The Auto Dealers CARing for Kids Foundation is pleased to announce the results of its 16th Annual Automotive Technology Competition. High School Seniors John Ricciardelli and Nick Gardy of Gloucester County Institute of Technology claimed first place at the 2009 event, which took place on March 6th at the Automotive Training Center (ATC) in Warminster.
Created in 1994, the purpose of the competition is to build awareness for the important role of auto technicians in today’s workforce and to spotlight their specialized skills and professionalism. The first part of the competition involved a 160-question written exam. Of the approximately 100 students who took the exam, the twenty-four individuals who received the highest marks advanced to the hands-on portion of the competition.
At the hands-on event, participating students tested their knowledge at eight different workstations and performed a Pre-Delivery inspection on a new vehicle. In total, the hands-on competition was 4.5 hours long. Afterwards, all of the students were treated to an astounding amount of donated prizes during the competition’s awards ceremony.
The array of prizes and scholarship money distributed to the participating students totaled more than $800,000. The first place duo of Ricciardelli and Gardy from Gloucester County Institute of Technology received combined winnings of more than $222,000, which includes full tuition scholarships to Automotive Training Center, Lincoln Technical Institute, Camden County College or Universal Technical Institute respectively. The team was led by Instructor Glenn Hubert and sponsored by Pellegrino Chevrolet. Hubert will accompany his two students to New York City next month for the National Automotive Technology Competition at the New York Auto Show, with all expenses paid by the Auto Dealers CARing for Kids Foundation.
Second place honors went to Jacob Hetrick and Justin Rowlands of Berks Career and Technology Center West. The team was instructed by Lewis Davis and sponsored by Geoff Penske Buick GMC. Together, the pair took home combined winnings of $166,254. William Hafft and Nicholas Carapellotti of Eastern Center for Arts and Technology captured third place. Led by Instructor John McDonald, Hafft and Carapellotti celebrated with more than $90,000 in prizes and were sponsored by Bryner Chevrolet. Other finalists included:
Aaron Harrington and Garth George
Berks Career and Technology Center East
Instructor: Ronald Leinbach
Sponsored by: Savage Kia
Ben Silcox and Kevin Mueller
Bucks County Technical High School
Instructor: Byron Cesari
Sponsored by: McCafferty Ford
Anthony Podraza and Kenny Mitchell
Burlington County Institute of Technology
Instructor: Tom Molnar
Sponsored by: Burlington Volkswagen
Chris Torres and Joe Pierce
Chester County Technical College HS
Instructor: John Dowling
Sponsored by: Keystone Volvo – Berwyn
Nick Torrente and Chris Shannon
Central Montco Technical High School
Instructor: Robert Porter
Sponsored by: Conicelli Autoplex
John Stover and Karl Bower
Mercer County Technical School – Sypek
Instructor: David Nash
Sponsored by: Haldeman Ford
Michael Walsh and Daniel Bambrick
Middle Bucks Institute of Technology
Instructor: Paul Ciarlone
Sponsored by: Keystone Motors – Doylestown
Brant Righter and Shane Walter
North Montco Technical Career Center
Instructor: Bill Kirkpatrick
Sponsored by: North Penn Mazda
Marc Carotenuto and Joseph Budaniw
Swenson Arts & Technology High School
Instructor: Robert Nelson
Sponsored by: Faulkner Mazda
Educational sponsors included Automotive Training Center, Lincoln Technical Institute, Universal Technical Institute, Camden County College, Ohio Technical College and Volvo Cars of North America. Corporate supporters include American Suzuki Motor Corporation, Ardex Laboratories, American Tire Distributors, Conicelli Autoplex, General Motors, Hunter Engineering, K-Tool International, Mac Tools, Matco Tools, Mazda, Mitchell 1, Snap On, Test Products and Toyota Motor Sales.