Tasmania is the latest state to have completed its Motorsport Australia State Awards virtual presentation, presented by Shannons Insurance.
 
Hosted by Cameron van den Dungen, the presentation was broadcast via Motorsport Australia’s social media channels and saw selected individuals from the Apple Isle awarded for their efforts after what was another challenging year in motorsport.
 
Watch a replay of the Tasmanian State Awards, presented by Shannons Insurance here.
  
The virtual presentation kicked off with Motorsport Australia President Andrew Fraser and State Council Chair Kim Taylor sharing their congratulations before awards were handed out.
 
From the four Speed and Auto tests winners, such as hill climb champion Rod Bender and motorkhana champion Stephen Turner, to the off road and circuit racing winners – all motorsport champions were recognised for their stellar seasons.
 
In addition to the celebration of class and outright winners in the Off Road Series and Motorsport Australia Tasmanian Circuit Racing Championships, there were two individuals acknowledged for their own efforts of going above and beyond.
 
Andrew Giffard was named as the Off Road Person of the Year, while Sports GTC Winner Mick Williams was awarded the Jeff Ransley Perpetual Trophy having been the overall highest point scorer in the State Circuit Racing Series.
 
The first of three other major awards to be announced in the final section of the presentation were the State Event of the Year, which was awarded to the Motor Sports Club of Tasmania for the first ever Tasmanian Khanacross Championship.
 
The second major award was the Tasmania Future Star Award, with young gun Joshua Webster claiming the honour.
 
In 2019, Webster won a state championship title and picked up further accolades such as Hobart Sporting Car Club rookie of the year and the Hobart Sporting Car Club Young Clubman of the Year. He then went back-to-back in 2020 with another state championship title.
 
In 2021, he continued to improve and travelled to events around the country, including to Supercars support rounds, often contending for race wins before finishing up with a dominant weekend at Symmons Plains as part of the Tasmanian Circuit Racing Championships.



The final award to be announced was the Tasmania State Official of the Year, which went to Steward, Wayne Richards.
 
Enjoying a contribution to motorsport for a long period of time, Richards currently has accreditations such as Silver Steward, Bronze Fire & Rescue, Event Assessor and Motorsport Australia Course presenter.
 
He is also the series Steward for the State Circuit Racing Championship in Tasmania, performing the role for the last three years.
 
In his video message, Richards thanked those who helped him over the years.
 
“I’m greatly appreciative for the opportunity to have some great exposure to events of all levels of motorsport,” Richards said.
 
“I would like to acknowledge that I have had some wonderful opportunities in both racing and stewarding. I would like to acknowledge the terrific people who have introduced, encouraged and mentored and supported me along the way, and would like to especially thank Brian Richardson and Roger Brown from South Australia for my formative years of stewarding.
 
“In recent years, the advice and guidance from Ross Ferguson and Lynn Rattray has been greatly appreciated.
 
“In accepting the Tasmanian State Official of the Year award, I do that in recognition of all our volunteer officials who enable clubs to host events at grassroots level.”
 
Watch a replay of the Tasmanian State Awards, presented by Shannons Insurance here.
  
The next Motorsport Australia State Awards virtual presentation, presented by Shannons Insurance, will be for Western Australia on Thursday, 10 February at 7pm AWST.