WANADA Bulletin #8-02 February 25, 2002 DC Team Tops Annual WANADA Auto Tech Competition Winners Advance to National Contest in NYC fter a day of intense competition between A the best budding young technicians in the Washington area, Julian Carter and James Chris- topher Tolbert from Phelps High School in DC were the big winners in the annual Washington Area Auto Competition, held Feb. 13 at Fitzger- ald's Buick/Pontiac/GMC in Rockville, Md. Sponsored by WANADA and Snap-On Tools, the competition featured two-person teams of top automotive technicians from high schools in the District of Columbia, Fairfax County, Virginia, and Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties in Maryland. Each two- The winning team of James Christopher Tolbert person team competed for the right to represent (left) and Julian Carter (right) with Phelps in- the Washington region at the National Automo- structor Duane French poses proudly with award tive Technology Competition at the New York plaques. International Auto Show in April. Each team had to rotate through five 20-minute stations, judged by a National Grand Prix Series team of professional automotive Ready to Roll at RFK in July technicians and instructors. The Sponsorship Opportunities Available teams were scored in the following five areas: a measuring station using o help beat the drum for the micrometer tools, battery and alter- T Washington area’s first major nator testing using a VAT 45 ma- auto race in more than 80 years, Dr. chine, diagnostic trouble shooting Don Panoz, founder of the American Le Mans Series, and Chris Lencheski, founder and chairman of (See Auto Tech Competition, p.2) the National Grand Prix were guest speakers last week at the monthly luncheon meeting of the Washington Automotive Inside… Press Association (WAPA) at the National Press Club in Flood Damaged Vehicles & Washington, D.C. Dealer Tags. ………........p.2 The first annual National Grand Prix is coming to the NADA Opposes grounds of RFK Stadium July 19-21. It will feature races of CAFE Bill………….….....p.3 four sanctioning bodies; American Le Mans (ALMS), Trans- St. Patrick’s SoberRide…..p.4 Am, World Challenge and Star Mazda. The ALMS race will be AIADA Congress…………..p.4 (See National Grand Prix, page 3) Page 2 February 25, 2002 WANADA Bulletin #8-02 Auto Tech Competition (continued from page 1) Above, the four teams from D.C., Montgomery, Prince George’s and Alexandria pose with instructors at WANADA’s annual Washington Area Automotive Technology Competition. Working their way to a big win are the Phelps High School team of Julian Carter and James Christopher Tolbert checking diagnostic engine codes to solve what ails this 2002 Buick LeSabre. VA MVDB Update: using a Tech II scanner, an Flood Damaged Vehicles & Dealer Tags alignment station and, finally, an ASE-based writ- The Virginia Motor Vehicle Dealer Board reports that its Web site, www. ten test. mvdb.vipnet.org, has been updated to provide dealers with quick links that “The Washington Area identify North Carolina and Texas flood damaged vehicles. Go to the Web Automotive Technology site and “click” on the “Dealer/Salesperson Info” and scroll down to two Competition is one of the “hot links.” The first is a link to the Web site of the North Carolina Attorney highlights of WANADA's General's Office, which can be used to identify vehicles that received ongoing automotive educa- “water-damaged” or “flood” titles in North Carolina as a result of Hurricane Floyd. The second is a link to the Texas Department of Transportation’s tion programs,” said Nick Web site (TxDOT), which can help identify vehicles that received “'Flood Champeau, WANADA’s Damaged” titles in Texas or that were reported as flood damaged by insur- vice president for public ance companies during the period of June-November 2001. affairs. The Board’s monthly newsletter, “Dealer Talk,” also includes an update “The level of education on the use of dealer-tags. “Specifically, only those salespersons who you and training of these par- pay a salary and/or a commission and who receive an IRS Form W-2, are ticipants, particularly with entitled to be issued a dealer tag,” says Dealer Talk. “You cannot issue a today’s high tech vehicles, dealer tag to a salesperson who uses IRS Form 1099. Individuals who use is tremendously impressive. these forms are considered ‘independent contractors’ and should not be con- We’re very proud of the sidered in determining the number of dealer plates you order. In addition, teams we send on to New independent contractors may only use dealer tags on a vehicle that is being driven to or from (1) a point of sale, (2) an auction, (3) a repair facility for York each year and wish the purpose of mechanical repairs, painting, or