A BURY mechanic has battled his way through to the penultimate stage of Champion's Technician of the Year competition as one of 50 budding mechanics looking to take the 2005 title.

Anthony Warner, of Auto Electrical and Tuning Service, located in Littlewood Avenue, had to complete a demanding technical theory paper in the first stage of the contest and achieved a score high enough to qualify him for the prestigious pre-final stage.

Anthony will now have to complete an even tougher second paper as he looks to progress to the final ten and a date with destiny at the grand final which will take place at Champion's European Technical Centre on March 19.

The overall "Champion" will walk away with a range of prizes, including £5,000 worth of Sykes-Pickavant tools and the driving experience of a lifetime at the Jonathan Palmer Motorsport Sensation, as well as the title of Technician of the Year 2005.

Anthony said: "It's great to have qualified for the next stage of the competition and I hope I can do well enough in the next paper to reach the final ten. There are a lot of highly experienced mechanics in the contest so it is an exceptionally tough challenge."