Mazda Canada names top tech

Mazda Master Technicians. Back row, from left to right: Jin Hong of Mazda of Richmond Hill in Richmond Hill, Ont.; Lee Poetter of Dubois Mazda in Woodstock, Ont.; Steeve Potvin of Beauport Mazda in Quebec City, Que.; Jeffrey Gibbons of Destination Mazda in Vancouver, B.C.; Marcin Malocha of Westowne Mazda in Etobicoke, Ont.; and Brian Easthope of Stoney Trail Mazda in Calgary, Alta. Front row: Yannick Nadon of Élite Mazda in Gatineau, Que.; Barry MacPhee of Target Mazda in New Glasgow, N.S.; Dave Deweerd of London City Mazda in London, Ont.; and Chris Doktor of Lallo Mazda in Brantford, Ont.

Marcin Malocha is Canada’s top Mazda Master Technician.

The technician from Westowne Mazda in Toronto’s west end beat nine other competitors to win the title Friday at the annual Master Technician Competition, held at Mazda Canada’s head office in Richmond Hill, Ont.

Brian Easthope of Stoney Trail Mazda in Calgary, Alta., came in second place, followed by Dave Deweerd of London City Mazda in London, Ont.

Other competitors were:

– Chris Doktor of Lallo Mazda in Brantford, Ont.

– Jeffrey Gibbons of Destination Mazda in Vancouver, B.C.

– Jin Hong of Mazda of Richmond Hill in Richmond Hill, Ont.

– Barry MacPhee of Target Mazda in New Glasgow, N.S.

– Yannick Nadon of Élite Mazda in Gatineau, Que.

– Lee Poetter of Dubois Mazda in Woodstock, Ont.

– Steeve Potvin of Beauport Mazda in Quebec City, Que.

All competitors received a shop vacuum/blower, along with a cash prize. The top three received a Bluetooth OBDII reader for smartphones. The winner also received a GoPro camera.

Marcin Malocha, this year’s winner of the Mazda Master Technician Competition.

The competition involved debugging a 2017 Mazda 3 GT with seven faults. Among the bugs: a no-start condition, hazard lights not operating, keyless entry answer-back buzzer not working, power window one-touch not functioning, and trunk latch not responding.

The event tested their strength of concentration, focus, research, and diagnostics.

“It can be pretty stressful,” said Rob Murdoch, Mazda Canada’s national manager of technical services, “but these guys really rise to the challenge. It is amazing to watch them work.”

Murdoch said the annual competition is very important to Mazda, not only as a means to engage its technicians, but to complement the company’s training and retention efforts.

Ten Mazda technicians from across Canada were invited to head office in Richmond Hill, Ont., to take part in the Master Technician Competition.

“This is a great event because it demonstrates the high level of skill our technicians have developed,” he said. “It’s a fun and exciting way to recognize their efforts and thank them for their contributions.”

Craig McQueen, Service Training Instructor for Mazda Canada, said the annual competition is hotly anticipated by Mazda technicians across the country.

“Once they’ve been here, they get a taste for it, and they really, really want to come back next year. They just love it,” he said.

In May, two previous Canadian winners, Yannick Nadon and Reynold Bergen, will compete as a team at Mazda’s international Master Technician Competition in Hiroshima, Japan.

Second place winner Brian Easthope of Stoney Trail Mazda, in Calgary, Alta.

Third place winner Dave Deweerd of London City Mazda, in London, Ont.

Steeve Potvin of Beauport Mazda in Quebec City, Que.

Lee Poetter of Dubois Mazda in Woodstock, Ont.

Yannick Nadon of Élite Mazda in Gatineau, Que.

Barry MacPhee of Target Mazda in New Glasgow, N.S.

Jin Hong of Mazda of Richmond Hill in Richmond Hill, Ont.

Jeffrey Gibbons of Destination Mazda in Vancouver, B.C.

Chris Doktor of Lallo Mazda in Brantford, Ont.