and motor so you can hit the water hard first thing this spring.

1. If you’ve used your boat in the salt water, flush out your engine with fresh water. Salt water and salt deposits can block strainers and pipes, and can cause corrosion and rust inside your engine. A thorough flush will prevent costly damages. Spray down your trailer after each salt water excursion too. This can add a full 10 years to its life.
2. Change the oil before you store your engine for the winter. Fresh oil eliminates problems associated contamination by moisture and engine deposits and can cause spark plug fouling.
3. Make sure you change the oil in your engine’s lower unit too. Synthetic oil is recommended because it’s much more tolerant of moisture.
4. Empty that gas tank. Today’s ethanol-enhanced fuel blends absorb water and lead to what is called “phase separation,” which means that the ethanol/water mixture drops out of the gasoline and settles in the bottom of your tank – the very spot from which your engine draws fuel. Needless to say, this can wreak havoc on an engine. To avoid problems, disconnect the fuel line from the motor and allow it to run itself out of fuel. Add a stabilizer to stabilize any small amount of fuel remaining in the tank, tighten down the fuel cap and refuel in the spring. While you’re at it, replace your fuel filter.
5. Once your engine runs dry, remove your spark plugs and fog the pistons and cylinder walls with fogging oil. You can pick up a can from any marine supplier. Also, spray the engine down with an anti-corrosive spray. Make sure you coat the electrical connections, as they’re most prone to rust.
6. Remove the battery, charge it up and store it inside for the winter, along with all electronic gadgets such as your GPS unit. These are easy targets for thieves.
7. Get yourself a new set of E3 boat spark plugs. Says one reviewer on a recent forum: “I have a friend that just replaced his plugs in his ’93 Ocean Runner 200 with new E3 spark plugs. I went out with him for a ride… I swear the motor sounded better than ever & gained about 250 rpm. WOT, it’s running 5900. It does not smoke as much as before and after trolling for two hours we removed a couple of plugs and there was NO sign of fouling. Here’s the big one: It gained 4.5 mph.”

See you on the water next spring!