January 11, 2012 - UTI-Avondale and MMI-Phoenix Compete for Coveted Annual Drag Racing Championship

UTI/MMI Homecoming Drag Race 2012 champion Matthew Bong (right) and the trophy’s designer, Terry Borkman.

Nearly 1,000 past and present students and their families joined UTI-Avondale and MMI-Phoenix staff in October for the UTI/MMI Homecoming Drag Races, an annual event and tradition that began more than 30 years ago. Students and instructors joined forces to race against each other in their own cars at Firebird International Raceway in Chandler, Ariz., in hopes of walking away with the championship title, “King of the Hill.” The winner of the prestigious title also earned a custom-molded trophy, and perhaps more importantly, a year’s worth of bragging rights.

“I think the students’ favorite part of the event is getting to see what toys [cars] the instructors have,” said Micki Greenrock, a UTI student affairs advisor and organizer of the event. “They hear about the instructors’ cars in class, but this gives them the chance to see how the cars run and what’s under the hood.”

The tradition began as a competition between UTI and a competing school to see who built the best cars. Today, the event serves as a homecoming gathering for the local UTI and MMI community; students, alumni, family and staff included. The event is open to public spectators; however, racing is limited to students, faculty and alumni of the UTI and MMI campuses.

Race participants are divided into brackets, and then judged based on the consistency of their scores. The most consistent racer of each bracket moves on to the final round. This year’s overall champion and “King of the Hill” was Matthew Bong, who graduated from UTI in 1985.

Each of the bracket winners and the “King of the Hill” are awarded trophies, which Greenrock says are coveted prizes amongst students. The trophies, created with used car parts, are designed by UTI Ford FACT instructor, Terry Borkman, and are truly a work of art.

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