E3 Spark Plugs News

American Chopper: Senior vs. Junior - It's on!

Here at E3 Spark Plugs, we love all things automotive. And that includes some great TV shows that cater to car lovers, whether you’re a bonafide gearhead or just love the look and feel of a great set of wheels. Here are our top picks for must-see automotive TV shows:

BBC’s Top Gear: What began as an admittedly boring 1970s automotive show has become a global driving adventure a la Monty Python-meets-The Amazing Race. The show’s stars are three middle-aged British blokes who travel the world conducting elaborate challenges that push the boundaries of television and automotive acceptability. Episodes have featured the three driving the world’s smallest car through the BBC offices, smashing a long haul truck through a brick wall, and Tom Cruise nearly killing himself clocking the season’s fastest lap in and underpowered Kia. Says Executive Producer Andy Wilman of the show seen weekly by 350 million viewers in 170 countries, “It’s a journey into the male mind, which, I believe, is a really, potentially, very funny place.”Cause, let’s face it, nothing happens there.”

American Chopper: Senior vs. Junior: “For the Teutuls, what was once a family business is now a family feud, and all bets are off for what new fireworks await in AMERICAN CHOPPER: SENIOR VS. JUNIOR,” writes the Discovery Channel about the latest transformation of its hit show, American Chopper. The series began as a reality show following the day-to-day chaos happening behind the doors of Orange County Choppers, a California custom motorcycle design and fabrication shop founded by Paul Teutul, Sr. Son Paul, Jr. was the chief fabricator and designer of the shop, which first rolled onto the scene at the 1999 Daytona Biketoberfest. In what could prove to be either a permanent family rift or a prodigal son story in the making, Junior has opened his own company, Paul Jr. Designs right across the street from Dear Old Dad’s shop and brought back several former OCC employees.

Stacey David’s GEARZ TV: Of course, Stacey David’s GEARZ TV will always be a favorite of E3 Spark Plugs. It’s a regular guy kind of show that shows gearheads everywhere how to expertly build, restore and maintain that hot rod you’ve envisioned since you were a teenager with a socket wrench and a dream. Unlike the hosts of many popular automotive TV programs, David does all the designing and building himself. Every viewer watches with the mindset that “if David can do it, I can do it.” That’s why E3 Spark Plugs is proud to be a show sponsor.

What’s your favorite automotive TV show? E3 Spark Plugs wants to know. Leave us a comment on our blog or on our Facebook Fan Page.

Hope all of our truck racing fans caught Speed Channel’s coverage of last month’s Lucas Oil Off-Road Racing Series. Strong winds and a slick track sent teams scrambling as everyone searched for traction in the Las Vegas desert. Whether you’re cruising’ the “Strip” or testing your skills off the pavement, E3 Truck Spark Plugs with our patented DiamondFire technology offer you energy, efficiency and ecology for your favorite ride. Remember to bookmark our website and check often for the latest information about advancements in truck and car spark plugs.

Lucas Oil Off-Road Racing Series – Round Five

The Pro2 Unlimited Class of the E3 Spark Plugs Off-Road National, saw Todd Leduc in his Toyo Tires/Jagermeister Ford truck take an early race lead over fast qualifier Rob MacCachren and Rodrigo Ampudia runing second and third, respectively. Red Bull’s Ricky Johnson finished the day two laps down with a disappointing end to his attempt at winning his third Lucas Oil event in a row at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Johnson clipped the outside wall on the opening lap and quickly found himself sidelined with mechanical problems. Once MacCachren got around Leduc, there was no looking back as his Ford truck outpaced the field to the checkered flag.

Lucas Oil/Tecate Ford driver Rodrigo Ampudia had a series high 2nd overall finish with a last lap, last jump pass on Leduc who was nursing his Ford truck home in third place with a bad transmission. Veteran racer Jeff Ward had a steady drive through the pack in his Speed Technologies/Goodyear Tires truck and gave Chevrolet a fourth overall finish on the day. The 4 Wheel Parts/Magnaflow Exhaust Ford of Greg Adler is “Leaving Las Vegas” with fifth place points from Round Five. The win at Las Vegas gave MacCachren a commanding 36-point lead over off-road truck series rival Ricky Johnson.

In the Pro Lite class of the Lucas Oil Off-Road Truck series from Las Vegas Motor Speedway, veteran racer Marty Hart grabbed the lead when inverted pole-sitter Adam Wik rolled his truck in turn one after the start. Wik landed on all fours but Jacob Person and defending class champion Brian Deegan slipped by for second and third behind Hart. When Rockstar/Metal Mulisha’s Deegan tried to pass Person’s Geiser Bros Ford, contact would leave Deegan sidelined with mechanical woes and out of the points. Later in the race, Matt Loiodice and Person would tangle allowing Adam Wik to recover from his lap one rollover and finish second overall on the day.

Kevin Probst #9 R/C Race Truck

Got a little race fan in the family? Look for a new toy truck just like the one racer Kevin Probst takes on the tracks.

E3 Racing Spark Plugs driver Kevin Probst had a disappointing seventeenth place in Round Five of the Pro 2 class finishing 11 laps down after getting caught up in another truck’s crash. The E3 race team would rebound the next day for a 6th place overall finish in Round 6. A little something for the youngest race fans: Over the weekend, Probst Motorsports announced two new partnerships with X-Factory R/C Cars and BC1 Graphics to create and market a toy truck just like the one he races. The Lucas Oil Off-Road Racing Series heads to Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah, for rounds 7 and 8 next weekend. Best of luck to Kevin and the rest of the E3 truck racing team. Catch all the action from Salt Lake City on June 26 & 27.

