The team representing New Zealand at the annual Isuzu Trucks I1GP World Technical competition returned recently from Japan and, whilst they missed out on a podium finish, nevertheless impressed with their skills and knowledge.

A total of 35 teams with 70 competitors were pitted against each other in the ‘technical Olympics’ of the Isuzu Truck world.

Usual event powerhouses, USA and Japan, also missed out on the medals – providing an indication of the strength and all round calibre of the competition.

The Kiwi team was coached by Ian Sparks of Isuzu Trucks New Zealand and consisted of two technicians from CablePrice, Ross Green and Liam Sanford, with Ross achieving third place in the individual technician competition.

“Teams representing Isuzu New Zealand have always punched above their weight and 2024 was no exception,” said Dave Ballantyne, general manager of Isuzu Trucks New Zealand.

“It’s an incredibly tough competition and it speaks volumes about our local network that we perform at a consistently high level year after year.

“This was the second successive year that one of our team members placed in the top three, following a similar result in 2023.

“We run extensive training programmes for Dealer staff in New Zealand and the end result is that we have some exceptionally skilled technicians in the network who provide amazing support to our customers.”

The Managing Director of CablePrice, Aidan Mahony, was exuberant with the fact two technicians from his dealership were the New Zealand representatives.

“The team at CablePrice are extremely proud of the achievements of both Ross and Liam.  They were the top technicians selected for New Zealand this year and got to showcase their skills against the best in the world,” said Mahony.

“Ross taking out third place is amazing and well deserved. CablePrice and our customers are extremely lucky to have both Liam and Ross servicing their Isuzu Trucks.”