South Australia has held its Motorsport Australia State Awards evening, presented by Burson Auto Parts, as the state’s finest were honoured at a packed Sfera's Park Suites & Convention Centre on Saturday night.
While 70 drivers received trophies for their series winning titles last year, the evening also focused on a number of officials and volunteers who were recognised for their contributions to motorsport both in 2019 and for years previous.
A major part of the evening was the 11 Service Awards presented, the most of any other state around the country, and three Service Star Awards.
Michael Clements, circuit Chief of Equipment Knut Gassmanis and a rally official with more than 50 years of experience in Jeremy Browne highlighted the diversity of the Service Star Awards with the three winners all coming from different backgrounds.
From the highly experienced Commissioner and State Council Chair in Adrian Flynn to women in motorsport advocate Clare Williamson, the Service Awards also showed a lot of diversity when it came to the 11 recipients.
For more than 40 years, both Tim Edmonds and David Castrechini have served the sport with the upmost dedication and skill, while Bruce Morisset has been an active contributor to South Australian motorsport since joining SAMROA in 1980.
As Andrew Admiraal has been at the forefront of South Australian rally for the past 17 years, Daryl Warman has been a quiet achiever doing what needs to be done since 2000, making the five deserving recipients of the awards.
The final four people to receive Service Awards were all Austin 7 club members as Pam Tunn and Cynthia, Robert and Rae Frost were all praised for their service to the club over the years
The evening also saw an official from every discipline recognised for their devotion and hard work to the sport, including SA Circuit Official of the Year and SA Motorsport Official of the Year Jack Holding.
Having been involved in the industry for more than 40 years, Holding has made an invaluable contribution to all levels of motorsport through dedication, skill, attitude, peer recognition and positive influence.
The other Officials of the Year recipients were Daniel Claridge for auto test, Greta Nason for rally, David Langfield for speed, Jo-Anne Severin for off road and Junior Official of the Year Charlotte Smith.
.jpg?sfvrsn=e30d0666_3)
Another young motorsport individual to be honoured during the evening was Molly Spalding, with the 22-year-old taking out the Burson Future Star Award after a solid outing in the 2019 Adelaide Hills Rally.
As Spalding was recognised for her efforts in the rally car, 2019 Hyundai Excel Series SA and Circuit Excel Nationals champion Asher Johnstone took out the SA Racing Driver of the Year award, while Nicholas Paul won the Peter Wright Memorial Trophy for being the most successful driver in all South Australian club race meetings.
Outside of the all individuals to get their time in the spotlight for their achievements, the popular Legend of the Lakes Hillclimb was named as the State Event of the Year.
This year’s running saw a large number of spectators attend the Mount Gambier based course to witness Darren Hart beat a huge field of 139 other competitors including 2018 winner Dan Day.