The San Diego Automotive Museum’s annual Shifting Gears Rally begins at its newly opened IGNITE Academy-Santee Campus on March 29 from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Beginning at IGNITE, drivers will take a scenic journey through San Diego’s wine country and along the run test their luck with a poker run with a prize for the best-winning hand, concluding at Deer Park Winery & Auto Museum with a car show featuring food vendors, and community engagement and camaraderie among automotive enthusiasts.
Proceeds from the Shifting Gears Rally directly benefit the museum and its programs, including IGNITE Academy, an award-winning education initiative providing underserved San Diego youth with hands-on technical training, mentorship, and career opportunities in the automotive industry. IGNITE equips students with the skills and confidence to pursue high-paying, in-demand careers, creating a pipeline of talent for local and national industries, and setting students up for lasting career success.
San Diego Automotive Museum Director of Development Caitlin Fahey said this is the first year this event will start at its IGNITE Academy-Santee Campus, with breakfast at the Academy before heading out for the day’s events. She said that for the poker run, participants will get a card at the beginning, then pick up a card at each stop, then a card at Deer Park with the winning poker hand winning an additional prize.
“Once we get to Deer Park, there will be lunch. Then we will have a car show. We have a team of judges who are associated with the museum. They will award prizes for the cars participating in the rally, including Best in Show, Best Custom Car, Best Original, and then our CEO Lenny Leszczynski will present the CEO’s Choice as well,” she said.
She said participants can join the rally, or meet them at Deer Park at 11 a.m.
“We are going to have a variety of cars there. All kinds of vehicles are welcome. Last year, we had everything ranging from Model A to a Ford Crown Victoria, muscle cars, sports cars. You name it. If it is on four wheels you are welcome. We want to have you,” she said.
Fahey said IGNITE Academy is the museum’s flagship project as part of its education department.
“We started a few years ago with a very small pilot of 20 students and we have quickly grown in the last three years. This year we had 105 students. As we have grown over the years, we quickly outgrew all the spaces we currently have available. So, last year in the fall, we were able to purchase a building in Santee on Argent Street, and that is our designated INGITE Academy- Santee Campus. We are currently occupying 3,700 square feet and have plans to expand into the entire building for a total of 11,000 square feet,” she said.
Fahey said the Academy is its program for students eighth grade through twelfth grade, with hands-on technical training in the automotive industry, coupled with career mentorships, and pathways to internships and apprenticeships, and jobs in the automotive industry.
“We partner with over 20 local San Diego County businesses in the car industry, and they do everything from letting us come tour the facilities with the kids, to being instructors for IGNITE Academy for our monthly workshops and summer sessions that we host, as well as once the students graduate from the pro¬gram, taking them on as apprenticeships as well as pathways to jobs. We know that we have a considerable skilled labor shortage in this industry. Not just in San Diego, but nationally. Our goal is not only to bridge that gap for our business community, but for these kids get them jobs they might not even be aware or were possible,” she said.
Fahey said this program is for kids who may not be college-bound, but to work in many of these jobs in the automotive industry, you do not need to have a higher-level degree. She said they are still building this program but envision it as a three-year program.
“First yea being monthly workshops learning how to change a tire, put on a brake pad, use a diagnostic tool to test and see what might be wrong with the car. As students build those skills, they would be eligible for internships and apprenticeships opportunities,” she said.
Registration pricing starts at $75 and includes one driver and one passenger. Sponsorship and vendor opportunities are also available, offering an excellent platform to showcase your brand to an engaged audience of car enthusiasts and community leaders while supporting a meaningful cause.
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or additional details, contact Caitlin Fahey at Caitlin@sdautomuseum.org. Register online at: https://sdautomuseum.org/ rally.
