On 21 and 22 August, seven best young mechanics from seven different European countries competed for the title of Young Car Mechanic 2021. These were two days full of competition, emotions, but also mutual respect and friendship. Who turned out to be the best and what changes are to be realized in this competition?
The 4th edition of the international Young Car Mechanic contest has come to an end. It is a project that has been created to support young mechanics and help them enter the reality of working for the automotive industry. A total of over 3,000 students from more than 250 schools took part in this year's qualifying round. In the finale we could watch the top 7 competitors, who showed great skills, knowledge and commitment in national finales in their countries. It's a pure pleasure to admire their skills at work live – says Sebastian Baber, Training Manager at Inter Cars SA.
In the international Finale of Young Car Mechanic, which again took place at the Inter Cars Training Centre in Cząstków Polski, students from Bulgaria, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Ukraine, Poland and Hungary took part. During two days they had to perform 10 practical tasks, prepared by the organizers in cooperation with partners of the event. They had to, among other things, diagnose and repair a modern diesel engine, change oil and timing belt, adjust exhaust system, as well as diagnose and replace a head gasket in a proper way.
I have had the pleasure of observing this competition from the very beginning and I can see how it is changing and developing. Every year the level of skills of the participants increases, and the organisers gain experience in preparing and running the competition. I see any other way then next year the project to be on even higher level. This initiative is very important for the entire automotive industry and also for Inter Cars. Through competition tasks we show new technologies of servicing vehicles and employers' expectations to future mechanics, who soon will be the power of our market. It gives me even more pleasure to see how eagerly other partners are to cooperate in the competition, for which I am sincerely grateful - says Armands Umbraško, manager responsible for the project, leader of the marketing department in Latvia.
Strong partners
Every year Young Car Mechanic is supported by well-known brands on the passenger car and truck market that supply spare parts and garage equipment. Each of them consciously, and with commitment, supports the creation of attractive forms of transferring up-to-date knowledge and skills needed to service cars.
The partners of this year's international finale were Bosch, Castrol, Continental, Elring, Febi, Mann+Hummel, Meyle, Motoremo, Scheffler, Valeo and ZF Aftermarket. The support of these companies confirms how important and necessary this project is for the industry! The project also received support from the EU's Erasmus+ programme.
In addition, special thanks to ZF Aftermarket, for a very interesting trip to the south of Poland that was arranged for young mechanics and their teachers. The experts of the company showed and explained how the components car mechanics will have to work with every day in garages are made. They were also invited to a surprise dinner, served in one of the underground levels of the Wieliczka Salt Mine.
The best of the best
The title of Young Car Mechanic 2021 was awarded to the representative of Hungary - Zsolt Ölbei from the Sándor Lukács Technical School of Automotive Industrie and Mechanics - Vocational Centre of Győr, teacher - Péter Őri.
He was followed by the representative of Poland - Łukasz Pajor from the Automotive Schools Complex named after Tadeusz Tański in Nowy Sącz; teacher - Jarosław Adamczyk.
The third place went to Edvinas Mortunas from Vilnius School of Automotive Mechanics and Business - Lithuania, trained by Vitalij Kabelis.
I feel amazing, I cannot express my feelings in words! Until I go to sleep and wake up in the morning, I will experience all these emotions deep inside me. I approached each stage with the attitude that winning is the only thing that matters. From the first moment, I was doing my best and it worked out. Participation in this competition is a great opportunity for personal development, I recommend it to all students in different countries - said Zsolt Obei, the best young mechanic in Europe 2021, right after the victory.
However, it should be emphasised that each of the participants showed a huge amount of commitment and will to compete, which is why none of the participating contestants left that day empty-handed. All thanks to the partners of the event, who prepared numerous rewards, thus appreciating all the participants and their teachers.
According to the new formula of the competition, the next international finale will be organised in the country of the previous winner. So next year, the young mechanics who decide to take part in the contest will travel to Hungary, where Zsolt Obei comes from.