Sytner has congratulated the winners of its 2019 Elite Technician awards after record participation in the competition.

The dealer group's Elite Technician programme recognises and rewards outstanding performance among the technical staff at its dealerships, and this year received more than 500 entrants, the highest participation rate to date.

Those entrants were whittled down through testing events to a group of 36 of the highest scorers, who undertook a final practical challenge at Stoneleigh Park venue in Warwickshire, under the supervision of technical inspectors from the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI).

It gave the finalists just 90 minutes to identify and diagnose a variety of real-world failures in vehicles rigged with exterior, interior and engine faults.

Following diagnoses, competitors had to record and submit a video describing all faults and the required solutions.

IMI’s chief executive, Steve Nash, said: “The talent on display at this competition has again been an absolute pleasure to witness.

"The dedication to expertise from these technicians is a fantastic example of how initiatives such as the Elite Technician Challenge that place emphasis on valuing staff can have such a positive effect on employees. I am immensely proud that the IMI was involved in this.”

Congratulating the winners, Melvin Rogers, director of human resources at Sytner Group, said: “Our skilled technicians are a key factor in our future success and initiatives like this not only recognise our top performers but also really set us apart from our competitors”.