Local students compete in AAA auto skills comp

Staff report

Twenty students representing 10 high schools across Ohio, including students from Trumbull and Columbiana counties, will compete in the Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills competition in Independence, Ohio, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Thursday.

The students will work to correctly identify and repair intentionally installed bugs in identical 2014 Ford Fiestas. After properly diagnosing and repairing the vehicle, teammates must drive their Ford across the finish line, where their accuracy and workmanship will be judged.

They will compete for scholarships and prizes at the event, and the winning team will represent Ohio at the national finals June 8-10 at Ford World Headquarters in Dearborn, Mich.

Local participants are Sabastian Kanchok and Joe Coffey, with instructor Dave Gillies, representing Trumbull Career and Technical Center, and Bruce Gabbert and Zachary Seider, with instructor Jim Beardsley, representing Columbiana County Career Center.

Each two-student team earned a spot in the Ohio finals by receiving one of the state’s top scores in the preliminary online exam administered in January.