Epworth mechanic in top award win

An Isle mechanic has won a coveted national award - just three months after opening his vehicle repair workshop.
By The Newsroom
Published 19th Jun 2015, 13:44 BST
Andrew Gravel, right, is handed his trophy by Ian Gillgrass, head of the IMI motor vehicle training institute.Andrew Gravel, right, is handed his trophy by Ian Gillgrass, head of the IMI motor vehicle training institute.
Andrew Gravel, right, is handed his trophy by Ian Gillgrass, head of the IMI motor vehicle training institute.

Epworth man Andrew Gravel was announced as the winner of the Top Technician 2015 award by Aftermarket magazine.

He beat competition from about 700 entrants from across the UK to land the sought-after award, which is run every year in a bid to find the country’s best vehicle technicians.

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He won first place for the work he does to repair vehicles at the ADG Autotech business at Flixborough Industrial Estate, which he opened in March.

The 32-year-old said: “I am over the moon. To beat so many other entrants is amazing.

“I reached the final last year so I thought I would give it a go again.

“I did extra training this year to improve and I’m really proud to have gone one step further and won. It’s fantastic.”

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Andrew beat runner-up Peter Melville of Oscillotech Vehicle Services in Kent and took home a substantial prize fund including cash, a holiday, scan tools and equipment, motorsport experience vouchers and an iPad.

To win, he had to repair a car at Fiat’s training centre in Slough at the end of May while a panel of judges marked his performance in five key areas.

Event Organiser Nicola St. Clair said: “All our finalists did a great job to make it that far in the competition.

“This year’s event saw technicians from all over the UK enter and we should be proud to show that our industry has so many talented people within it.

“Top Technician exists to highlight the skills that today’s technicians have to overcome and this year, Andrew’s dedication to training has paid off and it is a well-deserved win.”