E3 Spark Plugs-sponsored racer Kevin Probst is no newbie on the tracks. He began his racing career in 1978 at just 16 years old and since has landed upwards of 230 wins and 18 class championships. In fact, he is one of the all-time winningest drivers in the history of the famous Crandon International Off-Raceway in Wisconsin.  But his racing experience goes even further back than the start of his 32-year professional racing career.

E3 Spark Plugs-Sponsored Off Road Racer Kevin Probst

“My dad started racing the old fiberglass dune buggies back in the late 60′s,” Kevin recently told EPN Newswire. “All of us on the team got our start racing buggies. One year, my brother and I raced every buggy class that was available. Sometimes we would run nine races a weekend between the two of us.”

Fast forward 30 years, and Kevin is still running the tracks hard, recently debuting his custom-built Pro 2 Unlimited truck at the 2010 Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series in Las Vegas in March.  It’s the third consecutive season of the Probst Motorsports team being sponsored by E3 Spark Plugs. Kevin and his brother Jeff (no, not the Jeff Probst from CBS’ “Survivor”) own Probst Motorsports and Probst Collision Center in their hometown, New Lennox, IL. There, the family team including dad Steve, wife Vickie, son Ryan, daughter Kara and nephew Jon (a promising young racer himself) work tirelessly to create racing excellence. The Probst Collision Center is a GM-certified collision center and ASA and I-CAR certified repair facility. So, racing isn’t just a profitable hobby – it’s in the Probst blood.

“Probst Motorsports is a racing business we started for the love of off road racing,” Kevin says. And as all the greats in any sort of venture do, Probst is still learning the racing biz.

E3 Spark Plugs-Sponsored Kevin Probst's new Chevy UWeld Chassis truck developed for the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series

“That season was a learning curve,” Kevin said of the Lucas Oil 2009 season which featured a new off road-style racing facility. “I had to learn how to race the motocross style tracks that the series developed. We had only three days notice to come out and start the season, so we played catch up all year just trying to get up to speed and learn the system.”

The Probst team has since responded by developing the new truck, a Chevy UWeld chassis, specifically for the 2010 Lucas Oil series, and early indications point to a promising season. E3 Spark Plugs is excited to sponsor Kevin for the third consecutive season. Check the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series TV schedule on CBS Sports, SPEED TV, Versus and MavTV and stay tuned for some spectacular racing action.

Catch E3 Spark Plugs on SPEED and CBS on May 8th, 2010. Starting at 9:00 A.M. EST on SPEED, watch the hit DIY show Stacey David’s GearZ and host, Stacey David, walk you through five things you can do to any vehicle, installing E3 Spark Plugs included, to take it from clunker to daily-driver. Then at 5:00 P.M. EST on CBS you can catch E3 Spark Plugs as a part of the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series action. Highlighting action from Round Four of the Magnaflow Exhaust Off Road Nationals in Surprise, Arizona, the mile long course at the Speedworld facility features challenging terrain and action at every turn. Then at 7:00 P.M. EST turn it back over to SPEED to catch the season opener of 2010 Nitro Jam, with another episode immediately following at 7:30 P.M. EST. The huge debut will feature the Palm Beach Nitro Jam in West Palm Beach with the Mardi Gras Nitro Jam from Baton Rouge immediately following. All of the shows will showcase IHRA’s three nitro classes along with the Elite 8 Top Sportsman and Top Dragster shootouts and much more. With four different opportunities to catch E3 Spark Plugs, you can’t miss it!

The E3 DiamondFIRE spark plug design features an open, diamond-shaped electrode that offers fuller flame growth and more complete fuel combustion, thus providing reduced emissions, increased horsepower and better engine durability. Whether it’s a motorcycle, snowmobile, ATV or jet-ski, E3 has you covered with the advanced technology your machine needs.

For more information about E3 spark plugs, including performance and emissions test results, or where-to-buy, visit www.e3sparkplugs.com.

Engineering research involving E3 spark plugs will be featured on an upcoming episode of Speed TV’s GEARZ starring Stacey David, a nationally recognized automotive expert. Each week on GEARZ, sponsored in part by E3 Spark Plugs, David pushes the limits of creativity and automotive logic, building some of the most unconventional, even downright crazy cars you’ve ever seen. GEARZ is geared toward teaching viewers all the tools and tips needed to build or customize a one-of-a-kind ride.

The episode centers on the work of a team of scientists and engineers at Michigan Technological University’s Keweenaw Research Center involving E3 spark plugs in automotive and snowmobile engines. They’re constructing a laboratory that will support a pressure vessel able to withstand pressures and temperatures that occur in most combustion applications – including inside spark plugs. The pressure vessel will allow scientists to study issues involving transport phenomena and thermo-chemical processes and related issues including flammability and safety; spark-ignited and diesel fuel-air mixing and combustion; and bio-fuels and alternative fuels mixing and combustion.

E3 Spark Plugs proudly supports the work of numerous researchers on the Michigan Tech team including principal Dr. Jeff Naber, Dr. Seong-Young Lee and research engineer Jeremy Worm. After all, E3’s diamond fire technology was developed and tested by top professors of combustion and engine dynamics at two leading engineering universities before hitting the market.

While filming, David and his crew visited the Keweenaw Research Center as well as Michigan Tech’s ion propulsion lab and driving simulator. They also visited the MTU Four Wheelers, a student group of four-wheel and off-road vehicle enthusiasts who share off-roading adventures and even help law enforcement in the search and rescue of lost individuals. David autographed the dashboards of several student vehicles, which undoubtedly are outfitted with E3 spark plugs.

Be sure to tune in for E3 Spark Plugs’ GEARZ plug!