DEARBORN, Mich., June 5, 2013 – One hundred of the
nation’s best young automotive minds will converge on the Motor City to
compete for the title of top high school technicians in the country at
the 64th annual Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills Competition National
Finals, June 9-11. With jobs in the auto industry on the rise – up more
than 30 percent since last April according to the Bureau of Labor
Statistics – the Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills challenge serves as a
springboard for aspiring automotive technicians to launch their careers.
Along with the title, millions of dollars in scholarships and prizes
will be awarded as well.
This year’s young auto champions will be crowned June 11 at Ford
World Headquarters in Dearborn, Mich., from a field of 48 male and two
female students. The annual competition features top high school
automotive technology students from all 50 states, with each state
represented by a two-student team and their high school instructor.
At the National Finals, the students will have their automotive
skills and knowledge put to the test with a written exam and a timed
event in which they race against the clock and each other to identify
glitches and repair deliberately installed “bugs” in identical 2013 Ford
Explorer XLT models. The team with the best combined written and
hands-on score will win the national championship.
The road to Dearborn began in January, when more than 13,000 high
school juniors and seniors took an online exam testing their automotive
technology knowledge; it will culminate with one team taking home the
title of national champion.
In addition to scholarships and prizes, this year’s two national
champions and their instructor will earn a once-in-a-lifetime
opportunity to gain hands-on experience through a weeklong job shadowing
auto racing royalty – Wood Brothers Racing’s legendary No. 21
Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion team and 2011 Daytona 500 winner
Trevor Bayne. Leading up to and throughout the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona,
this extraordinary job shadow experience extends from a high-tech
performance garage in North Carolina to the world-famous Daytona
International Speedway. It includes the following:
- An immersion into the Wood Brothers Racing team as these expert
auto technicians prepare for one of the biggest events on the Sprint Cup
calendar – the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona July 6
- Serving as honorary pit crew members for the No. 21
Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion under the guidance of crew chief
Donnie Wingo
- Mentoring by team driver Bayne at both the Wood Brothers Racing shop in Harrisburg, N.C. and also trackside at Daytona
“Each week, the other drivers and I get all the attention on the
track,” said Bayne. “But really, we couldn’t even get out there and run
without our crew. The guys I work with are the best in the business.
It’s pretty amazing what they do and how they work all week long to keep
that No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane car in top condition.
“The Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills Competition is a great
opportunity for thousands of students across the country who really love
working on cars and want to get into the industry,” he added. “I’m
excited to see these national champions because this will really help
them see that while they may be young, they can work on the world’s best
cars themselves. And hey, who knows, I could end up seeing these
students on our pit crew one day!”
Founded in 1950, Wood Brothers Racing is the oldest active team in
NASCAR. The team has won 14 Sprint Cup Series races at Daytona
International Speedway, more than any other team in the sport. The Wood
Brothers’ most recent trip to victory lane came at the 2011 Daytona 500,
when then 20-year-old Bayne became the youngest driver ever to win
NASCAR’s most prestigious race.
As cars continue to become more advanced, Ford is leading the way
with new technologies such as all-electric vehicles, adaptive cruise
control, collision warning with brake support, hands-free entertainment
and communication systems. As the mechanics who service and maintain
these technologies are essential to the future of the automotive
industry, the Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills challenge focuses on
technological practices while educating the next generation of
technicians in traditional mechanical principles.
Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills enables its participants to embark on
promising careers in the automotive repair industry to help meet rising
demand for well-trained technicians who can repair both computers and
mechanical components in today’s advanced vehicles. Both the national
and state-wide competitions are organized with the support of AAA and
Ford personnel, local automotive instructors and the AAA Approved Auto
Repair program, a public service AAA performs to identify quality repair
facilities throughout the country. The competition awards nearly $12
million in scholarships to thousands of high school students each year,
including the national title winners, allowing them to further their
education in this rapidly changing industry.
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About Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills
The Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills is a nationwide
automotive technology competition that offers nearly $12 million in
scholarships and prizes to high school juniors and seniors interested in
pursuing careers as automotive service technicians. More than 13,000
students from across the U.S. compete for the chance to represent their
school and state in the National Finals. The competition tests students’
automotive knowledge, workmanship and problem-solving abilities. For
additional information on the competition, visit http://autoskills.aaa.com/.
About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company,
a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich.,
manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With
about 175,000 employees and 65 plants worldwide, the company’s
automotive brands include Ford and Lincoln. The company provides
financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more
information regarding Ford and its products worldwide, please visit http://corporate.ford.com.
