Tasmania has celebrated its champions of 2023 with a number of individuals recognised during a virtual presentation, hosted by Cameron van den Dungen.
After stellar seasons in 2023, competitors were officially recognised for their title-winning campaigns, as well as a handful of officials and clubs.
View the full Tasmanian State Awards replay.
Champions to be celebrated included the likes of hill climb winner Stuart Benson, motorkhana champion Justin Nicklason, and Bosch Motorsport Australia Rally Championship stars Steve Maguire and Stuart Benson, who received recognition for winning the Tasmanian Rally Championship.
A host of other individuals from the competitive championship received praise for winning their respective classes, including young guns Bodie Reading and Jaidyn Gluskie, and Buckby Subaru Challenge Champion Driver and Co-Driver, Scott Coppleman and John Stefanescu.
The state’s strong Circuit Racing Championship also featured heavily throughout the evening, with 12 drivers accepting their official awards, including Sports GTA Winner, Beau Johnson.
Johnson’s impressive season behind the wheel also saw him awarded with the Ransley Trophy – a unique trophy given to the highest point scorer across all categories in the Circuit Racing Championship.
Johnson wasn’t the only driver to receive a special award during the presentation, with Lochie Dalton named as the Future Star Award recipient. While Dalton was unable to pick up any titles in 2023, his fighting spirit in the Trico Trans Am Series saw him contending for the title until the very last race, picking up plenty of race wins and podiums along the way.
Both Dalton and Johnson were one of many individuals to receive special accolades during the virtual ceremony, with other recipients including Tim Mann and the Police Commissioner's Award for Outstanding Achievement, and Wrigley winning the Peter Bondy Trophy for displaying significant determination last year.
Two other notable individuals to receive special acknowledgment were highly respected volunteer officials, Tony Mole and Krystyna Sutton.
Taking out the prestigious State Official of the Year Award, Mole is considered an exceptional individual who has made outstanding contributions to every one of the car clubs in the north of Tasmania, helping at motorsport events every year.
Sutton has also contributed greatly to the sport over the years, making her a deserved recipient of the state’s sole Service Award.
A valuable Treasurer and Club Captain of the Hobart Sporting Car Club, Sutton has spent half her life raising funds for motorsport safety, while also being the driving force behind a fundraising campaign that saved Baskerville Raceway from bankruptcy and allowed it to continue as a racetrack.
One donor to the Baskerville foundation was the Tasmanian Racing Drivers Club, which celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2023 as the state’s only organisation to hit a milestone last year.
Rounding out the list of the awards for the presentation was Event of the Year, which was presented to the Light Car Club and Motorsport Club of Tasmania for their combined Club Day.
The Motorsport Australia State Awards season will continue with the Victorian State Awards on 29 February.
View the Motorsport Australia State Awards presentations.