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Top Technician 2013 Final 2
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At the end of a day-long series of searching, one-hour diagnostic tests at the Honda Institute in Slough, the field of six ‘Top Technician 2013’ competition finalists was reduced to just two on Friday, April 26th.
Lee Collins of Kwik Fit, Greater Manchester and Steve Smith of Hills Toyota, Woodford Green, Essex, will now have to sweat it out until Friday May 17th, when this year’s winner of the UK’s most prestigious trophy for workshop technicians will be announced at the ‘Top Technician Live’ seminar at Mercedes-Benz World, Brooklands, Surrey.
“Lee and Steve have locked horns before in the finals but this is the first time either of them has made it through to the ultimate decision,” said the competition’s chief judge, Ian Gillgrass of the Automotive Technician Accreditation (ATA) arm of the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI). “Surviving to this stage of an intensely demanding competition is a tribute to their diagnostic knowledge, skills and ability to stay on top of constantly evolving vehicle technology. Win or lose, both can proudly count themselves among the crème-de-la-crème of our industry, and an inspiration for every other professional technician, wherever they may be working.”
The ‘Top Technician 2013’ prize fund, which this year tops a record £18,000 – including a tax free cash award of £2,500 – awaits whichever of the two gets the judges’ nod. The runner-up will also be rewarded with a variety of prizes.
“With every one of them at the top of their game, our congratulations must also go to the other finalists – Ainsley McEwan of McEwan's Garage, Derby; Jerry Carroll of Carroll’s Garage, Paisley, Scotland; Richard McVeigh of Kwik Fit, Lichfield, Staffs, and Andrew West of Erme Valley Autos, Ivybridge, Devon, - who impressed the judges with their skill and technical know-how,” said Top Technician’s project manager, Nicola St Clair.
With the champagne on ice and the celebrations still to come, ‘Top Technician’ is over for another year but it’s never too soon to think ahead to 2014 and technicians keen to test themselves against the best of the best can register their intention to enter online at www.toptechnician.co.uk.
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Final 6 Top Techs announced
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Under the auspice of chief judge Ian Gillgrass, a dozen of the UK's best technicians competed for the title by completing an array of fiendish tasks. Tasks included tracing an obscure air-conditioning fault, diagnosing a problem with a rough-running common rail diesel and performing a seemingly routine inspection on a vehicle that had some crucial parts missing.
Competition organiser Nicola St Clair said: "It was a tiring day for all but everyone came away from the event having learnt something new and once the nerves settled down the techs enjoyed the challenges”.
The next stage of the competition is the finals, held at the Honda Institute in Slough on April 26. In this heat, the six semi-finalists with the highest score will battle it out for the first and second place trophies, as well as the £18k of prizes that go with the title. The winner will be announced at the Top Technician Live training seminar, to be held at Mercedes-Benz Word in Surrey on May 17th.
The six finalists are:
Jerry Carroll of Carroll's Garage, Paisley
Andrew West, Erme Valley Autos, Devon
Steve Smith of Hills Toyota Woodford Green, Essex
Lee Collins, Kwik Fit Group, Manchester
Richard McVeigh, Kwik Fit, Lichfield
Ainsley Mc Ewan of McEwan's Garage, Derby
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Top Technician 2013: Final 12 announced
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Congratulations to the following:
Matthew Booth, The Village Garage, Hampshire
Jerry Carroll, Carroll's Garage, Paisley, Renfrewshire
Lee Collins, Kwik Fit Group, Manchester
Richard Combellack of Dales Central Motors, Redruth, Cornwall
James Etherington of T C Garage, Copthorne, West Sussex
Mike Harding, Harding Auto Services, Knaphill, Surrey
Ainsley Mc Ewan, McEwan's Garage, Derby
Richard McVeigh, Kwik Fit, Lichfield, Staffs
Dave O'Neill, mobile mechanic in Fife
Steve Smith of Hills Toyota Woodford Green, Essex
Andrew West of Erme Valley Autos, Ivybridge, Devon
Nigel Yardley, Yardley’s Vehicle Repair & Test Centre, Sutton in Ashfield, Notts
The six top performers from the semis will be invited to the finals which will take place on April 26 at the Honda Institute in Slough. The winner will be announced at Top Technician Live at Mercedes-Benz World on May 17 and will take away a whole stack of prizes worth over £18,000.
Visit www.toptechnician.co.uk for event details and to purchase a subsidised ticket.
Related Link
New luxury spec for the Hyundai i40
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The Premium SE comes equipped with heated steering wheel, ventilated front seats, heated rear seats, xenon headlights with adaptive front lighting system, lane departure warning system and tyre pressure monitoring. It also comes with a five year warranty as standard.
The Premium SE i40 will be available with the 1.7-litre CRDi 136PS along with a choice of either a manual or automatic gearbox.
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