National Automotive Technology Competition

New York, NY — (March 16, 2008): Thomas A. Edison High School seniors Andrew DeFreitas and Adityanand Persaud won the New York State finals and will go on to compete against 38 teams from across the country at the National Automotive Technology Competition on March 25th between 9am and 12 noon at the New York International Automobile Show. The high school seniors, who study automotive service technology, are hoping to win the title of “America’s Top Technician” and more than $3.5 million in scholarships, and a brand new Pontiac Solstice each.

The National finals, which are organized by the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association (GNYADA), will be held at the New York International Automobile Show at the Jacob K. Javits Center at 34th Street and 11th Avenue, on March 25th. Each two person team is supported by their teacher, school, and a local area franchised new car dealer.

“The National Automotive Technology Competition is designed to reward the best of a new generation of automotive technicians and encourage future generations to choose the automotive industry as a meaningful and worthwhile career path,” said GNYADA president, Mark Schienberg.

Here’s how the Competition works: The contests take place in two stages. First, each team is assigned a new car that is rigged with multiple computer and mechanical malfunctions. The student team must then diagnose and repair the “bugs” within the two hours allocated. Second, the students’ theoretical knowledge is tested through a series of challenging one hour workstation tests specially prepared by Snap-on, Hunter Engineering, Megatech, and the EPA.

The Competition is a clear demonstration of the industry’s strong commitment to excellence in automotive education. The Competition is endorsed by the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association, which devised and underwrites the Competition, represents nearly 650 franchised automobile dealerships in the metro area of New York, selling more than 700,000 new and used cars each year. The Association opened its doors in 1910 and has continued to serve the needs of the industry and the car-buying public ever since.