Fowlers of Bristol master technician, Dave Ball, has finished second in a European-wide competition, hosted to find the best Suzuki technician in the Japanese firm’s continental dealer network.

Ball, who boasts 37 years worth of experience as a motorcycle technician, was up against the best technicians from the continent, after winning a Suzuki GB competition to represent the distributor in the European contest. Narrowly missing out on the win, Ball was up against nine equally highly trained and experienced technicians, completing three tasks and a 60-minute written exam before being awarded second place at an awards ceremony hosted by Suzuki Motor Corporation in Bensheim, Germany. He received a trophy, Suzuki watch, and an iPad with a personalised case denoting the competition details and date.

Speaking after the ceremony, Ball said, “It was a privilege to be picked to compete in this competition, and while it’s always disappointing to be this close to winning anything, I’m still delighted to finish second. There were a lot of skilled technicians competing for this award, which shows just how high the standard of training is at Suzuki, globally. It was a great experience and hopefully I get a chance in the future to go one better.”

Suzuki GB’s aftersales training manager, Richard O’Brien, commented, “Dave represented the UK brilliantly in this competition, and we’re proud of his achievements. At Suzuki we place a great deal of emphasis on the training of master technicians in the dealer network, ensuring customers receive a high standard of care when their machines are being worked on, whether for a simple service or repair, and this was further highlighted by the high standard across the board during the competition. Dave was in strong company but worked exceptionally well in all of the tasks and the exam, and he should be proud of his performance.”

Suzuki last hosted a European competition for its technicians in 2006, but his hoping to again make them a mainstay of its calendar of events after this year’s competition.

Yasuhiro Kawai, Suzuki Motor Corporation’s motorcycle service group manager, said, “Thanks to the release of a number of new models in Europe in recent years, the Suzuki brand image has continued to improve. Of course, providing these excellent products is necessary for improving customer satisfaction. Yet, providing excellent aftersales service for our customers will also improve our brand image as well. We understand that the skill of our technicians is a very important factor.”