The Niagara Frontier Automobile Dealers Association and Erie Community College will host the 2018 NFADA Ron Smith Memorial AutoTech Competition on Saturday, Jan. 13. The competition features teams of two high school automotive seniors who will go through a series of diagnostic, workstation and performance tests to measure their automotive technical skills and abilities. Ford Motor Company is the vehicle sponsor and will be providing six 2018 Ford Escapes for the students to compete on.

Also during the event, high school juniors will compete against a stopwatch in an Olympic-style format to dismount and mount tires using a tire-changing machine.

The competition, to be held at the Erie Community College-Vehicle Technology Training Center at 5885 Big Tree Road in Orchard Park, will be open to the public beginning at 9 a.m. It concludes with an awards ceremony at approximately 3 p.m.

Competitors in the 2018 competition represent the following career and technical high schools from the Western New York area: Burgard High School, Ellicottville Career & Tech Center, Genesee Valley Educational Partnership, Harkness Career & Tech Center, Hewes Educational Center, Kenton Career & Tech Center, LoGuidice Educational Center, Niagara Career & Technical Center, Potter Career & Tech Center, and W.D. Ormsby Center. First place finishers will represent their school and the Niagara Frontier Automobile Dealers Association at the National Automotive Technology Competition in New York City in March.

Follow the NFADA/Ron Smith Memorial AutoTech Competition on Facebook, and for more information on the Niagara Frontier Automobile Dealers Association, please visit www.nfada.com.