Young Car Mechanic: This year we found out who is the best young mechanic in Croatia

For the second time in Croatia, the Young Car Mechanic competition for young mechanics was held, organized by Inter Cars Croatia. Eleven high school students from across the country competed for the title of best young mechanic, and as last year, the excitement was palpable, with the winner’s name remaining unknown until the very end.

Increased interest compared to last year

With greater interest from schools and students compared to 2022, expectations for this year’s Young Car Mechanic were exceptionally high, from mentors to competition partners. This can likely be attributed to the outstanding success of Jan Makarun at last year’s international final in Hungary, where he secured 2nd place in our debut YCM season.

As in the previous year, the competition took place at the premises of the local partner and host Auto Hrvatska Automobili in Zagreb. However, this time it was held at two locations due to the program and scope of the competition. The opening ceremony, mentor training, and gala dinner with the closing ceremony and results announcement took place at the location in Heinzelova. Meanwhile, the main part of the competition occurred at the Radnička cesta location on both days of the event. Of course, none of this would have been possible without the other competition partners who provided work tasks and prizes, all of which are renowned global brands: ZF, Bosch, Schaeffler, Meyle, Shell, Febi, Continental, Elring, Mann Filter, Varta, Denso, and Valeo.

They provided a total of 11 work tasks with full support, from tools and equipment to professional examination staff. Each competitor had the opportunity to work with the equipment, tools, and parts of a specific partner on their task. We would also like to add that this year’s program was further enriched with useful and interesting training sessions from suppliers Febi, Shell, Valeo, as well as the host Auto Hrvatska, aimed at mentors, which we believe will be beneficial in their daily teaching and knowledge transfer to their students.

After the final, a grand finale in Hungary

After completing 11 work tasks over 2 days, taking into account the total number of points achieved and the time taken to complete the task, the winner of the Young Car Mechanic for 2023 is Leon Dumić, a student from the Electromechanical Vocational School in Zagreb. He achieved 490 points with a time of 5:30:50h and, along with valuable and rich prizes, secured a spot at the grand international final in Hungary, which will take place at the end of June.

– I started this because it was my lifelong dream, and now something I thought was unimaginable has come true. My dreams were much lower, but the bar has been raised by itself. It’s still incredible; the impressions need to settle – said the delighted winner of this year’s competition, Leon Dumić.

His schoolmate, Matej Pek, won second place (469 points; time 6:05:20h), while third place went to Kristijan Pavić (463 points, time 5:12:49h) from the Konjščina High School. The excitement and dynamism during the competition is illustrated by the fact that at the end of the first day, the leading Josip Salaj ultimately finished in 5th place.

– The competitive atmosphere was totally relaxed, and I felt absolutely no pressure. A very good way to learn and progress, and secondly, a very good way to have fun, and it will forever remain in my memory – concluded the enthusiastic second-place winner, Matej Pek.

A total of eleven students from six high schools from Zagreb, Konjščina, Split, Požega, Nova Gradiška, and Karlovac participated in the final. Additionally, their school mentors, who play a crucial and significant role in preparing and motivating the competitors, not only for Young Car Mechanic but also for daily education and improvement, were present.

A pledge for the future

According to other participants in the event, such as mentors and competition partners, this year the organizational bar has been raised to a higher level in all aspects, and there is great anticipation for the new Young Car Mechanic at the national level. First and foremost, the upcoming grand final will take place in Győr from June 23 to 25, and everyone, along with the support provided to Leon, hopes for another brilliant result for Croatia.

– With great enthusiasm, I can say that we won first, second, and fourth places. The preparation was primarily psychological; these are all guys who know how to do it, you just have to put it in their heads that they know it and that they can do it. I believe that all 11 guys who were here are top quality – stated Vanja Marendić, a professor at the Electromechanical Vocational School in Zagreb.

Finally, it is a great pleasure for Inter Cars Croatia that partners, mentors, and schools have recognized this project with even greater enthusiasm and interest this year. Rarely can any company in Croatia boast that its future professionals and experts have the opportunity to showcase their knowledge and skills and prove it at a major international competition in front of representatives of renowned global manufacturers by the end of their secondary education. It should not be emphasized enough the lack of quality workforce from vocational professions, and we firmly believe that in the future, other entities from the automotive industry in Croatia will recognize this commendable international project.