Some 85% of Honda's product range is power equipment ranging from outboard marine engines, pumps, generators, snow throwers to lawnmowers, ATVs and brush cutters, so the Honda technicians have to have a wide range of expertise.

Depending on a technician's specialisation, each had to rebuild an ATV, a marine engine or a ride-on lawnmower and find all the deliberate faults the institute's training staff had created.

"Faults vary from easy to really difficult and are scored accordingly, " explains John Mesger-Schofield, technical trainer for power equipment at The Honda Institute.

"For instance, there was a pretty easy blocked fuel flow in the carburettor on the ATV rebuild, but things got really tricky with the shorted pulsercoil in the outboard engine rebuild or the open circuit in the micro-switch of the ride-on mower that will prevent starting even when all the safety circuits are completed."

The technician has to be extremely methodical and precise to rectify these, he added. All of our Power Equipment technicians have performed to a very high standard, this is a real achievement in such a highly charged atmosphere.

"The marine sector is a key target for implementing our 'no inconvenience to the customer' philosophy and Robert demonstrated a very high level of the skills that we prize so highly in the dealer network, " concluded Matthews.

Lane's prize includes a day's VIP hospitality at a Honda Formula 4-Stroke Powerboat Grand Prix of his choice, care of series organiser and four-time Class 1 offshore powerboat world champion Steve Curtis.

Our picture shows Lane receiving his award from Geoff Matthews, head of The Honda Institute.