Most motorists are probably happy to let the experts change a tyre when the need arises, the quicker the better. And Firestone Kaitaia has two of the quickest in the business in Mark Sibley and Richard Collins.
That boast gained real credence recently when Mark, who has been with the firm for a little over five years, and Richard, coming up four years, won the first round of the Auckland/Northland Bridgestone tyre-changing competition. Speed was obviously of the essence, Mark said, but wasn't the be all and end all. All the proper safety precautions had to be taken, and were marked as well, by judges who travelled from site to site.
Round 2 is coming up on June 24, followed by Round 3 in September. And if Mark and Richard, working as a team, win that they will be off to the national final in Auckland later that month
Mark reckoned he and Richard could change all four tyres, including a quick tyre polish and a windscreen wash, on a car in 14 minutes, not much longer than it took the average Firestone customer to enjoy a free cup of coffee.
"We could do it quicker than that, but that would mean skipping some of the safety precautions, which is obviously out of the question," he said.
