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Students Win Ford/AAA National Auto Repair Title

15 June 1998

Oregon, Virginia, Massachusetts Students Win Ford/AAA National Auto Repair Title

    WASHINGTON, June 15 -- A two-student team from Vale High
School, Vale, Ore., won the  national high school auto repair championship at
the Ford/AAA STUDENT AUTO SKILLS competition here today.
    Brian Belnap, 18, and Kevin Roner, 18, outpaced a field of nearly 6,000
competitors from every state to earn more than $64,000 in scholarships and
prizes.  Their instructor is Merle Saunders.
    "Brian and Kevin represent the best of a new generation of automotive
technicians who will be fixing tomorrow's cars," said James Dunst, national
STUDENT AUTO SKILLS contest manager.  "Maintaining systems such as electronic
fuel injection, air bag deployment mechanisms and anti-lock brakes all require
technicians to have comprehensive knowledge in electronics and computer
technology in addition to basic engineering skills."
    The contest, held on The Mall, involved teams from all 50 states.
Participants sprinted to identically "bugged" 1998 Ford Mustangs, popped the
hoods and began diagnosing and repairing the problems.
    The hands-on portion of the competition counted for 60 percent of the
overall score.  A written exam taken on Sunday counted for 40 percent.
    The contest calls attention to the need for automobile technicians to
develop the high-tech skills required to service increasingly advanced
automobiles.  Currently, more than 80 percent of the functions on a new
vehicle are computer-controlled and cars are becoming more complex to service
with each passing year.
    More than 5,800 students entered this year's AUTO SKILLS contest
nationwide to compete for nearly $8 million in scholarships and prizes.  The
STUDENT AUTO SKILLS contest is held to encourage students to pursue careers in
automotive service and is jointly sponsored by Ford Motor Company and AAA.
    Teams placing second through tenth received scholarship awards scaled from
$21,600 to $1,400 per student.  Second place went to Gregory Welch, 19, and
Jason Kmak, 17, of the Monroe Technical Center in Leesburg, Va.  John Welch,
19, and Steve Gianunzio, 17, of the South Shore Vo Tech in Hanover, Mass.,
took third place.

         FORD/AAA STUDENT AUTO SKILLS National Quality Care Challenge

    Final Rank       State
    1               Oregon
    2               Virginia
    3               Massachusetts
    4               New Hampshire
    5               Georgia
    6               Maine
    7               Hawaii
    8               Tennessee
    9               Kentucky
    10              Nevada
    11              Iowa
    12              Ohio
    13              South Carolina
    14              Oklahoma
    15              Idaho
    16              West Virginia
    17              Utah
    18              Alabama
    19              North Dakota
    20              Texas
    21              California
    22              Connecticut
    23              Wyoming
    24              Minnesota
    25              Wisconsin
    26              Mississippi
    27              Arizona
    28              Louisiana
    29              Montana
    30              Michigan
    31              Illinois
    32              Colorado
    33              Maryland
    34              Florida
    35              Rhode Island
    36              Vermont
    37              Kansas
    38              Pennsylvania
    39              New Mexico
    40              North Carolina
    41              Washington
    42              New Jersey
    43              Nebraska
    44              Delaware
    45              South Dakota
    46              Indiana
    47              New York
    48              Missouri
    49              Arkansas
    50              Alaska

    AAA news releases can be downloaded from http://www.aaa.com