The Honda Global Technician Contest has concluded. About 89,000 service staff members worldwide applied to participate in the contest but only 23 were selected to compete at the Honda Technical College Kanto in Fujimino city. Heading into the finals, only six remained, after the finals, two winners stood tall.
Big Red’s big contest took place on October 8, 2023, and it saw 23 of the best service specialists around the world compete for the top spot in two categories: Commuter and FUN. While localized competitions between service staff are no new thing for Honda, this contest marked the first time that the Japanese brand decided to make it a worldwide event.
Two models were fielded by Honda for the competition, a Super Cub 110 and a CB650R (not the new one, in case you’re wondering). The Super Cub was put out for the Commuter category while the CB650R was put out for the FUN category. It will be another four years before Honda gears up for a contest of this scale again.
A round of questions was asked for both the winners and the four other finalists in the contest, asking them to share their stories and their experiences with Honda’s team.
Commuter Category Winner: Masngudin (Indonesia)
Q: Please tell us why you wanted to become a Honda Service staff member in the first place?
I originally majored in automotive at a technical school. I had a strong interest and passion for technical things, so I wanted to work for AHASS to improve my own technical skills, especially gain more knowledge and technical skills related to abnormal noise and vibration diagnosis. I am proud to be part of Honda, the largest motorcycle manufacturer in Indonesia with the largest user and after-sales network.
Q: What do you find most rewarding and thrilling about being a service staff member?
“I feel a sense of pride and fulfillment when a customer is pleased and they want to return to my shop again to resolve their vehicle problems while understanding the importance and emphasizing accuracy in the job.”
Q: What made you and how did you decide to compete in the Technician Contest?
“To experience world-class competition. I wanted to check my skill level while competing with other service staff members from around the world.”
Q: Is there anything you practice on a daily basis to improve your skills?
“Three months prior to the competition, I started training twice a week for physical fitness and practicing both for the On-Vehicle competition and the Off-Vehicle competition. In preparation for this year’s competition, held a training camp for mental training along with training and preparation for the competition, and to be ready to take on the challenge with very high motivation.”
Q: What’s your candid feeling in winning the competition?
“To be honest, I did not think I would win the competition. I believe that the major contributing factor in winning it was that I learned both knowledge and skills, maintained my physical endurance and strength, and kept practicing in many different ways.”
FUN Category Winner: Wu Chun-Yi (Taiwan)
Q: Please tell us why you wanted to become a Honda service staff member in the first place?
“When I was around 18 years old, I was given a 125cc motorcycle, but the vehicle was in poor condition. I was a student at the time and didn’t have enough money, so I repeatedly repaired the motorcycle by myself while researching materials. I could never forget the sense of accomplishment I felt at that moment, and I knew I wanted to become a motorcycle service staff member.”
Q: What do you find most rewarding and thrilling about being a service staff member?
“I find it rewarding to use my specialized knowledge to solve problems and ensure that the motorcycle maintains its original performance. That great sense of accomplishment is the best part of my job as a service staff member.”
Q: What made you and how did you decide to compete in the Technician Contest?
“I wanted to interact with contestants from all around the world. I also wanted to see where I stood among Honda service staff members.”
Q: Is there anything you practice on a daily basis to improve your skills?
“I verify things by reading manuals and repairing my own motorcycles. I think it’s more important to face each repair case properly than to think and act on “what kind of technician I want to be.”
Q: What’s your candid feeling in winning the competition?
“I’m really happy! After observing the highest levels in technical skills from every technician in this competition, I’m honestly shocked that I was able to win. But I feel that I should not be satisfied with this, and I’d like to continue to further hone my skills and apply them to my job.”
As for the other finalists, they were asked “What do you find most rewarding and thrilling about being a service staff member?”
“I find it rewarding when customers say “thank you” after returning their repaired vehicle. I also feel great pleasure in this job when I’m able to solve a difficult problem. And most importantly, I really love motorcycles and the whole process in maintaining and repairing them,” said Xing Deqing (China) Commuter Category finalist.
“I feel motivated when a customer tells me that s/he had a memorable trip of their lifetime on a motorcycle that I serviced. I also find it rewarding when I’m able to solve a problem for which other service staff members were unable to determine the cause. To achieve these goals, I need to improve my skills, but I’ve been willing to put forth the effort because I love motorcycles. I’m also always thinking about the responsibility in my job that involves people’s lives and safety,” said Jos Pols (Netherlands), FUN Category finalist
“I find it most rewarding when a customer says, “Thank you!” I feel very happy when I’m able to repair a customer’s vehicle that was brought into our shop for repair because the customer was at a loss with the unresolved problem that other shops were unable to repair, and the customer goes home happy. That’s a great and rewarding feeling,” said Doi Isamu (Japan), FUN Category finalist
Meanwhile, Clecio Vieira da Costa from Brazil was asked a different set of questions for his participation as a finalist in the commuter category:
Q: Please tell us why you wanted to become a Honda service staff member.
“Ever since I saw service staff members working at a workshop nearby my house when I was around 14 years old, I had an affinity for the job. And out of all the options, it was my dream to work at a Honda dealership.”
Q: Is there anything you practice on a daily basis to improve your skills?
“I continue to study outside of work hours by reading maintenance manuals and watching videos on maintenance and repair. In addition, I’m constantly collecting other technically useful information.”
The contest will be back again, but not next year. The brand plans to keep doing this every four years. Think of it like an Olympics of some sort but for repairing bikes. With that, we’ll see Honda at it again in 2027.