installation of parts or acces- this one the very best of sories, or (4) a dealer exchange. When an independent contractor drives on luck at the national level.” dealer tags, he or she must also be issued a “PERMISSION TO USE The WANADA Bulletin DEALER’S LICENSE PLATES” form (DSD-27).” will bring you the results of More information is available on www.mvdb.vipnet.org. Click on the the New York competition “Dealer/Salesperson Information,” then “General Notification and Updates,” in April. then on “IRS Publication 1779. WANADA Bulletin #8-02 February 25, 2002 Page 3 National Grand Prix (continued from page 1) televised live on NBC and CBS will air the Trans-Am race. The corresponding three-day festival will feature a concert, a world-record breaking jump by Robbie Knievel, a Lifestyle Expo and a celebrity match race. Panoz, a successful entrepreneur who made his fortune in everything from pharmaceuticals to wineries, said he founded the American Le Mans Series as a result of his son Danny's build- Chris Lencheski and Dr. Don Panoz spoke to the ing and selling of the Panoz Roadster sports car. Washington Automotive Press Association last Father and son agreed that sports car racing week about the National Grand Prix event to be could be a way of infusing heritage into the held at RFK Stadium in July. Panoz automotive emblem and launched the Panoz GTR-1 racing team in 1997. But they NADA Urges Dealers to Oppose Kerry-Hollings CAFE Bill were quickly frustrated that the new racer was penalized under the ever-changing rules in NADA has added its support to major auto- sports car racing at the time. So, in 1999, Panoz makers who are ardently opposed to a proposal founded the American Le Mans Series. by Senators John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Ernest Chris Lencheski, founder and chairman of Hollings (D-S.C.) that would raise combined car National Grand Prix Holdings, described the and light truck Corporate Average Fuel Econ- multi-year process involved in bringing racing to omy (CAFE) standards to 35 mpg by 2013 – Washington and said interest in the race has more than a 50 percent boost from the current been phenomenal since tickets went on sale requirements of 20.7 mpg for light trucks and February 6. He said the annual event is expected 27.5 mpg for cars. to provide an economic impact of $350 million In advance of what is expected to be a heated over a ten-year period. debate in the Senate, senior automobile industry executives from DaimlerChrysler, General Mo- Sponsorship Opportunities tors, Ford Motor Co., Toyota Motor North The National Grand Prix is offering numerous America and Volkswagen of America Inc., went corporate sponsorship opportunities that offer “a on record last week in stiff opposition to the dynamic platform for marketing and sales Kerry-Hollings CAFE proposal. through world-class auto racing events,” accord- NADA’s talking points to senators are as ing to the organization. “Ranging from title and follows: presenting sponsorships to associate level pack- • The Kerry-Hollings CAFE mandate will dra- ages, sponsorship of the National Grand Prix matically and adversely affect future product will allow companies to reach a diverse national and product availability. and international audience through live televi- • Not only will some popular products be sion coverage on CBS, NBC and Speedvision. eliminated, but dealers will be forced to inven- Moreover, companies will have direct access to tory and finance products for which there is no over 150,000 race fans on-site throughout the demand. event.” According to NADA, the Kerry-Hollings For more information on sponsorship oppor- CAFE mandate is a real threat that could dam- tunities, please contact David Cope or Jamie age the entire industry for years to come. Deal- Cohen at 301-986-9424, (301) 806-9184 or ers can reach their senators' offices by calling [email protected]. the Senate switchboard at (202) 224-3121. Page 4 February 25, 2002 WANADA Bulletin #8-02 St. Patrick's Day SoberRide Kicks Off March 16 The Washington Regional Alcohol Program will kick off its St. Patrick's Day SoberRide campaign with a 10 a.m. press conference at Murphy’s Grand Irish Restaurant, 713 King Street, Alexandria, VA on Saturday, March 16, 2002. The WANADA-sponsored program will operate from 4:00 pm March 16, 2002 through 4:00 am March 18, 2002, offering free cab rides up to $50 for would-be impaired drivers 21 years of age or older. Users of the service cannot reserve a SoberRide or schedule a pickup in advance. To receive a ride, call 1-800-200-8294 (TAXI) or #8294 (TAXI) on your AT&T telephone during the program hours. A SoberRide call operator will direct your request to the correct participating cab company.