A team from Maui High School captured first place yesterday in the 2008 Student Auto Skills competition.

The winners, Louel Valdez, 17, and Rodney Gazmen, 16, will represent Hawai'i next month in the national championship in Dearborn, Mich. They will compete against student teams from all over the country for the national championship and millions of dollars in college scholarships and prizes.

Five students teams competed in yesterday's event, in which students diagnosed and repaired problems ranging from faulty wiring to malfunctioning electronics planted in a Ford Escape.

The event, held at Leeward Community College, was sponsored by Ford and AAA Hawaii.