High schoolers fix cars in state competition

0 Comments | Oakland Tribune, May 14, 2007 | by Eric KurhiSTAFF

DANVILLE -- The patients were complicated and cranky, with symptoms that were so vague that diagnosis proved difficult.

The doctors were young and inexperienced, working under the gun of a 90-minute deadline.

But at the drop of a flag on Friday, 10 two-student high school teams from all over Northern California scrambled under the hoods and through the doors of 10 cars bugged with identical problems.

Welcome to the state high school auto repair championships, where the creme de la creme of shop class raced to see who could fix their Mercury Grand Marquis the fastest and, more importantly, with the fewest flaws.

"Quality is No. 1," said Rob Stringari of the California State Automobile Association, a sponsor of the event.

In the end, only four of the 10 teams even finished at all. None of the four Bay Area teams -- from Castro Valley, Martinez, Palo Alto and Petaluma -- crossed the finish line.

Lassen Technical Institute, a Susanville powerhouse of auto- repair training, took the first two spots, with Bear River High School from Grass Valley coming in third.

However, none of them topped the best Southern California team in time and score, meaning the south will go on to represent the state in the national event this summer.

"It was running perfect," said Dustin Nevis of the first-place Lassen team. "But we missed that tiny light under the dashboard, and the remote trunk latch wasn't working."

They did get the big stuff: a bad fuel injector, a couple of faulty relays, some malfunctioning fuses and bulbs and a bum digital transmission relay sensor.

The event, started in 1949, aims at getting kids into the field of auto technology. At this year's Northern California championships, at the Blackhawk Auto Museum, $65,000 in scholarhips and prizes were awarded.

"There's a big demand for technicians," said Steve Ford of Automotive Youth Educational Systems, a group that helps connect young people with careers in the field. "And a big need for instructors, too. We estimate 40 to 50 percent will retire in the next five years."

Gabriela Castro, the sole female participant, was on the second- place team. She said she's definitely going into the field, which is a family tradition.

"That girl is the cousin of the last girl we saw here," said Jenny Mack of the CSAA. "It's true that it is one of those areas where not too many women get involved. It's too bad, because it's a huge opportunity."

Gabriela's cousin was also on the second-place team when she participated a few years ago, Lassen instructor Keith Crosby said. "She works for Ford right now," he said.