The Motor Sports Press Association
is an organization comprised of professional motorsports and
automotive journalists and photographers from throughout Northern
California, as well as Nevada, Washington, Arizona, Indiana,
and North Carolina. Through newspapers, radio, television, magazines,
specialty publications, and photography, members reach an audience
of more than 55 million.
For more than 37 years the members
of the MSPA have covered the world of wheels, reporting the excitement
of racing and addressing the important issues of racing and the
automotive industry.
The MSPA annually honors outstanding
performances of motorsports athletes with it's Racers of the
Year, Gordon Martin, and prestigious MSPA Hall of Fame awards.
Additionally, the John Ryan Journalism Awards are presented to
members of the MSPA in several motor sport and automotive categories
for outstanding achievement in journalism, photography, and electronic
media as determined by a panel of distinguished motoring media
experts.
2003 Racers of the Year Awards:
Congratulations to everyone who was granted an MSPA "driver
of the year" award during the voting in our November,
2002 meeting. They include: Athlete of the Year: BCRA driver
Ken Molica; Oval Track Open Wheel: Civil War Series sprint car
champion Mike Henry; Stock Car: Rusty Buholtz, Altamont Speedway
Sportsman champion; Bill Spencer Motorcycle Riders: Tony Souza,
AMA flat track series and Casey Yarrow, international SuperTT
series; and Drag Racing: Jim Murphy from the Goodguys (VRA)
nostalgia series. The list is not as long as it has been
in past years. But it is a quality list of award recipients.
Its also the result of work by some members who submitted
nominations for the first time, including Tom Parker and Mike
Shriver, as well as other members who have done so in past years.
MSPA Green Flag/Awards Dinner
was held Wednesday, March 5, 2003 at Francescas in Oakland