Rich Keller has been an engineer within the Champion Spark Plug organization for his entire professional career, beginning in 1980 upon graduation from Purdue University. Throughout his career, the Champion brand has been virtually synonymous with race-winning performance in NASCAR, Formula One, NHRA and IHRA racing. He is based at Federal-Mogul’s Powertrain Energy Group research and development center in Plymouth, Mich., where engineers develop next-generation engine and ignition solutions for the original equipment, replacement and performance markets.
As director of product engineering, Rich oversaw the development of many of today’s most popular Champion products, including Champion Platinum Power, Double-Platinum Power and Iridium spark plugs for automotive applications; Champion PowerSport plugs for ATV/UTV, snowmobile and personal watercraft engines; as well as the company’s highly successful lineup of NASCAR and Top Fuel racing plugs. He also was responsible for development of Federal-Mogul’s portfolio of advanced nickel and precious-metal alloys as well as the award-winning Champion SureFire™ alumina ceramic material, which dramatically enhances plugs’ high-voltage/high-temperature performance characteristics. Rich has expertise in virtually every area of plug engineering, from materials development to the design of production processes and equipment.
During his career with Champion and Federal-Mogul, Rich has helped keep Champion on the leading edge of virtually every major technology trend involving the ignition system, from the introduction of copper-core center and ground electrodes in the 1980s, to fine-wire center electrodes and platinum-type plugs in the 1990s, to the adoption of iridium technology for automotive plugs in the past decade. (Champion pioneered the use of iridium plug technology for aviation applications more than 30 years ago.)
Rich received his Professional Engineering License from the State of Michigan in 1988 and is a member of SAE and ASME. The proud owner of a 1967 Corvette, he resides near Toledo, Ohio.
