RED Image

References and Endorsements from Patrons and Business Associates...



The 'Big G'

Mar. 18, '99

    "Dedication, accuracy and attention to the most minute details in your porting contributed to securing the 1987 and 1988 Formula One Tunnel Boat World Championship Titles for Outboard Marine Corporation.  It was a team effort and I remember only too well the numerous evenings and weekends you put in to make it the success that it was.  It was a great time in our lives and looking back, I was sure glad to be a part of it all!"


    Gary Garbrecht   (Winter Haven, FL)
    Marine High Performance Legend,
    Former President of
  "Second Effort Performance Products"


    Johnson/Evinrude Formula One 3,500cc V8 Two Stroke Outboards (400+ HP @ propeller)



Flying past!Charging hard!














June 18, '01

    "I would like to thank Howard Richards for his contributions in developing my 500cc Polaris twin, not only for his perfect porting and pipe designs but for his continuing interest in the project after it has left his workshop. "


    Luke Dillon   (Adelaide, South Australia)
  "Australian Formula 500 National Champion
         1999, 2000 and 2001"


    Polaris 500cc Parallel Twin on Methanol


PWC pipe adaptationAnthony McCulloch #38-P at speed!


June 26, '00

     "After talking to a number of other engine designers and not really getting the answers that I needed, Howard Richards of "R.E.D." was able to give me all the information that I needed to make the expansion chamber work for my application!  Howard accurately predicted where to modify the pipe to make it work!!!

Resultantly, I am able to run a STOCK short block in a MODIFIED CLASS and still compete!

Thank you for your support!"

    Anthony McCulloch, APBA Modified Outboard Formula E Hydro
    1999 Region #3 High Points Winner, OMC 45SS



Big smile and arms full of trophies!Carol Niewola with bigtime holeshot on her ZR-440!


Dec. '98

    "Quality, experience and a lot of pride went into this motor!   The dynamometer numbers don't lie...   our 1996 ZR440 made 124.4 HP at 10,300 RPM!  This sled rips! Thanks, Howard...   a job well done!"



    Glen and Carol Niewola   (Standish, ME)


    Arctic Cat ZR-440


Here is a history of Carol's racing achievements:


                         
1996 Race Season, Northeast Grass Drag Series

1996 ZR440



1997 Race Season, Northeast Grass Drag Series

1996 ZR440 "Improved Stock"



1998 Race Season, Northeast Grass Drag Series

1996 ZR440 "Improved Stock"



Lower cylinder viewUpper cylinder view


Oct. 8, '98

    " ...most beautiful and perfect port work I have EVER seen  ...thoroughly impressed with the attention to detail and craftsmanship  ...very accurate and precise work  ...a huge improvement  ...it was everything I expected, only more  ...I could not believe how much faster the thing was!"


    Dan Wade   (Milton, WA)
    dunatic@hotmail.com
    Honda TRX-250


Mary Jane Dillingham on the boil!

March 14, 2001

    "After having spent many years racing motorcycles, it came time to build a fast Harley Davidson based dragbike.  Having made contact with many major names in the Harley Davidson performance circles, I was confident that the best information and personalized service would be satisfied with Richards' Engine Development.  Howard's input and close contact with the project was invaluable!  Howard designed the engine and exhaust system.  His personal help resulted in the project being a success.  The bike is an impressive work.  At 88 CID, it runs a 9.3 second 1/4 mile at 140 mph!

    Thank you again, Howard!"



    Owner/Tuner:  Jonathan Dillingham   

    Rider:  Mary Jane Dillingham   (Auburn, Maine)

    88" Drag Evolution Sportster


Mar. 25, '99

    "I have known Howard Richards since the very early l980's both on a professional as well as a personal level.  I build custom Harley Davidson motorcycles and high performance is a PRIORITY with my scoots.  I refuse to build "pretty boy trailer queens" and demand maximum performance from my engines within my customers budget parameters.  R.E.D. has done literally dozens of sets of heads for me and even more for customers I have referred over the years.  EVERY set was a work of art.  Minute attention to detail, constant adherence to the highest of standards is the norm with Howard.  I have sent him heads from other "meat and potato" porters, the majority of them "big" guns in the business and Howard has ALWAYS given my customers more performance after his touch.  I can recommend R.E.D. without hesitation and feel that Howard Richards is truly one of the best kept secrets in the porting industry."


    Ron Hackler   (Indianapolis, IN)
    Owner, "American Dreams", Custom Harley Davidson Builders


Mar. 1, '99

    "I just got back from the sand dunes.  The CR 500 ran like a "raped ape".  The pipe I built to your spec's was great.  I can't thank you enough for the design work.  Everyone else wanted to build the pipe for me, plus they wanted an obscene amount of money to do it.  I don't know what I'd have done without you??  Thanks again for everything."


    Mike Free   (Mesa, AZ)
    Honda CR-500 engine in a Suzuki LT-250 chassis


Loveday Racing... hooked up and winning!

April 27, '99

    "GREAT PIPES!!  To say that we are happy would be an understatement!  After completing the pipes on the Friday evening, before Saturday night's race, we started the engine and it sounded so good, we decided to race with them un-tested.  They were great! -  the engine sounded crisp, it responded well to mixture adjustment and generally sounded "ballsy".

On arrival at the race track, we ran the engine in (new pistons & bores) and then gave it 6 hot laps in our practice session.  The pipes felt fantastic, with an abundance of mid-range power, as well as excellent top end.

We raced all night and didn't have a problem with a lean mixture, even though the temperature dropped from 12 degrees celsius down to 4.  We found that the pipes had a 2600rpm power range, which made gearing easy, proved to be helpful in traffic and did not once load up in the roll-around laps (eg slow laps under caution flag).

Upon our original application to you, we asked for a pipe design that would have a wide spread of power, from 7500rpm to 10500rpm and that is exactly what we got.

Once again, thanks for a great pipe design and upon dyno-testing the pipes in the near future, we will inform you of the results.

Signed - Happy Customers from "Down Under".


    John & Jason Loveday   (Adelaide, South Australia)
    Rotax 500 Twin on 100% methanol



     ***Are you a past customer or business associate with comments you would like to have considered for posting here?   Please submit them by e-mail here.   If you have a picture of your particular ride, you can attach it to the e-mail and it will be reviewed for possible inclusion with your comments.   Thank you for your interest!





Auto Harley Vintage Jap Bike Two Stroke Int-Exh Syst Outboard History Top Links Search Home