Hella is inviting members of its service partner network to an F1 test day at Silverstone in June. The invitations will be awarded to the nine members who return most Hella product box tops as part of a sales promotion which runs to the middle of May.

The 450 independent garage members of Service Partner specialise in air conditioning service and repair, although all Hella products will count towards the Silverstone incentive.

Coinciding with the F1 promotion is a spring air conditioning campaign, designed to encourage garages to promote and market their services to customers. Each member will receive a free pack of merchandise and point of sale materials worth more than £100. Branded items include pens, mirror hangers, dashboard wobblers, flyers, service books, service checklists and selling tips booklets.

“Although air conditioning is now a standard fitment on many cars, few drivers realise there is a service requirement to keep it in top working order. We're trying to help our members educate the motorist as well as promote their expertise,” explains Hella's marketing services manager, Mark Britt.

Hella is also supporting the network with the development of a consumer website, which will aim to drive customers to members' businesses. It will eventually detail the services, business hours and post code locations of all member outlets and an online launch is planned for the autumn.