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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA CONTACT:
Sara Panza
Greater Cleveland Automobile Dealers’ Association
440.746.1500
Medina County Career Center Takes Home First Place in 24th Annual Automotive Technology Competition
February 28, 2016--Working against an intense deadline and under the scrutiny of test proctors, ten students representing five high school automotive technology programs squared off at the I-X Center today to see which two-man team would represent Northern Ohio at the National Automotive Technology Competition in New York City. In the end, it was David Grayzanic, Jacob Baker and their instructor Darin Lewis from the Medina County Career Center that took home first place in the Cleveland Auto Show’s 24th Annual Automotive Technology Competition, sponsored by Tim Lally Chevrolet.
As the winning two-man team, Grayzanic and Baker will go on to represent Northern Ohio in the National Automotive Technology Competition in New York City, which runs from Monday, March 28 to Wednesday, March 30, at the Jacob K. Javits Center.
The five competing teams qualified for the Finals after completing a rigorous written examination that tested automotive knowledge. Baker also took home a trophy for scoring the highest on the written portion of the competition.
“Every year it’s very close and this year was no different,” says Dennis Rose, floor manager of the Cleveland Auto Show. “There were very few points between the top teams. The team from Medina County Career Center that won this year is extremely good—every bit as good as the team that won last year—and last year they came in fourth at Nationals. So hopefully, we’ll do a little better with this team. They were very sharp on both the cars and the stations that they worked on during the competition.”
“For Medina to have the chance to compete in Nationals is a big accomplishment,” says Darin Lewis, the team’s instructor from Medina County Career Center. “I would like to thank all the Honda dealers who were involved as well as the Cleveland Auto Show that puts on this competition every year. It’s a great experience for these students.”
In the finals, the student teams were challenged to find “bugs” placed in Honda EX-Ls by a team of test proctors. The Honda EX-Ls were supplied by local Honda dealers that included Sunnyside Honda, Ganley Honda, Rick Roush Honda, Motorcars Honda and Jay Honda.
In addition to a trip to New York City for the National Automotive Technology Competition, each member of the first place team was also awarded a $5,000 scholarship to Cuyahoga Community College, the University of Northwestern Ohio or Stark State College. Dustin Freeman, Cameron Welch and their instructor Ron Balis from Portage Lakes Career Center took home second place, each student winning a $900 scholarship to any one of those three schools. Third place went to Brett Burton, Andrew Rampersaud and their instructor Gary Mitchhart from Valley Forge High School, each student taking home a $750 scholarship.
A free Craftsman 230-piece tool kit was awarded to every student that competed in the finals. All prizes as well as travel to New York are supplied by this year's Automotive Technology Competition sponsor, Tim Lally Chevrolet.
About the Cleveland Auto Show
The Cleveland Auto Show marks the start of the spring selling season in Northern Ohio. Featuring concept, pre-production and production vehicles from the world’s auto manufacturers, the show is held annually at the I-X Center with nearly one million square feet of exhibits. The Show also features an array of entertainment including sports celebrity appearances from the Browns, Cavs, and more. The Cleveland Auto Show is a consumer show and a favorite family tradition since 1903. Find us at facebook.com/TheClevelandAutoShow and @CLEAutoShow.
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