ORHS automotive students have 1st place, 2nd place finishes in Top Wrench Competition

 

On Friday, October 27, the Automotive Maintenance and Light Repair classes from Oak Ridge High School competed for the second time in the Top Wrench competition at McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base. The students had their first experience in this competition in April 2017.

Now in its 27th year, Top Wrench Competition hosts 17 area schools, including more than 600 instructors, students, and other attendees.

Oak Ridge students entered the following competitive events: Static Engine Challenge, Pit Crew Challenge, and Computer Control Car Challenge. ORHS teams placed as follows:

• First place in the Static Engine Challenge with a time of two minutes,
• Second place in the Computer Control Car Challenge with a time of one minute and thirty seconds, and
• Fourteenth place in the Pit Crew Challenge with a time of thirty-two and forty-five one hundredths seconds.

Besting 17 schools to take first place in the Static Engine Challenge (repairing an ailing 427 Chevrolet engine to running status), the team completed the task in two minutes even. (The next closest time was 2:45.)

Static Engine Team: Jack Borchers, Brian Dittner, Matthew Thompson, Matthew Powers, and Brooke Bigi

Edging out 16 schools to take second place in the Computer Control Car Challenge (repairing a computer-controlled truck to flawless running status), the team repaired, then cleared the check engine codes in one minute 30 seconds, (The first place winning time, by Grainger County, was one minute 27 seconds.)

Computer Control Car Team: Christopher Sexton, Elijah Brashears, Parker Palmer, Cierra “Rose” Cortez, and Matthew Herndon

Coming in at 14th place in the Pit Crew Challenge (changing a race car tire pit-crew style), the team removed and replaced the tire with a time of thirty-two and forty-five one hundredths seconds, (The winning time, by Sevier County, was 15.10 seconds.)

Pit Crew Challenge Team: Michael Barnett, Kyle Nay, Trevor Haisten, Johnathan Carter, and James Madsen

In addition to prize money, each winning participant (first, second, and third place) has earned differing levels of scholarships in automotive technology at the Tennessee College of Applied Technology or Lincoln College of Automotive Technology in Nashville.

“Well done Grease Cats!”

Article and photos courtesy of Oak Ridge High School Automotive Maintenance and Light Repair instructor Patrick LaDue

 

 

More information will be added as it becomes available.

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