For the second year in a row, AAPEX held its Student Competition at the AAPEX Show in Las Vegas. This year, nine teams of two from seven different high schools and technical colleges raced to dismantle a small block V8 engine and then reassemble it faster than the rest.

The competition consisted of two semi-final rounds, where the fastest two teams then advanced to the finals round, where one team came out on top.

Year two champions

The Arapahoe Community College team, made up of Schafer Eirich, John Parmley, and their instructor Bob Parmley, sped through the competition to take home first place. Eirich and Parmley both stated that a passion for cars both brought them to the competition and helped them achieve their victory. Although, this victory almost didn’t happen when Parmley wound up in the hospital just a week before the competition.

“I got the call,” Eirich said, “and I was like, ‘Well, we're not going to Vegas.’ And then [John] was like, ‘No, we're gonna push through,’ and we did.”

Regardless of any setback the two faced, they continued to push ahead and worked to prepare themselves for the competition. Eirich and Parmley are both high school students who are taking college courses to become automotive technicians. To get ready for the competition, Parmley noted that they were able to practice on an engine at their school.

“We built a lot of our routine off of what they did last year,” Eirich said. Though their practice engine wasn’t the same as what they worked on in the competition and some of the tools they used differed, the discrepancies didn’t stop the boys from putting in their all out on the floor.

Providing tools for future techs

As the winners of the competition, Eirich and Parmley received the Carlyle Apprentice Program Tool Kit (including the tool cart), the Milwaukee Tool M12 FUEL 3-pc Automotive Kit, and the SP Tools CONX Hybrid Master System Kit. The two both expressed how excited they are to be adding these tools to their collections, noting that since they both have project cars at home, not having to spend money on tools allows them to buy the parts they need. Eirich also stated that this makes going into the industry “significantly easier.”  

The expenses new technicians face coming into the industry are immense and create a barrier that can prevent individuals from becoming automotive technicians at all. AAPEX started this competition as a way to highlight the current technician shortage. By providing both the first- and second-place winners with tools and equipment for the trade as well as giveaway bags for all the participants, this event helps shrink the gap between the dream and reality of becoming a technician.

“It's such a financial burden to try and even get into this industry,” Bernard Tansey explained, who co-emceed the event and owns Euro Clinic, an independent repair shop based in Santa Clara, California. “So many people may want to pursue their career, but right off the bat, it's going to cost you a lot even just to get in the door. The fact that we have sponsors like this that are setting these kids up so they can get in the door means they can start work today.”