Time to Enter 12th Annual Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills Contest

DEARBORN, Mich., Nov. 18, 2004 -- The December 1 deadline is fast approaching for Michigan auto tech students to enter the competition for more than $7 million in scholarships and prizes in the 12th annual Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills National Quality Care Challenge.

On March 3, 2005, teams from technical centers and high schools across the state will take the written portion of the state test at various sites around the state in the event's first qualifying round. Last March, 34 schools competed. Michigan consistently ranks among the top states nationally in the number of participating teams.

The 10 teams posting the best scores in the first round will go on to the next event, the hands-on state finals at the Macomb Community College Exhibition Center in Warren, April 27, 2005. There, they will face the challenge of diagnosing and fixing "bugs" deliberately placed in new Ford Motor Co. vehicles.

The team that wins the state championship will go to Washington D.C. to compete against winners from the other 49 states on June 27, 2005, for the national championship.

To obtain a copy of the registration form and contest rules, contact AAA Michigan's Community Safety Services area at (800) 646-4222.