September 2019

28 AFTERMARKET SEPTEMBER 2019 TOP TECHNICIAN-TOP GARAGE 2019 www.toptechnicianonline.co.uk THE FINAL COUNTDOWN After months of nail-biting tension, the finalists of Top Technician and Top Garage 2019 reach the exciting conclusion! Sponsored by: Pre-dinner drinks sponsor: I t was a hot morning on Saturday 22 June at the RMI Academy of Automotive Skills in Southam, when Top Technician and Top Garage 2019 reached their respective crescendos. You could forgive the various contestants if they thought they were sweating because they were nervous. Heck they really were nervous . After almost a year of hard work, five techs and the owners and managers from 20 businesses were at the finals, where their skills would be tested. For Top Tech contestants that meant five 50-minute tasks in the workshop, under the eye of the judges. For Top Garage contestants, that equated to half an hour in front of another set of judges, a group focused on the business side of things. It was Top Technician, it was Top Garage, but as the day began you could have called it Top Tension. Before the contestants arrived, the judges and their support teams set up the tasks that lay ahead, and prepared the tools that were required. Once everything was set, the day was ready to begin. Top Technician – the final Top Technician kicked off first, with its finalists coming in earliest. In alphabetical order, Dean Andrew, Adam Critchley, Neil Currie, Declan Robinson and Dave Weston were all at the top of their game, and ready for the challenge ahead. They had worked their way from the original 1,000 who took the first online test, all the way through to being the final five. Nothing could stop them, well, almost nothing. "My flight was cancelled last night when I was sitting on the plane," said Declan Robinson. He had flown over from Belfast for the final, although his airline seemed determined to stop him. "They said they would put us on the next flight over, but the plane was full. I thought I might not make it." Luckily flights from some airports are like buses, and Declan made it, admittedly to the wrong destination airport. One hotel, a sleep and a car hire later and he made it, just in time. There is always drama on the day of the final. Luckily this year there were no injuries. Did we say injuries? Because we forgot to mention the judges. New to the judging panel this year was 2018 champion Shaun Ferguson-Miller, who was our sole casualty during the final that year. He was joined by his predecessor, 2017 winner Karl Weaver, along with the RMI's Andy Stilgoe, contest stalwart Glenn Cutter, and Rob Lewis, Global Technical Trainer at Jaguar Land Rover, himself a former contestant. They would be overseeing the finalists, and overseeing them would be project manager Ian Gillgrass. Aftermarket's team made themselves useful too. When he wasn't interviewing and observing or time-keeping for the tasks, the Editor’s main task was to make tea. Unfortunately, he was so slow that by the time he made it, no one wanted any. Stick to the day-job Alex! Tasks As the five set off on their round of complex vehicular conundrums, Ian kept it simple: "The more I say, the more worried you finalists will become, so I will just say this; These are the tasks, good luck." So, what were the tasks? Task 1) Electrical fault, Jaguar F-Pace SLR Task 2) Air conditioning fault, Nissan Primera Task 3) Mechanical measurement, Ford Fiesta Task 4) Geometry fault, Skoda Octavia Task 5) Full Inspection, VW CC Now, Ian might not want to worry the contestants, but keeping them on their toes by suggesting the unexpected is a tradition in Top Technician. With this in mind a Above: Declan Robinson and Neil Currie receive their prizes from Snap-on’s Mark Ost and Tristian Hindle