Fall-Out #3 Beats The Heat!

CTech Manufacturing-sponsored ‘Rock Falls Raceway’ celebrated its third annual ‘Fall-Out #3’ event this past weekend, bringing nearly 150 of the nation’s finest vintage drag racers to the scenic northwestern Wisconsin drag strip. The big show featured an impressive collection of 1966 & Earlier Hot Rods, Super Stocks, Gassers, A/FX, Altereds and Vintage Front-Engine Dragsters.

After a record-breaking Fall-Out #2 in 2017, the hype for Fall-Out #3 was high! However, mother nature had slightly different plans, forcing those at the track to break out winter clothes during the chilly two-day event. Regardless, racing was never interrupted by the elements throughout as racers went head-to-head all day on Friday and Saturday. Most racers reported getting over 30 passes each, giving the fans plenty of opportunities to pick out a favorite car and driver!

Highlighting our second day of The Fall-Out #3, a semi-impromptu burnout contest brought cheers and smiles to everyone who could see giant plumes of vaporized rubber floating into the sky. Skip Hjortland in his 1955 Chevrolet brought home the honors in that contest, smoking himself out to such a degree that he had to stop about 60 feet down the strip to let his cabin air out. Cheers from the crowd, and the prize (a CTech Service Cart), made it worthwhile.

With the temperature just barely making it into the mid-40’s we were lucky to have plenty of hot food around, as the Rock Falls Raceway concession stands and Big Girl Street Foods food truck were very popular with folks at the track on both days. Vendors from as far away as Georgia made the trip for the swap meet, held in the pits. With everything from vintage steering wheels, to collectible model cars, the growing swap meet is another great addition to the Fall-Out program and is projected to get bigger in 2019!  

In late 2015 it was announced that Jim Greenheck, President and Founder of CTech Manufacturing had purchased Rock Falls Raceway with intentions to boost the programs and facilities to a world-class level. Partnering with the Meltdown Drag Association and Vintage Drag Racing 101, ‘The Fall-Out’ has grown into a fitting encore event for the Meltdown Drags; the single largest vintage drag racing event in America. That gathering is held at Byron Dragway, and attracts nearly 500 entrants. CTech is proud to support this grassroots racetrack located near beautiful Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Our company roots are deeply embedded in racing, and we do whatever we can to make sure that sportsman racing not only continues, but gets bigger and better!

CTech Joins the "Made in Wisconsin" Program

We have a lot to be proud of in Wisconsin, especially at CTech. Not only are our products manufactured at our headquarters in Weston, WI, but they're also designed, engineered and assembled under the same roof. Recently, that roof got about 80,000 square feet larger thanks to a growing demand for our high-quality aluminum storage products. We were born in Wisconsin, and there's no other place we'd rather be!

With the 25th anniversary of our company coming very near on the horizon, we're excited to announce that CTech has joined the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation's "Made In Wisconsin" program. This means we've been authorized to display the program's official logo on our marketing and production materials. We consider it a badge of honor and an ode to our heritage, as it says much more than just where our products are made!

CTech Manufacturing Represented at the Goodwood Festival of Speed

The world's most talked-about celebration of Motorsports and car culture wrapped up its 25th anniversary this weekend in West Sussex, England. Those in attendance (both in-person and online) were treated to a variety of racecars, hypercars, classic cars, historic planes, motorcycles, driverless cars, electric cars, and many others of the like in a gathering that could not, and isn't put on anywhere else in the world.

The Goodwood festival is regarded by many as a "bucket list" item, and a few CTech products were lucky enough to make it to the historic festival grounds thanks to a couple well-known figures in the sport. Steve 'Baggsy' Biagioni put on one of the more exciting shows during the entire festival, running his Nissan GTR drifting machine up the hill. Baggsy is a popular (and extremely talented) drifting competitor from England, and he recently received a new Service Cart from CTech. If he sounds familiar to you, that's because he was featured on the hit Amazon show "Top Gear" in an episode where he was tasked with teaching Richard Hammond how to drift!

A CTech Mini Cart could also be found under the Winston Cup Museum tent, who were running an array of historic NASCAR/Winston Cup stock cars in the hillclimb. One of them being the Interstate Battery Chevy Monte Carlo piloted by Bobby Labonte in the 1993 Winston Cup series. The racecars themselves were supplied by JKS Incorporated, a respected marketing firm based in the U.S.

