Autogem has reaffirmed its reputation as an industry trailblazer with the most successful edition of its Under Pressure TPMS competition to date, held at the prestigious Pirelli Performance Centre in Burton-on-Trent.

Now in its fourth year, Under Pressure ’25 reached new heights on June 25th, setting records for entries, finalist selections, and engagement, making it the most successful edition to date. The event brought together some of the UK’s most forward-thinking tyre retailers and industry professionals, with technicians from over 1,000 retail sites vying for a place in the live final.

Sixteen finalists made it to the ultimate showdown, representing leading networks and independent garages across the UK. This year’s edition also attracted the biggest pool of premium sponsors yet, including Auto3iii, Automechanika Birmingham, Autotech Training, DeWalt Automotive, Pirelli Performance Centre (Burton-on-Trent), Pro-Align and The AA, all of whom praised the professionalism, atmosphere and organisation of the competition.

Three winners emerged victorious across distinct categories:

  • Kai Llewellyn (Small Retailer and Overall Competition Winner)
  • Luke Mills (Large Retailer)
  • Brajan Szalachta (Under-23)

The competition, first created by Autogem in 2022, is viewed as being more than a contest and is a long-term commitment to elevating industry standards, building technician confidence and closing knowledge gaps across the aftermarket.

Managing Director Prashant Chopra reflected on Autogem’s success, stating: “Without doubt, Under Pressure ’25 has been our most successful event of all. We’ve seen standards raised, we’ve seen more technicians than ever taking part and we’ve also seen a huge level of commitment from retail networks across the board. It’s been wonderful to see more trophies, more prizes and most importantly, more lessons being taken away from the event.”

He continued: “We love doing this. We’re passionate about it. Every year gives us a new opportunity to listen, learn and improve. That’s why we do it. We feed everything back into training, concepts and solutions for our customers, who we’re lucky to have real two-way conversations with.”

And in a poignant first for Under Pressure, an award in honour of the late Adam Livett was given to the technician who shared Adam’s same sense of enthusiasm, warmth and humility on the day. Liam Healy was the eventual winner of this prize.

Under Pressure ‘25 drew praise from across the sector, with Ian Andrew, Chief Executive of the NTDA, commenting: “It’s great to see the depth of talent that exists in our industry, and events like this give us a brilliant platform to celebrate it. We need to shout more loudly and proudly about the capabilities of our technicians, and Under Pressure is the perfect vehicle for doing just that.”

Mike Bourne, Trustee of TyreSafe, was equally impressed: “It was a brilliantly organised competition, held in fantastic facilities. But what really stood out was the enthusiasm of the technicians, their technical knowledge during inspections, and the way they engaged with the judges on the day. It really brought home just how vital TPMS is as a road safety feature. The most important message of all is helping drivers understand what TPMS is, how it works, how to maintain it and crucially, that if that warning light comes on, it should never be ignored.”

Prashant added: “We talk a lot about a ‘cycle of improvement’ at Autogem, and Under Pressure ’25 is the clearest example of this in action. Every finalist now leaves with a greater skillset and our partnerships across the sector are all the stronger for it.”

“The feedback from our judges and sponsors has been overwhelmingly positive and we couldn’t be prouder of what we’ve built. Under Pressure is creating a real legacy – and we see that legacy being rolled out in workshops across the UK every day.”

For more about Under Pressure ’25, Autogem’s TPMS programme and Autogem, visit www.autogem.co.uk