September 2021

22 AFTERMARKET SEPTEMBER 2021 TOP TECHNICIAN AND TOP GARAGE www.toptechnicianonline.co.uk TOP TECHNICIAN SEMI-FINALIST IS EV WORLD CHAMP One of Top Technician’s semi-finalists for 2021 has been named EV world champion for Kia O ne of the semi-finalists in this year’s Top Technician competition has been named as Kia’s world champion EV technician, winning the Gold Medal in the Kia EV Skill World Cup 2021, beating rivals from 14 other countries while also hopefully putting him in good stead for this year’s Top Technician diagnostic smackdown. Dave Weston, Master Technician from Snows Kia Guildford has been a regular semi-finalist and finalist in Top Technician over the last few years, and is set to compete in this year’s semi-finals on 4 September after qualifying last year. He will be going into the latter stages of this year’s competition bearing the honour of being the best Kia EV technician in the world too. The EV Skill World Cup 2021 (EVSWC 2021) was run by Kia for technicians at the brand’s dealerships worldwide. It took place virtually on 29-30 June, live-streamed through the Kia Osan Training Centre in Korea. 15 techs had worked their way up to the final in their home countries, with Dave winning the UK Skills Cup in February 2020. To reach the final, Dave had to complete a series of tests and challenges. Then, ahead of the final, he had to put together a presentation on a real-world customer vehicle’s fault, and what they did to correct and resolve it. Following an opening ceremony, contestants took a virtual exam and then a remote diagnosis test. This saw entrants giving instructions to an operator via an interpreter to diagnose and rectify a vehicle fault at the training centre in Korea. Great standard David brought home the Gold Medal, having accrued 252 points out of a possible 300. Due to the Coronavirus pandemic and with each task being undertaken remotely, he worked from the Kia Academy in Nottingham. He was supported throughout the competition by the Kia Academy Technical Training team in Nottingham. Chris Lear, After Sales Director at Kia UK observed: “David’s win demonstrates that Kia’s dealerships really know their stuff when it comes to electric vehicles. Kia is no stranger to EVs – with the full-electric Soul EV launched as long ago as 2015 and the Niro Hybrid in 2016 – but for many customers they are a new experience. We recognise this and have made sure that our dealers are able to support EV owners in the best way possible, offering peace of mind and the reassurance necessary for a happy ownership experience. Congratulations to David on this significant accomplishment.” Moving over to Dave himself, he said: “I wish to thank everyone at Kia for putting on such a complex and well-polished event, Kia Europe and especially the Kia Academy in Nottingham for the support and trust they showed in me, and for making me feel part of the Kia family. “I am now able to call myself a World Champion – something that after 25 years of training, learning and hard work has finally paid off. I am already looking forward to next year’s contest in Korea and to showcase the Sponsored by: