Staten Island Students Win Opportunity to Represent New York at National Automotive Technology Competition

$3 Million Dollars in Scholarships & Prizes Up for Grabs

NEW YORK, Feb. 12 -- Daniel Sin and Thomas Ulitto, seniors at Tottenville High School, finished first place in the New York State Finals of the National Automotive Technology Competition and have won the right to represent New York in the National Finals. The National Finals will be held April 13 & 14 in conjunction with the 2004 New York International Auto Show.

The competition was created by the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association as a way of recruiting qualified auto technicians and to boost the level of training in schools. The competition is supported by automakers, schools and by automobile dealers who allow students to gain practical experience in their service departments.

Sin and Ulitto were among 12 two-person teams from across the metro area that spent the morning identifying and fixing problems on their assigned cars. Using a repair order with actual customer complaints, the student teams must diagnose and repair the problem within the allotted time, using the manufacturer's specialty tools. Each "bug" correctly diagnosed and repaired is worth a number of points, depending on the level of difficulty. In addition, the students' knowledge of emissions control systems, alignment, electrical test equipment and mechanical measurement tools are tested at work stations. To prepare for the competition, students are trained at new car dealerships and the skills they learn from master technicians prepare them to succeed in the working world.

Sin and Ulitto will join 37 of the nation's best two-person teams as they compete for more than $3 million in prizes and scholarships at the National Finals, including two new Pontiac Vibes.

"Over the past 15 years the National Automotive Technology Competition has established itself as a leader in automotive education, piquing the interest of thousands of students each year," said event organizer and president of the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association, Mark Schienberg. "The Competition gives students the opportunity to develop their skills in a fun, competitive, and rewarding environment. With the increasing use of sophisticated technology in cars today as well as an aging work population, it's critical that the automobile industry attracts talented, young minds into this business," Schienberg added.

With a current U.S. shortage of more than 60,000 automotive technicians, the National Automotive Technology Competition encourages high school students to pursue careers in the auto industry. And with prizes topping $3 million last year-including two new Pontiac Vibes, Snap-on tool sets for every competitor, and hundreds of thousands in scholarships -- the 2004 Competition is expected to draw thousands of participants from nearly every state in the country.

The fifteenth annual National Automotive Technology Competition will be held in conjunction with the 2004 New York International Auto Show at Manhattan's Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. It is an activity of the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association.

  The Top Finishers in the New York State Finals:

   Place         Students                        School

   1st Place     Daniel Sin & Thomas Ulitto      Tottenville High School,
                                                 Staten Island

   2nd Place:    Christopher Castro &            Putnam-Northern
                 Jeremy DiSalvo                  Westchester BOCES

   3rd Place     Jeff Bertaccio & Earle Wilson   L. A. Wilson Tech Center -
                                                 Northport

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