Jim Greenheck Wins in Indy!

CTech Manufacturing Founder and President Jim Greenheck just brought home a shiny new Wally from the NHRA Summer Spectacle at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis! Jim took the win in the Competition Eliminator class behind the wheel of his 2012 'racecabinet.com' Camaro over Chad Voges of St. Peters, MO. We're proud to be a company that doesn't just supply racers with top-of-the-line equipment, but also lives and breathes the sport!

The Summer Spectacle was hosted by NHRA's North Central Division and featured 13 different classes of drag racers going head to head. Jim's latest win boosts him to tenth in the National NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing point standings, continuing a stellar year for himself and Crew Chief Brandon Frank. Congrats to everyone at the track!

Photos courtesty of Kevin Pepera 📸

Catching Up With Ed Carpenter Racing

When IndyCar teams go on the road, they bring a TON of stuff with them... Multiple sets of springs, spare parts for every end of the racecar (including the engine), and multiple sets of equipment/tools. Considering that most teams are sporting a two-car effort, that means double the spare parts, and double the storage space needed! The transporter presents some unique logistical challenges, meaning the team must:

• Store those items securely during transit
• Keep those items accessible at a moment's notice
• Keep the gross weight of the trailer to a minimum
• Reserve space for workspaces to be set up during the race weekend
• Fit tool carts and pit boxes into the lane of the transporter

We recently caught up with Bret Schmitt, Chief Mechanic at Ed Carpenter Racing, to talk about what he likes about the custom CTECH cabinets that they have in their transporter!

“The biggest thing for us overall was saving weight in the trailer and being able to customize the cabinets to the exact size we want, which increased our storage area almost 20% over a stock Lista cabinet."

In the racing world, having a 1% advantage is significant. Having a 20% advantage is a no-brainer! Not only has CTECH cabinets offered more storage than Lista, they've also cut wight down and made stored items more accessible with MotionLatch Drawers and Doors.

"It’s a great product, and a great finish. We really like the handles! Everything is just very user friendly for what we’re doing.”

Mobile Vs. Stationary Cabinets: What's The Difference?

Mobile storage problems require innovative thinking to solve. CTECH excels in designing, engineering, and producing highly functional, and brilliantly aesthetic storage solutions for mobile applications. Because after all, not all trailer cabinets are created equal!

Cabinets that are built specifically for off-road bashing or long stints on the highway require a little something extra. Trailers in particular must meet maximum weight requirements, not just to save fuel, but because it's the law! Drawers, cabinets, and the entire storage systems must also endure bumps and jolts in the road, and structural failures in those cases can be disastrous. 

We've designed all of our products with those challenges in mind, and results in a unique set of product features, some of which are exclusive to CTECH products:

1. MotionLatch drawer/door handle technology ensures that drawers stay closed in rough travel, yet open with fingertip ease. The design incorporates a 'full-face' handle that spans the entire face of the drawer/door.

2. Fastener assembly making up the cabinet structure allows the system to flex during rough travel. Welded, or non-metal cabinets tend to break at the seams or pull screws through in those conditions.

3. All-Aluminum construction: CTECH cabinets are made of lightweight and extremely tough 5052 aluminum construction, which makes them perfect for mobile storage systems small and large.

4. Ultra-strong, smooth-sliding drawers are extremely important when road conditions take a turn for the worse. There's nothing much more demanding than a drawer packed with heavy tools being thrown around during transit.

5. Show-quality powder coat finishes are also found on all CTECH products, providing a tough, aesthetic finish to any storage system. 

JEGS SPORTSnationals - Beech Bend Raceway Park

Keep an eye out for Jim Greenheck inside the CTech Camaro!

CTech is officially sponsoring the Jegs NHRA SPORTSnationals Comp Fast Four! Jim Greenheck, our President and Sportsman racer himself, is excited to participate in this year's event at Beech Bend Raceway Park!

Check out the live link here: Beech Bend SPORTSnationals

STEM Programs Take On Road America!

This week, Road America and the CTECH Motorplex hosted some of America’s future engineering and manufacturing stars. STEM programs 'Challenge USA' and 'Formula Student USA' held their crown jewel events at the Elkhart Lake facility on Monday and Tuesday, each offering a unique and equally ambitious challenge.

