The winner of Top Technician was announced on Saturday, 16 September as Karl Weaver out of almost a thousand technicians.
Top Technician is a UK-wide competition that looks to find the best technicians in the automotive maintenance and repair industry and is sponsored by Snap-On and Ring Automotive.
Celebrating its 15th anniversary in 2017, Top Technician saw one of the closest-run finals in its history, with Karl, of Bull Lane Garage in Boughton under Blean, near Faversham, taking the title by showing superior diagnostic prowess and fault finding skills on a range of cars.
Shaun Miller of Miller’s Garage in Newbury was named as runner-up.
Best in show
This year saw almost a thousand technicians take the initial online test, with that number brought down to ten for a practical semi-final and five for the final, where contestants had to show their skills fixing faults placed on vehicles by a team of industry experts.
Commenting on his win, Karl said: “I was so surprised to get to the final but never thought I would end up winning the competition.
“I entered as I am passionate about my job and the industry and always want to expand my knowledge, I was in shock when my name was announced.”
“One of the best”
The contest is run by trade publication Aftermarket Magazine; editor Alex Wells observed: “Top Technician is a great competition which aims to find the best automotive techs in the UK, and Karl is a fantastic winner, more than worthy of the title.
“He is certainly one of the best in the country.”
As well as the title and trophy, Karl also received a £1,000 cheque from Aftermarket Magazine, a Verus Edge scanner from Snap-on and a prize bundle of garage equipment from Ring Automotive.
Karl also received £500 of training from industry training provider Auto IQ, Pico Automotive Technology gave the choice of a WPS kit, NVH kit, or a voucher equivalent to spend on Pico products.
Runner up Shaun received a £500 cheque from Aftermarket Magazine, a Solus Edge scanner from Snap-on, and a Ring Automotive product prize bundle.
Pico Automotive Technology gave the choice of a 30A or 2000A current clamp, sight block kit or a voucher of equivalent value.