Winners of 2nd annual Honda National Technician contest announced

The second Honda National Technician Contest concluded on Jan. 30, and the country’s top Honda Powersports dealership technicians were recognized. Held at the Honda Training Center in Alpharetta, Georgia, the annual event is organized to promote Honda’s Powersports technical training programs and, ultimately, to enhance customer satisfaction.

Jacob Stifter from Davis Motorsports in Delano, Minnesota, won the Two-Wheel division, while Trent Mattern of Open Road Honda in Mandan, North Dakota, finished first in the Four-Wheel category.

Finalists were first determined through an online qualification test, with completion of Honda’s Red-level training being a prerequisite for advancement. Eight contestants from across the country ultimately made the trip to Georgia for the in-person National Finals

The Honda National Technician Contest included knowledge tests, and off- and on-vehicle tests, with the latter conducted on Gold Wing touring bikes and Talon 1000 sport side-by-sides. Most agreed that the biggest challenge of the event was lacing a wheel.

“It’s a real honor to be here, especially for a second time,” adds Four-Wheel winner Mattern who — like Stifter — was also a finalist last year. “It’s great to have an opportunity to prove what you can do and how well you can do it. For anyone wanting to qualify for next year, my advice is to just keep on pushing and don’t give up. It’s a high level of competition, and it’s great to push yourself to this level. I think this contest should be an inspiration for anybody in our field.”

Each of the two Honda National Technician Contest winners was awarded a grand prize that included a 40-inch Snap-on tool cart, a Snap-on three-eighths-inch-drive torque wrench, a $2,600 gift card, and a customized fifth-scale RC trophy truck.

“Two years into the Honda National Technician Contest, I’m extremely impressed with our contestants and winners,” says Jeremy Merzlak, director of American Honda’s aftersales experience division. “The level of technical proficiency they demonstrated is inspirational, and the scores were exceptionally close. Collectively, their performance reflects very positively on Honda’s Powersports aftersales program and our dealership network’s service departments.”

“Day one was very difficult, and that evening, my wife had to talk me off a ledge,” says Two-Wheel champion Stifter. “Day two was the on-bike competition, and I felt much more comfortable and ended up doing well; I’m happy I didn’t give up on myself. We have a phenomenal group of technicians here, and doing well requires dedication and passion. As service techs, sometimes we need to be self-motivated to keep improving. This contest makes it worth it, because we get treated so well.”

The third annual Honda National Technician Contest is planned for early 2027. Following that event, National Champions from the first three years will compete for the chance to travel to Japan for the Honda Global Technician Contest in fall 2027.