RideTech Factory Five ‘33 Hot Rod Finishes 3rd in Optima Challenge

The crew at RideTech have been working on their Factory Five ’33 Hot Rod all summer, taking it to events such at the GoodGuys Shootout Autocross held back in July as well as other events. The team has recently completed the 5th Annual Optima Ultimate Street Car Invitational in Pahrump last weekend.

The Optima Ultimate Street Car Invitational sees 55 of the fastest cars in the world compete against each other in evens such as an autocross course, road course, and speed stop challenge. With participants ranging from a 1967 Camaro with 900 HP to a Lamborghini which recorded 236 MPH in the standing mile, the RideTech Factory Five ’33 Hot Rod was in good company. Before the event, the guys at RideTech made some tweaks to the power steering, installed a new clutch, and added a wing on the rear to give the car some more downforce.

All of these tweaks paid off as during the event last weekend, the ’33 Hot Rod finished 5th in the autocross event, 12th in the road course event, and won the speed stop challenge event to finish tied for 3rd overall!

RideTech President Bret Voelkel commented on how hard his team has worked on the Hot Rod over the summer and finished saying, “it is truly fun to drive on the street and on the track!”

Here’s the list of the Top 10 participants:

1. Mark Stielow (1967 Chevrolet Camaro)
2. Brian Hobaugh (1973 Chevrolet Camaro)
3. Bret Voelkel* (1933 Factory Five Hot Rod)
3. Todd Earsley* (2003 Mitsubishi Lance Evolution 8 GSR)
5. Travis Hill (2013 Nissan GT-R)
6. Steven Rupp (1968 Chevrolet Camaro)
7. Danny Popp (2010 Chevrolet Camaro L28)
7. Kyle Tucker (1970 Chevrolet Camaro)
7. Karl Dunn (2007 Ford Saleen Parnelli Jones Mustang)
10. Brian Finch (1972 Chevrolet Camaro)

Congratulations to Bret Voelkel and the entire RideTech crew on a fantastic finish at the Optima Ultimate Street Cat Invitational!

Latest Factory Five News

Ryan B. Unveils his ’35 Hot Rod Truck ‘MACH 35e’!

The Factory Five ’35 Hot Rod Truck is designed to be built with a small block Ford or Chevy, 5.0L Coyote, LS, or Hemi engine, but every so often these days, we hear a story about someone going down a different path and building their own custom EV out of our kit. Ryan B. from East Coast Cobras in Hollis, NH did just that, and recently graduated his Tesla-powered ’35 Hot Rod Truck! Read More »

Read More

The Bostrom’s Mk4 Shines at First Car Show!

“This is a lifetime dream come true for me!” John exclaims as he shares the news of graduating Mk4 Roadster build and attending his first car show with the completed car earlier this month. John found a partially built Mk4 Roadster for sale back in November 2023. He took a trip to talk to the owner in Katy, TX, and was soon bringing it home for him to complete the assembly. “I built a 454 Windsor Ford with Inglese 8 stack injection for it myself,” said John. “Installed it and got it to the running stage. My younger brother, his friend,… Read More »

Read More

Jim and Cecily T. Graduate Their Mk4 Roadster!

Congratulations to Jim. and Cecily T. from Heathsville, VA on graduating their Factory Five Mk4 Roadster build! They received their kit in April 2024. “I was in no rush since I planned on enjoying the build just as much as cruising in it.,” said Jim. “Goes back to my old drag racing days in the 70’s. Tinkering on that car was as much fun as racing it.” Jim’s plan for his Roadster build also included building up a 427 stroker engine as well as doing the paint as he saw it as an additional part of the build that he would enjoy… Read More »

Read More
Top