06/02/2026
Some of you may have heard about the engine issue that Michael Honn experienced at Oregon Trail Rally. We wanted to wait to say anything until the engine could be torn down and inspected so we could better understand what happened.
To start, this is something we have never seen before. The EJ251R platform has been extremely reliable for us, and we haven't experienced any significant issues with these engines due to how robust they are. This failure is a new one.
For context, this engine is currently in its second active race season.
During the initial inspection, we found a broken exhaust rocker arm and an intake valve with a separated valve head. At this point, we are leaning toward a manufacturing defect in the intake valve. The valve head separation is extremely clean, suggesting a potential metallurgy, forging, or material-related issue. We found no evidence that the valves were contacting the pistons prior to the valve failure, as neither the pistons nor the remaining valves show any signs of interference.
As for the broken exhaust rocker arm, our current theory is that it failed as a result of the intake valve head. Once the valve head separated, the valvetrain likely encountered a sudden solid obstruction. The rocker arm then became the weakest link and failed during that event.
We have already been in contact with the valve manufacturer, and they have requested that we disassemble the cylinder head and send the components to them for further analysis. They will be conducting their own inspection, including metallurgical testing, to help determine the root cause.
We'll continue investigating until we have definitive answers. Failures like this are incredibly rare, but when they happen, we take them seriously. Michael is sending the engine back to us for a complete rebuild, and we'll stand behind him throughout the process. We are committed to supporting our customers, learning from every situation, and continuing to build the best engines possible.
This is racing, and failures can happen. No matter how much engineering, testing, and quality control goes into a program, sometimes parts fail in unexpected ways.
What matters is how you respond, what you learn from it, and how you use that knowledge to make the next engine even better. We'll continue investigating until we have answers, and we'll take those lessons forward into every build we do.
