Top Technician 2011 Winner Announced

26/04/2011

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John Tinham, of JT Engineering in Colchester, Essex, has won the prestigious ‘Top Technician 2011’ competition. He thus becomes the first two-time winner of the annual ‘Top Technician’ competition, having previously taken the title in 2005.

Sponsored by Comma, the vehicle servicing industry’s most coveted title rewards John with a total cash and prize fund valued at over £17,500. In a close finish to the competition finals which took place at the Honda Institute in Slough, Clive Atthowe of Clive Atthowe Tuning in Norwich, Norfolk, was declared the runner-up.

The ‘Top Technician’ competition will celebrate its 10^th anniversary in 2012, having been created in 2002 to identify and reward the most skilled vehicle servicing and repair technicians in the country. Nearly 2,000 technicians from a variety of backgrounds – independent workshops, franchised vehicle dealerships, fleet workshops, fast-fit outlets – enter the demanding competition, which is set and adjudicated by the (ATA) Automotive Technician Accreditation arm of the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI).

Only once has the ‘Top Technician’ competition not been won by an independent technician. “John Tinham’s success is richly deserved and we congratulate him on an outstanding achievement,” said Comma Marketing & Sales Director, Mike Bewsey. “Once again, it underlines what we have long maintained: motorists can trust independent workshops to have the skills, knowledge and experience to service their vehicles to the highest possible standard. Many private motorists are not even aware that European law fully empowers independent workshops to service vehicles of all ages without in any way jeopardising the owner’s warranty. At a time of rising motoring costs, your local independent workshop continues to offer outstanding personal service and value for money, which is why we are proud to sponsor ‘Top Technician’ and salute the excellence of the independent sector as a whole.”