By Jim Grey

Two student teams from the Carolinas won a place in the Ford/AAA Auto Skills National competition at Ford World Headquarters in Dearborn, Mich.
 
Evan Martin and Kyle Wishlinski from Lake Norman High School in Mooresville, N.C., and Derek Mitchell and Scott West from Swansea High School in Swansea, S.C., earned state top honors.

In the Auto Skills competition, a team of student mechanics is challenged to diagnose and repair deliberate “bugs” in a car as quickly as possible, then drive the car across a finish line. Before the live competition, students must score highly on a written exam that tests a wide range of automotive knowledge.

The annual Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills competition awards more than $6 million in prizes and scholarships and encourages students to explore careers in the automotive industry.
National results were not available at press time.