On the 4-mile track, Challenge USA carried out their “Supermileage” and “Electrathon” events. The goal; lap the entire track while using the least amount of gas or electricity as possible. Each high school team is responsible for designing, developing, and building their own chassis and powertrains according to the rules. MPG estimates are in the hundreds, and for the Supermileage event, teams are only allowed to use a fuel tank smaller than the size of a soda can!

Meanwhile, at the CTECH Motorplex participants in the Formula Student event focus less on MPGs and more on building the fastest, most reliable racecar. Chassis rules are a bit more stringent in this category, and all components are either adapted from existing parts or custom-made by the students themselves. Students from the Ashwaubenon High School even let us take one of their new chassis for a test drive; a reverse-engineered Caterham/Lotus style vehicle strapped with a Briggs & Stratton Vanguard engine!

Hearing the passion in these student’s voices and seeing their skills in action was an inspiration. CTECH is proud to support the STEM Academy and many other similar programs taking place in Wisconsin and around the Midwest. With a bit of help, these young professionals are going to build a better future!

Condos for Car Guys

“When I have visitors in my garage, people always comment “Nice cabinets!” to which I respond, “Thank you, but what about the Ferrari!?””

If your car is to your garage what jewelry is to a jewelry box, style really matters. We talk a lot about the innovative features and extensive engineering that go into every CTech product, but sometimes we forget to appreciate the subtle beauty of a well-designed storage system. Don’t take it from us! Take it from Ralph La Macchia, who recently had a custom CTech cabinet system installed in his new garage near Road America in Elkhart Lake, WI.

La Macchia is a new resident at The Motorsport Villas, which is a brand-new garage/condo community in Elkhart Lake, offering high-end condo amenities and garage space tailored to car guys and motorsport fanatics. The Villas represent a growing movement to build high-end “hybrid” spaces that for many represent the ultimate standalone man cave. However, these spaces aren’t just for wrenching and resting, they’re also used for entertainment. Naturally, CTech cabinets serve that purpose well.

Ralph was kind enough to answer some questions about his recent experience with CTech, and we thank him for taking the time to share some enthusiasm over his new garage setup:

Q: How important is it to have a well-organized garage?

A: It is very critical to me as I am a car guy, I want to present my vehicles and the space they reside in an organized way. I wouldn’t want to place my car in a garden shed!

Q: Do you think that it’s necessary to have a dedicated storage unit in a garage or shop?

A: Yes, I believe it is important to have an organized space no matter what its purpose. Whether it be the organization advantages of having a garage storage cabinet, which adds efficiency, or the clean style and having your belongings hidden from plain sight. Having a clean, well-kept garage speaks volumes to another car guy. There is also an added level of security these cabinets offer by keeping your belonging out of plain sight and having the option to add locks.

Q: Why did you choose CTECH over another storage brand?

A: The design, ease of use, appearance, accessibility, quality, and features associated with the cabinets is way above the other brands available. I also am a firm believer in supporting local companies and knowing CTech is manufactured in the U.S. made it an easy decision. Even when comparing CTech’s product to other U.S. manufacturers I felt they had a far superior product when you take into consideration the small features which make the cabinets feel solid while still being made of aluminum. As far as finish and styling goes, the CTech radius corners gave the high-end appearance I was looking for. 

Q: What kind of storage features were important to you when you were building your Elkhart Lake garage?

A: I wanted something that I could put a grinder on the bench next to a set of crystal glasses and they both felt at home, a sense of style with durability. I use this garage environment for entertaining and wanted to portray that quality and comfort in an automotive-themed space.

When displaying my vehicles, which range from a 1969 Ford Mustang 428 R-code to a Ferrari 550 Maranello, I needed a cabinet setup which portrayed the same level of quality, and CTech has achieved that.

Boosting Innovation

We are proud to announce that CTech Manufacturing has acquired a building and property for its new Research and Development Center. Dean Lee, VP and Business Manager says: "This has always been a consideration for our company because of the effort we put forth in new or improved product development.” The CTech Research and Development Center will house our injection mold die development, 3-D printing, as well as an advanced machining center to support prototyping.

Jim Greenheck, Founder and President of CTech, is very excited about the new opportunities that will come forward with this expansion. Greenheck states: "Combined with our 80,000 sq. ft. expansion that’s almost complete, these additional investments and efforts will allow us to better serve our customers moving forward. At CTech we’re all about designing quality products in a timely fashion."