August 1, 2018

Go Canada! It took four attempts spanning eight years, but persistence paid off for Calgary’s Brett Hart when he was crowned champion of the 2018 Canadian Technician Grand Prix, held at Yamaha Motor Canada’s head offices in Toronto on Tuesday, July 24.

For Hart, a finalist at the previous three Canadian Tech GP events in 2012, 2014 and 2016, it was a dream come true to hear his name announced at the awards ceremony in front of fellow competitors, Yamaha management, judges and staff. Representatives from Yamaha Motor Company head office in Japan were even in attendance.

 “I am absolutely honoured,” said the master mechanic at Blackfoot Motorsports located in Calgary, Alberta. “It’s such an achievement, and I’m so happy right now.”

The 2018 Canadian Technician GP comprised nine different labs that challenged the technicians’ skillsets, from mechanical to electronic to customer service. Each lab tested the knowledge, patience and attention to detail of Canada’s top techs, reflecting the talent required to provide the ultimate service experience to Yamaha customers. Hart came out with the top overall average, earning high score in four different labs.

“It was very challenging,” admitted Hart, who will go on to represent Canada at the World Technician Grand Prix in Iwata, Japan in October.  “The organizers do a very good job of trying to weed us out. These are the top eight technicians in Canada, so there’s a lot of competition. The labs were very tough, and that’s how they separate us.”

“A huge part of Brett’s success was building on what he learned during previous Tech GP competitions, staying focused and understanding what the judges would be evaluating,” said Jeff Waite, Yamaha Motor Canada National Manager, Service. “Brett assessed all nine lab stations before starting and evaluated all resources available to him. The devil is always in the details, and this gruelling competition was no exception.”

When asked about what he expects from the competition in Japan, Hart was matter-of-fact. “I expect a big challenge. I have lots of homework ahead of me.”

Rounding out the top three in this year’s Canadian competition were second-place Scott Szollos from Snow City Cycle & Marine (Toronto, ON) and third-place Patrick Gibson of Cycle Works Motorsports (Red Deer, AB). Gibson also won the Top Rookie award, while Alan Piuze of SM Sport (Quebec City, QC) won the Customer Delivery Award.

The Yamaha Technician Grand Prix is organized as part of the Yamaha Motor Corporation Ltd.’s global service education plan. The goal of the Yamaha Tech GP is to raise awareness and increase competency of Yamaha’s technicians.

For more information on Blackfoot Motorsports please visit here: http://www.blackfootonline.com/