More Than Auto DealersEast Norriton, Pa., March 18, 2024 – The Auto Dealers Association of Greater Philadelphia celebrated its 31st annual Greater Philadelphia Auto Technology Competition (Tech Comp) on Friday, March 15. At the event, 22 area high school seniors put their automotive skills to the test in a hands-on technician skills challenge and competed for more than $1 million in scholarships, tools and prizes. First place honors went to Tyler Lurwick and Benjamin Miller of Delaware County Technical High School. They were led by Instructor Pete Dillon and sponsored by Garnet Ford. The first-place duo walked away with more than $275,000 in scholarships and prizes collectively.
During the timed, hands-on automotive technical skills competition, students tested their knowledge at 10 workstations and performed a Multi-Point Inspection of a new vehicle. The competing teams are all local and from the following area schools: Berks Career and Technology Center – East, Berks Career and Technology Center – West, Bucks County Technical High School, Delaware County Technical High School, Eastern Center for Arts and Technology, Middle Bucks Institute of Technology, North Montco Technical Career Center, Swenson Arts & Technology High School, Technical College High School – Brandywine, Upper Bucks County Technical School and Western Montgomery Career and Technology Center.
Second place went to Hunter Kraeger and Pierce Baringer of Berks Career and Technology Center-West, which collectively won more than $188,000 in prizes. The team was sponsored by Piazza Honda/Acura of Reading and led by Instructor Jose Gonzalez. Third place was captured by Kole Lester and Wyatt Nolan of North Montco Technical Career Center. Instructed by Joseph Simes and sponsored by JL Freed Honda, the third-place team walked away with more than $97,000 in winnings.
Auto technicians of the 21st Century must have highly-polished math and computer skills in addition to mechanical aptitude. This competition focuses on all those skill sets. The first part of the regional competition involved a 110-question written exam in December. The exam covered electric vehicle safety and the eight National Institute of Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) areas of the automobile, which are Engine Repair, Engine Performance, Electrical/Electronic Systems, Brakes, Heating and Air Conditioning, Suspension and Steering, Manual Drive Train and Axles and Automatic Transmissions. There were approximately 75 students who took the written exam. The two highest scoring students from the top 12 schools are those who qualified for the March 15th hands-on competition.
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