Arapahoe Community College students win 2026 AAPEX engine competition

Two high school students enrolled in Arapahoe Community College automotive classes won the 2026 AAPEX Student Competition in Las Vegas after tearing down and rebuilding a V8 engine in 39 minutes and 11 seconds. The result highlights a fast-growing event, the auto tech talent pipeline, and the need for entry-level technicians to bring their own tools.

Why it matters: - The win spotlights a fast-track pathway into automotive careers for high school students taking college-level classes. - The competition also underscores a wider technician shortage, where new workers often need professional tools before they can even start the job. - The event put student skills on a national stage in front of industry sponsors, judges and hundreds of spectators.

What happened: - John Parmley, 16, and Schafer Eirich, 18, won the 2026 AAPEX Student Competition in Las Vegas. - The two students are concurrently enrolled in automotive classes at Arapahoe Community College in Littleton, Colo. - The team tore down and rebuilt a small-block Chevy V8 engine in 39 minutes and 11 seconds. - The winning time beat last year’s result by more than an hour. - Each student took home an estimated $10,000 in prizes.

The details: - The competition tests basic auto technician skills on a V8 engine platform. - Teams must dismantle the engine, including the pistons, crankshaft and camshaft. - A judge confirms the disassembly standard before the team races to rebuild the engine. - The rebuilt engine must turn to qualify. - The Arapahoe team practiced two or three times a week for eight months. - John Parmley was hospitalized before the event to have his appendix removed and missed the crucial final week of practice. - The competition setup differed from practice because the team had trained with two piston ring compressors, but the event allowed only one. - The students said nerves hit hard on arrival, and Schafer Eirich described feeling nauseous. - The team worried about competing against an older Ferris State University team. - Arapahoe finished first in its qualifying round and second overall entering the final round. - Competition judge Charles Sanville, known as The Humble Mechanic, signaled the engine had turned and Arapahoe had won. - Bernard Tansey, a co-judge, event organizer and emcee, said the team’s preparedness and communication stood out under pressure. - Tansey is the owner of Euro Clinic, an independent repair shop in Santa Clara, Calif.

Between the lines: - The event is growing quickly, with nine teams from seven schools this year, about double the schools and triple the teams from the inaugural competition. - The prize packages included professional tool sets, which matters because auto technicians typically have to buy their own tools. - The format rewards not only mechanical skill but also teamwork, composure and adaptability under pressure. - The win also reflects how early exposure to industry events can shape career interest. - Eirich pointed to the U.S. Secret Service booth near the competition area and said the career path looked appealing.

What's next: - More schools and sponsors appear likely to join if the competition keeps expanding at this pace. - The event’s organizers and volunteers from the Auto Care Association Tool & Equipment Community helped make the student competition possible again this year. - The U.S. Secret Service and the National Institute of Automotive Service Excellence continued their recruiting push at AAPEX, looking for ASE-qualified technicians.

The bottom line: - Arapahoe Community College’s students turned a student skills contest into a career-defining moment, while AAPEX used the competition to show how the auto aftermarket is trying to build its next generation of technicians. - Participating schools: Advanced Training Institute, Las Vegas, Nev.; Arapahoe Community College, Littleton, Colo.; College of Southern Nevada, Las Vegas, Nev.; Ferris State University, Grand Rapids, Mich.; Heritage High School, Palm Bay, Fla.; Humble High School, Humble, Texas; North Kansas City High Schools, North Kansas City, Mo. - Aftermarket sponsors included Carlyle Tools, Dorman Products, Duralast Parts (by AutoZone), Lisle Corporation, Milwaukee Tool, Snap-on Incorporated, SP Tools USA and SureWerx. - AAPEX is co-produced by MEMA Aftermarket Suppliers and the Auto Care Association. - More information is available in the show's announcement.