Norton Student Places Second in car Debugging Competition

Two Southeastern students placed second in the state’s Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills Competition, at Universal Technical Institute in Norwood on May 9. 

Jon Richardson, of Easton, and Peter Huckins, of Norton, competed against nine other teams from across the state, in a 90-minute competition to repair an intentionally “bugged” car that had from 10 to 12 problems. The team worked on a 2012 Ford Fusion, and they were able to fix all the problems in just 40 minutes, according to their teacher, Robert Vinskus, who teaches Automotive Technology at Southeastern. 

Vinskus said that the students qualified for the event by taking an online exam and placing in the top 10 two-person teams in the state. After qualifying, they trained on a 2012 Ford Fusion, lent to the school by Baystate Ford, in South Easton, specifically for the competition.   

Both students are currently majoring in Automotive Technology and are enrolled in the school’s co-op program, in which students gain experience in their work field by working at local businesses and work places. Richardson works at Godfrey Auto, in Easton, and Huckins works at Route One Automotive, in Plainville.

Huckins also won a gold medal in the SkillsUSA State Competition, for Automotive Technology, and he will be competing in the SkillsUSA National Competition in June.