Top Technician, Top Garage, Top Apprentice 24 www.aftermarketonline.net MARCH 2025 Start your journey to take the challenge… Top Technician, Top Garage and Top Apprentice competitions are the ultimate platform for celebrating excellence, innovation and talent within the automotive industry — and Aftermarket magazine’s search to find our champions of 2025 is underway. Whether you’re a highly skilled technician, a standout garage business, or an ambitious apprentice, this is your opportunity to shine. The journey starts with just a few clicks on the Aftermarket website and with last year’s prize haul for the contests amounting to more than £40,000, there are rich rewards for those who stay the course. And as judging veteran Ian Gillgrass (pictured) points out, the competitions also unlock invaluable access to the years of knowledge, skill and support from our line up of prestige technicians — as well as sharing knowhow from your peers. “The competition as a whole will test the very best and is a real challenge, but one that is well worth it and I encourage everyone to sign up,” Gillgrass said. “Every year gets more challenging for the judges too, in terms of setting up the faults on the vehicles that will test the skills of the entrants as they move forward into the advanced heats.” Gillgrass said all of the judges bring their own individual expertise and approach to the competitions. “We always want to make sure we have a wealth of knowledge being pooled behind the scenes to make sure we get the very best out of those taking part.” Adding to that expertise for the first time this year is Colin Denton, chief executive of the North London Garages Group Training Association. Colin will be head judge for Top Apprentice, which is being held for the first time alongside Top Technician and Top Garage. Full event partners already lined up to support this year’s competition once again include LKQ Euro Car Parts and Delphi — whose state-ofthe-art academy facilities in Warwick will again host Finals Day in November. The involvement of the Delphi Academy ensures contestants that make it through to the later stages of the contest benefit from a state-of-the-art facility equipped with cuttingedge tools and resources, designed to meet the high technical demands of the competition. TOPDON and VARTA are also among the valued Event Partners and cloud-based garage management system, Garage Hive, is among the latest organisations to confirm its support as a sponsor. And shortly before Aftermarket magazine went to press, Snap-on confirmed it would also be continuing its long-standing support for the competition this year. Mark Ost, general manager of Snap-on Diagnostics & Garage Equipment UK, said: “I am thrilled to express Snap-on’s unwavering commitment to the Top Technician & Top Garage event. “I am proud to say that we have been sponsors and supporters of the event since inception. At Snap-on, our philosophy and focus revolve around delivering premium tools to the automotive industry and giving unwavering support to technicians and independent garages.” Ost said Top Technician and Top Garage perfectly aligns with the company’s ethics and ethos, “providing Snapon with the ideal platform to celebrate and uplift the automotive industry’s skilled professionals”. To start your journey and put yourself to the ultimate test, visit https:// aftermarketonline.net/ toptechnician-topgarage/ to enter online today. Sign up today to put your skills to the test as the race gathers pace to honour and reward our 2025 champions
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