RACE ENGINE TECHNOLOGY 162 December/January 2026

• Intro: The editor - Despite the tight regulations imposed on motorsport, Andrew Noakes considers how motorsport engineering innovation can escape those controls and find application in other sectors
• Upfront: Race powertrain news - We check out KTM’s new MotoGP engine ahead of the 2027 regulation change, Italtechnica promotes its lightweight V12 for high-performance roadcars, and we peruse the lots on offer at Renault’s auction of motor racing heritage and memorabilia
• In conversation: Scott Maxim - Hendrick Motorsports’ powertrain chief reveals a few of the secrets that have made the team the most successful operation in US stock car racing history
• Dossier: BRM V16 - In a new lease of life, BRM V16 Grand Prix engines are being returned to race condition more than 75 years after their first awakening in a sleepy English town
• Focus: AI powertrain development - AI is unlocking performance gains in race powertrains previously unattainable using conventional development methods
• Challenge of: Tractor pull - Build the most powerful engine you can, put it in a truck/tractor and pull a 50,000 lb sled further than anyone else; that’s tractor pull challenge!
• Digest: Seng LS engine - Mike Magda tells us how a small group of racers and engineers in Australia produced their LS V8 cylinder block for drag-and-drive competition
• Focus: Connecting rods - Producing connecting rods for a modern race engine is an engineering challenge that requires scientific understanding, manufacturing expertise and no small amount of artistry
• Insight: AM valves - Matt Grant lifts the lid on what additive manufacturing (AM) might mean for the production of race engine components
• PS: Tight tolerances - As surface tolerances become ever more precise, improper finishing processes can lead to failure