Fair Tests Auto Students Carburetor Rebuild Skills, Nets Scholarships

Winners Joey Torres and Natalie Mota

San Diego Unified students placed second and fourth in the Ohio Technical College – Edelbrock Carburetor Challenge at the San Diego County Fair, earning more than $5,000 in scholarships.

Four student teams from ROP automotive programs: three from Crawford High IDEA and one from Madison High School.
After a written test, teams raced against one another to tear down and build up an Edelbrock carburetor in the fastest time possible; four heats were held, with teams eliminated after each round. The top three teams will won $5,000, $4,000 and $3,000 scholarships per team member for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place, respectively. 

Two Crawford IDEA teams made it to the final heat. Joey Torres and Natalie Mota took second place honors and received a $4,000 scholarship to Ohio Technical College. The fourth place team, Andrew Watkins Blackshear and Mizraim Reyes, received a $1,500 scholarship to Ohio Technical College.

Teams were given Edelbrock carburetors in advance on which to practice. The competition focused on tearing down and building up the carburetor in the fastest time possible. Extra time was taken off depending on how well the team did on their OTC – Edelbrock Carburetor tests. Edelbrock is a San Diego Unified partner, helping with high school automotive technology programs.

For information, contact Greg Quirin, program specialist, at gquirin@sandi.net.