The results are in and North York, Ontario students Kevin Birchall and Eric Salb from Northview Heights Secondary School placed second overall at the 2009 National Automotive Technology Competition.
The competition took place as part of the New York International Auto Show on April 15 and the pair beat out some of the top high-school automotive students in the U.S. to bring home thousands of dollars worth of scholarships, tools and equipment for their own school. It was a closely fought competition; only 20 points separated the Canadian team from the overall winners.
Winners at this year's CIAS
This past February, Kevin and Eric finished in first place ahead of teams from 16 other Toronto area high schools in the annual AutoShow skills competition, hosted by the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto.
Organized by Centennial College, the tenth edition of this competition aims at promoting automotive technology as a rewarding career path. Kevin and Eric's win in Toronto qualified them for the competition in New York. The make and model of vehicle is determined by a lottery system and in New York this year, all competitors we be working to diagnose a problem with a 2009 Mazda6.
Helped by Scarboro Mazda
To prepare for the competition both students recently received technical training on a 2009 Mazda6 courtesy of Scarboro Mazda. Paul Girard, Scarboro's Mazda Master Technician trained Kevin and Eric on the car. Discovery Channel's Daily Planet was also in attendance to document the youths road to the finals and followed them in New York.
The New York competition featured hundreds of the top high school automotive education students from across the U.S. and Canada competing for the title of The Nation's Best Automotive Technician. This year more than $3 million in prizes and scholarships was awarded to participating students and schools thanks to the generous support of almost every major automaker, industry suppliers, local dealerships, and dealer associations.
photo:Mazda Canada
The competition took place as part of the New York International Auto Show on April 15 and the pair beat out some of the top high-school automotive students in the U.S. to bring home thousands of dollars worth of scholarships, tools and equipment for their own school. It was a closely fought competition; only 20 points separated the Canadian team from the overall winners.
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| One of the two young Canadians training at the Scarboro Mazda dealership prior to the New York Competition. He is being filmed by a Discovery Channel cameraman. |
Winners at this year's CIAS
This past February, Kevin and Eric finished in first place ahead of teams from 16 other Toronto area high schools in the annual AutoShow skills competition, hosted by the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto.
Organized by Centennial College, the tenth edition of this competition aims at promoting automotive technology as a rewarding career path. Kevin and Eric's win in Toronto qualified them for the competition in New York. The make and model of vehicle is determined by a lottery system and in New York this year, all competitors we be working to diagnose a problem with a 2009 Mazda6.
Helped by Scarboro Mazda
To prepare for the competition both students recently received technical training on a 2009 Mazda6 courtesy of Scarboro Mazda. Paul Girard, Scarboro's Mazda Master Technician trained Kevin and Eric on the car. Discovery Channel's Daily Planet was also in attendance to document the youths road to the finals and followed them in New York.
The New York competition featured hundreds of the top high school automotive education students from across the U.S. and Canada competing for the title of The Nation's Best Automotive Technician. This year more than $3 million in prizes and scholarships was awarded to participating students and schools thanks to the generous support of almost every major automaker, industry suppliers, local dealerships, and dealer associations.
photo:Mazda Canada