June 2020

Right: Top Technician semi- final 2019 22 AFTERMARKET JUNE 2020 TOP TECHNICIAN-TOP GARAGE 2020 www.toptechnicianonline.co.uk BACK TO THE FUTURE We have reached June, and although 2020 finds us all in an unusual situation, Top Technician and Top Garage keep going strong Sponsored by: A s you know, Top Technician and Top Garage 2020 had a timetable, but due to Coronavirus, it had to be amended. We reported this in earlier issues of the magazine. We also reported that the lockdown meant that the live semi-final of Top Technician, and the final full round of Top Garage had to be postponed from April. Despite these unavoidable setbacks, both competitions are continuing to roll. As you will have seen in the news section, the 10 semi-finalists for Top Technician have been named. We are looking to set a date for the semi- final as soon as we can. As previously reported, the finals of both competitions will now be held on Saturday 17 October, with the Top Technician and Top Garage Awards Evening taking place that night. More on this below. Let’s look at what the contestants in both competitions can expect to happen next Challenges Top Technician’s semi-final is as simple as the tasks the contestants face are inscrutable. Each of the 10 contestants left standing face five half-hour technical challenges. Faults and issues are set up on five cars, and each semi-finalist has half an hour to solve it. The faults can be electric or mechanical, digital or physical. Even the most experienced tech can be tripped up, usually by something so obvious they will laugh when we tell them what it was, once they stop crying. Many finalists and winners have stalled at the semi-final stage. Only when they master their process, do they succeed. We will be contacting the semi-finalists with details of the semi-final very soon. Top Garage’s last round before the final is changing this year. As our usual session of mystery shopping could prove to be difficult under current circumstances, we are looking to lean more towards asking businesses still in the running to show us what makes them the best, using a mixture of imagery, and answers to set questions. More details will follow, but the format will be familiar for those who have participated previously. Watch this space, and keep your pencil sharp and your camera handy, metaphorically speaking! Fantastic For those of you who want to see Top Technician and Top Garage 2020 through to their fantastic conclusions, you still have the chance to be at the Top Technician and Top Garage Awards Dinner 2020, now taking place on Saturday 17 October at the Jurys Inn Milton Keynes. Not only will you be among the first to discover who has won Top Technician and Top Garage 2020, but you will have a fab evening in fantastic company. As well as a great night out, you get to hear James Dillon speak, and experience the comedy of Gary Marshall. Top Technician and Top Garage have been changing lives since 2002. You can change yours by making yourself part of this brilliant event. Individual places are £70. Full tables are available for £650. To book, go to toptechnicianawards.co.uk Further information Make sure you keep an eye on www.toptechnicianonline.co.uk and Aftermarket magazine, as well as Aftermarket’s regular newsletter for updates. Top Technician 2020 and Top Garage 2020 are sponsored by Snap- on, Varta, TechMan and Euro Car Parts, and come to you in association with ABC Awards, ADS, the Garage Equipment Association (GEA), the Independent Automotive Aftermarket Federation (IAAF) and the Independent Garage Association (IGA).