We have been racing a Ford Focus in the Illini Racing Series Sportsman group for 5 years with decent results [4th in points twice, heat race wins on dirt and pavement, feature win on dirt]. This past weekend I stooged for a club member who took his 122 cubic inch Honda powered car to the DuQuoin Poweri show. 2 liters of stock DOHC motor isn't going to cut it against those guys. Our friends at SET racing had somewhat better results with their 2.4 Liter DOHC Ecotec Chevys.

We put on some good races with our DOT legal tires and restricted stock block and head motors. In 2012 we had Focus, Quad 4, and Ecotec feature winners.

There is no substitute for cubic inches and that extra camshaft and two tiny valves won't make up for the extra 36 to 15 cubic inches an Esslinger has. The modern 4 cylinder motor is very undersquare for emission reasons. The bore/stroke ratio is actually close to that of a 103 ci Offy.

If you want a peek at this "modern" technology, the SET guys and our TAS [Teer, Allen, & Schultz] Honda gang will be holding a PUBLIC build off at the Circle Track Expo Feb. 22-24 in St. Charles Illinois. We'll each be taking a pick-n-pull 2.4 liter motor and converting it to IRS legal trim during the show. The EcoTec Chevy and K24 Honda will be raced at some point in our 20 race 2013 season.

Chuck Schultz
Winfield, Illinois