On April 1, 2008 Toyota and the Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky Toyota Dealers Group with the support of the Cincinnati Teen Drivers Fund and The New Driver Car Control Clinics launched the Toyota Car Control Challenge. The contest is located on the web at : http://www.toyotacarcontrolchallenge.com/home.php

An initiative to identify, motivate and recognize excellent young drivers, TCCC was a 5 month campaign to Challenge young drivers. They were challenged to create a 750 word essay on the importance of Attitudes to crash-free driving, take a 50 question knowledge test and a one-hour, in-car test of their accident avoidance skills on a training range. Throughout the contest period their scores were posted on the web at http://www.toyotacarcontrolchallenge.com/scoreboard.php

Following 5 months of competition, 25 of the 100 top contestants were invited to the Toyota Car Control Challenge Grand Championships in Fairfield, Ohio. .

Click on the photographs for larger images

Our Toyota ladies, Natalie and Kristen. Ready to register the Finalists and wish them well.

David Thompson, Organizer for the Car Control Clinics offers a dose of encouragement for the contestants “Everything has changed,” he says, “and you only get one shot for the cash and the car. Nervous?”

Here’s the Live Leader Board and the trophies and medallions.

“Gladiators, your chariots await!” Notice the red, white and blue Toyotas and the Gold at the end. Cute.

Chief Instructor, Judge and District Manager Ed Haines explains what’s expected for the contestants and Channel 9. No pressure with a camera in your face, eh?

The Cheering Section gazes over the course where their contestants toil. Notice the hand/arm positions here. Body language. We’re not nervous are we

Lynne March, mother of Alex and wife of Alan, both fellow competitors, looks down the course. Heart rate rises.

The Big Kahuna of Car Control’s crash avoidance curriculum called Stop-in-The-Box. This one didn’t. But he didn’t create a lot of unnecessary wreckage either.

Here’s Dan, the Radar Man again, deciding that discretion is the better part of valor. “I’m outta here,” says he.

Some knuckle-knocking for good work

Back up on the hill, here are the dynamic duo of scoring, Robin and Joe pounding away on their calculators. Their Motto?? ‘Leave Me Alone, I’m Trying To Regain Control.” When they have calculated the latest round of scores, up they go on the leader board.

Here is the Leader Board again as it fills with scores and overlooks the winner’s trophies. Excitement mounts.

For example, on August 10th, McKenzie Miller, shown here with her mother Joy, topped the Live Scoreboard on the web site and as of the Grand Championships, is still there. Right here they are looking at today’s leader board. What are they thinking? Can you guess?

May we have the envelopes please .

Here come the category winners. First is our heroine, McKenzie Miller, Champion 16-17 year old girl. Is this a hint?

Champion Girl 18-19, Tamara Winkler of Sycamore High School

21) Champion Boy 16-17, John Himes of Seven Hills School

Champion Mom, Lynne March from Oak Hills

Champion Dad, Alan March, husband of Lynne and also from Oak Hills. That’s gooood!!

DRUM ROLL And the Grand Champion is……

Brian Greene from Union Kentucky. Congratulations Brian!!

Brian and his Mother, Diane also a close competitor and his Dad.

Brian with the 2 guys who caused all this trouble, Ed and David. Brian says he doesn’t mind and could he have another shot at a Toyota and 10 G’s next year.

Brian blows the roof off. You actually think there’s a sunroof on that car don’t you. But you don’t know for sure.

Dianne Green, (notice Mom’s got the money) David and Scott Neiheisel, Toyota Regional Marketing Manager share the fun.

Here’s Scott and Brian again, this time they’ve got the check back. After all, one of them wrote it and the other one won it.

Here are some Champions applauding other Champions. Lots’ of fun and great sportsmanship.

Channel 9 asks, “Why did you do this.” David says, “Thought it was about time we said something positive about the majority of teens who are safe and sound drivers and never make any headlines on a Saturday night. They are the forgotten ones and we thought they should be recognized. Toyota and it's dealers did too.

Well, Partner, looks like we got’r done. Where do we go from here?”

THANKS AGAIN TO:
The Toyota Dealers of Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky
Toyota Motor Sales Cincinnati Region
The Cincinnati Teen Drivers Fund
US Bank Foundation
Teen Driver Safety Foundation
Advanced Car Control Techniques