Romanowicz first among Yamaha techs

Eric Romanowicz of Mondus Motorsports of Hudson, Wis., took first place at the two-day Yamaha United States Technician Grand Prix. The hands-on technical skills challenge pits dealership technicians from around the country against each other in a battle that tests all aspects of their mechanical aptitude.
Bryan Harner of Yamaha of Camp Hill (Pa.) took second, with Tom Blackwell of LeBard & Underwood Inc. in La Habra, Calif., third.
In the competition, technicians face challenges that incorporate such areas as precision measuring, fuel injection and electrical troubleshooting, customer interview skills and service information gathering.
Out of 10 technicians who participated in the preliminary rounds of the USTGP, three top technicians emerged to compete in the final round of the competition that was held in June at Yamaha’s Southeastern headquarters in Kennesaw, Ga. The three technician finalists were graded by Yamaha Technical Training staff on the following real-world metrics: approach to the problem; use of tools and test equipment; overall attitude and work habits; and final diagnosis of the problem.
After the competition, the three finalists were escorted to Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala., for the AMA Pro Racing National that was held at Barber on the same weekend.