Sam Loveys, service advisor at Constitution Motors in Constitution Hill, Norwich, took second place in Hyundai's service advisor of the year award.

He reached the finals after a mammoth multi-stage competition that saw 136 advisors from 106 different dealerships across the UK whittled down to the best three in the country.

Following online and regional heats, a final group of 12 advisors was invited to Fawsley Hall, near Daventry, to take part in a fun range of solo and group activities designed to distinguish between all of those who had consistently displayed the high standards that Hyundai expects from its advisors.

The winners were announced at a gala awards dinner attended by the finalists, colleagues from their dealership and representatives of Hyundai UK.

Sam was crowned the second-placed runner-up by an expert panel of judges, having scored highly in every round.

Sam said: 'I was delighted to be part of the Service Advisor of the Year Challenge 2010. I thought the activities designed for the two days were challenging and very enjoyable whilst representative of the scenarios that a Hyundai service advisor encounters in their day-to-day life.

'It was great to meet fellow service advisors from across the country and although an individual event, I enjoyed the company of them and the extra knowledge and experience I have gained has been valuable to take back to my dealership.

'I would urge anyone who didn't enter this year to go for it next time – it was a great event to be part of!'

Graham Lightfoot, Hyundai aftersales director, congratulated the finalists, saying: 'There were a lot of very good people who entered, which made it difficult to narrow down the winners, but all of the finalists are a testament to the high quality of customer care that Hyundai prides itself on.'