Bottom Gear Zones in on the Car Industry

Charlie Dirs, Spotlight Page Editor

Bottom Gear is one of the many new clubs that have come to Mamaroneck High School this year, but unlike other clubs, this club targets  MHS students who have an interest in the latest headlines in the car industry.

Bottom Gear, run by Andrew Hatano (‘22) and Paolo Dapkins (‘24), meet every other Tuesday at lunch. Despite the indoor meeting restrictions imposed by COVID-19, they have still persevered and been able to find meeting spots outdoors, moving from the Kemper Memorial to the grass circle outside of the Palmer Entrance. After Hatano graduates this year, Dapkins will continue to lead the club.

 “The club aims to pick four new cars that are top of the headlines in the car industry in which the people give presentations to the group to teach them about the best parts of the world of automobiles,” explains Dapkins. Hatano also added that the club aims to create special activities to create a broader interest in its members. They realize that the best way to teach is not to create presentations, but get creative and hold interactive events such as Kahoots. 

Bottom Gear targets a specific group of people that have an interest in the automobile industry. Currently, the primary way to explore this unique fascination is through independent searches. This new and unique club serves as a great way for students to come together and work collaboratively to find out information and delve into the world of automobiles.

Due to Bottom Gear being a relatively new club, they are looking to build their membership.With such a large student body, they believe that a lot more students than those participating in Bottom Gear have an interest in the automobile industry and also what they should do to maintain their own cars. By the end of this year, Hatano and Dapkins want to, “have a couple club meetings on basic car maintenance and basic car functions,” to show the upperclassmen, if they are lucky enough to have a car, how to take care of their own cars. 

Dapkins is looking into the club having its own car shows next year where the members will bring in some of their own cars and show it off to the club. Instead of doing presentations through a screen, members will be able to see “basic car maintenance and basic car functions” in front of their eyes. Although this project will require a lot of hoops to jump through. First they will have to find people who are willing to bring in their cars and have a strong enough understanding of the car to present its different qualities. Next, they will have to coordinate with the administration to get permits to host these shows. Finally, then they will need to advertise their shows to ensure high attendance. Dapkins is hoping that they will be able to hold a car show by Fall of 2022.