At 7,000 rpm, a spark plug ignites the air/fuel mixture nearly 60 times per second. Any one of those 60 sparks going amiss can at best be mildly annoying, and at worst cost you a race or an engine.

The ignition system has always been the weakest link in the combustion engine cycle. Belgian-born engineer, Jean Joseph tienne Lenoir, invented the stationary gasoline engine back in 1860 and he used ...