- Joel Christensen of Southern Honda Powersports takes two-wheel crown
- Four-wheel win goes to Honda of Fairfield’s Jacob Curtis
Today at the conclusion of the 2025 Honda National Technician Contest, Joel Christensen and Jacob Curtis were named the event’s inaugural winners. Christensen, who is employed by Southern Honda Powersports (Chattanooga, Tennessee) earned the victory in the Two-Wheel category, while Curtis represented Honda of Fairfield (Fairfield, Ohio) on his way to the Four-Wheel crown. The event was organized to promote Honda’s Powersports technical training programs, with the National Finals held this week in Alpharetta, Georgia.
Christensen and Curtis were among the eight finalists who had been determined through an online qualification test open to Honda Powersports technicians across the country. Advancement to the National Finals required completion of Honda’s Red-level training. The other three Two-Wheel finalists were Devin Paulsen from Honda of Sioux Falls (Sioux Falls, South Dakota), Jake Stifter from Davis Motorsports of Delano (Delano, Minnesota), and Santiago Webber from Al Lamb’s Dallas Honda (Dallas, Texas). Competing against Curtis were fellow Four-Wheel finalists Trent Mattern of Open Road Honda (Manden, North Dakota), Nathan Plouff of Hodag Honda (Rhinelander, Wisconsin), and Sean McCreary of M&E Honda (Bedford, Indiana).
This week’s Finals for the Honda National Technician Contest included Knowledge tests, Off-Vehicle tests and On-Vehicle tests, the latter taking part on Gold Wings and Pioneer 1000s. Following the event, participants and their guests were hosted in a side-by-side driving experience in Honda Talons at Iron Mountain Park.
“It’s still hard to wrap my head around, because I really didn’t think I was going to win this,” Christensen admitted following his Two-Wheel victory. “It’s just one of those things where you do all the stuff behind the scenes, and this is actually proving that I know what I’m doing. I have the vindication that the last almost 20 years have actually gotten me somewhere.”
Meanwhile, Curtis was excited about what his inaugural Four-Wheel title would mean for his career and the reputation of his dealership. “Winning really helps me further my career and really get the name—not only myself, but our shop—out there to the world. It really means a lot to win the first year. Just to be selected for the final eight was a great accomplishment for me, but to win is something I couldn’t have dreamt of. I’ve got almost two decades now working on Honda products, and I was just looking to further that history that I have with Honda.”
Beyond the reputational benefits, the two Honda National Technician Contest winners each also earned a Grand Prize including a 40-inch Snap-On® tool cart, an 18-volt half-inch drive Snap-On impact wrench, a $3,000 Snap-On gift card and a customized Honda Motocompacto.
“Congratulations to our winners, and to all of our finalists for the inaugural Honda National Technician Contest,” said Jeremy Merzlak, American Honda Director of the Aftersales Experience Division. “This group is the best of the best, and we’re proud to have them representing Honda’s powersports aftersales program. It was exciting to see them in action this week, and I’m gratified that they’re receiving the recognition they deserve. Our hope is that through this initiative, Honda Powersports technicians around the country will be inspired to work hard achieve their own potential, elevating service standards across our dealership network and enhancing customer satisfaction.”
The second annual Honda National Technician Contest is planned for early next year, and a 2027 edition is in the works as well. National Champions from the three years will compete for the chance to travel to Japan for the Honda Global Technician Contest in 2027.
About American Honda
American Honda Motor Co., Inc., is the sole distributor of Honda motorcycles, scooters, ATVs and Side-by-Sides in the United States. American Honda’s Power Sports & Products Division conducts the sales, marketing and operational activities for these products through independent authorized Honda retail dealers. For more information on Honda products, go to powersports.honda.com.
Source: American Honda Motor Co., Inc.
