Second Annual Honda National Technician Contest a Success

The second Honda National Technician Contest concluded today, determining the country’s top Honda Powersports dealership technicians. Representing Minnesota dealership Davis Motorsports of Delano, Jacob Stifter won the Two-Wheel division, while Trent Mattern (of Mandan, North Dakota’s Open Road Honda) topped the Four-Wheel category. 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.

Finalists had been determined through an online qualification test that took place last year, 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. Joining Stifter as Two-Wheel contestants were Collin Fanning of M&E Honda (Bedford, Indiana), Devin Paulsen of Vern Eide Powerhouse (Sioux Falls, South Dakota) and Santiago Webber of Al Lamb’s Dallas Honda (Dallas, Texas). Mattern was joined by fellow Four-Wheel finalists John Boots of Carolina Honda (Columbia, South Carolina), Dylan Ortegren of Rod’s Powerhouse (Roca, Nebraska) and Nathan Plouff of Hodag Honda (Rhinelander, Wisconsin). Several technicians from last year’s inaugural event made repeat appearances, although the 2025 champions—Joel Christensen in Two Wheel and Jacob Curtis in Four Wheel—were not eligible to participate.

The Honda National Technician Contest included Knowledge tests, Off-Vehicle tests and On-Vehicle tests, 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.

“Day 1 was very difficult, and that evening, my wife had to talk me off a ledge,” laughed Two-Wheel champion Stifter. “Day 2 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.”

“It’s a real honor to be here, especially for a second time,” added 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. Following the event, participants and their guests took a field trip to Iron Mountain Park for a side-by-side driving experience in Honda Talons.

“Two years into the Honda National Technician Contest, I’m extremely impressed with our contestants and winners,” said 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. I’d like to thank the Honda staff and judges for all their hard work in making this event a success—I’m already looking forward to starting the qualification process for year three!”

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 of 2027.

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