Ferrari: Yorkshire technician is the best in the world at fixing stylish supercars

But when it comes to keeping Ferraris in tip-top order, a Yorkshire technican is the best in the world.

Daniel Dawson, who works for the JCT600 Ferrari dealership in Leeds, has been named the world’s top technician for the second consecutive year at the company’s Testa Rossa Awards.

The world finals were held in Maranello in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna, the home of Ferrari. Mr Dawson and his manager David Hannam battled their way to the world finals, after both qualifying in their respective fields to represent the UK region.

The 12 shortlisted finalists for each category were invited to compete in a centralised global event to unveil who came out on top.

Mr Dawson has worked with JCT600 for more than 18 years, joining when he was 17 as an apprentice.

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Dedication and focus allowed him to qualify from the apprenticeship programme, and he has since been able to flourish into the master technician he is today.

At 35 years old, he has been with JCT600 for most of his working life, and “hasn’t looked back since”.

In a world where precision and expertise matter most, he continues to raise the bar.

Mr Dawson said: “I’ve always had a passion for cars, but I didn’t really look into working in the sector straight away, I didn’t know much about apprenticeships when I left school and there wasn’t as much information or awareness at the time.

"I studied maths, ICT, and design and technology at AS level, but I knew back then that it wasn’t for me. After speaking with the college counsellor to discuss options, I found out that the apprenticeship was an option. I applied immediately and had to take some further tests to find out my suitability. I was shortlisted and was successful.”

Mr Hannam was also one of the final 12 shortlisted in the Top Service Manager category and narrowly missed out on the podium. He has worked for JCT600 for 20 years, starting his career as an apprentice technician, through passion and a determination to succeed, Mr Hannam secured the coveted role of aftersales manager at JCT600 Leeds Ferrari in 2021.

JCT600 said this is an “incredibly proud moment” for the company to have two members of the team shortlisted as representation for Ferrari North Europe and participate in the finals on the world stage is an achievement in itself.

Of his honour, Mr Dawson said: “Thinking of how well I’d done (last year), I didn’t think I’d be going to the finals again, let alone to go and win it for the second year in a row, which has never been done before!”

JCT600 is Yorkshire’s largest family-owned business with over 50 dealerships across the region.

Founded in 1946 the company now employs a team of more than 2,300 people.