Five thousand pounds-worth of workshop tools and a performance driving experience will be won by Champion's Technician of the Year 2004. The annual competition, backed by the Retail Motor Industry Federation and the Institute of the Motor Industry, attracts hundreds of mechanical masterminds from across the UK to battle it out through a series of theoretical and practical examinations.

Entry forms are available by phoning 0161 281 2263 and the closing date is October 31. Every entrant receives a free t-shirt, the runner-up gets a pair of British Grand Prix tickets, and the winner a trophy, Sykes-Pickavant or Facom tools and a Jonathan Palmer Motorsport driving day.

The current 'Bright Spark', John Tinham of Tinham Motors, Chelms-ford, says: “The competition tests all competitors on every level and to come out as the winner was a superb achievement. But the biggest prize has been how much it raised the profile of my business.”