May 28, 2011, Indianapolis Motor Speedway– The 2010 All American Racing Writers & Broadcasters Association (AARWBA) Contest winners were announced at the annual breakfast held in the shadow of  the famed racetrack’s turn two. Now in its fourth decade, the annual competition attracts entries from across the nation as well as from around the world.

“LandSpeed” Louise Ann Noeth has earned two first place finishes: the first for Magazine Column Writing and the second for Magazine Technical Writing.  Both honors were awarded for her long-running, monthly Fuel For Thought column in the Goodguys Gazette.  “Attitude, Gratitude, and Talking Race Cars” which ran in December 2010 earned the Magazine Column Writing top slot in the nation. For the Magazine Technical category win it was the January 2010 column, “Brain-Bucket Beef,” that judges gave the nod.  

AARWBA President Ms. Dusty Brandel noted,  “I  loved to see the lady journalists finally getting proper recognition for all their hard work.” In the male dominated motorsports world it is significant to note that women swept all three slots in Online News Reporting, finished one-two in three other categories and earned a total of 17 “podium” finishes overall for 2010.

When journalists finish a piece of work there is a sense of relief, to be done and to have accomplished something that will be of value to others. how many others is always a mystery. When the work is published there is a small bit of pride seeing the work placed into the public forum. When readers respond — with praise or criticism, it is bonus, a chance to take a measurement of value, worth and direction.

The big leap is entering the work into competition. Peer review can be as merciless and stinging as it is uplifting and rewarding. The point is, the journalist takes the chance, puts themselves out for critical inventory of where they stand in their craft. Oh sure, some competitions have silly judges who allow personal emotions to factor into their decisions thereby rendering the awards pointless.

Through the years, I have only entered those competitions where my writing, photography, design work and publicity efforts would be given fair, serious review. Where I place provides me with a litmus test of the work, of whether or not I might be slacking off and resting on some laurels. If so, I can kick my own butt to knuckle down and do better. It looks like 2009 was one of those years. I collected five awards, four for writing and one for photography, but not one merited a first place.  This isn’t ego crying out here. I understand that there were many submitted works that failed to place at all. In some categories the judges gave no award, ouch!

The idea is if I take up the readers time it damn well ought to be well worth it. If my peers don’t think so then I need to examine the reason why. Of course, no judge in a competition can tell how a particular work resonates with each reader, and I so often hear words of encouragement form readers that I understand that my work, especially chronicling the events and people in land speed racing, is appreciated and has value to many.  In the end, I want my work to be real, raw, current and above all — accurate. When I take on historical work, the accuracy is the driving force, the point of the entire exercise.

I thought it might be interesting to make all of you judges and see how comments compare to the professional reviews. Below are the links to each of the articles and the photo. Give a read and a look and then give my a piece of your mind. I’d dearly appreciate your feedback on these winners.

American Auto Racing Writers Broadcasters Association

2009 Third Place – Web Log Entry – “Jesse James Isn’t a Dead Man, Just a Brazen Liar”  – website

http://www.landspeedproductions.biz/jesse-james-false-claims-of-world-recor.html

2009 Third Place – Magazine Column Writing – “The First of His Kind” – Goodguys Gazette

http://www.landspeedproductions.biz/wp-content/uploads/FFT_July09.pdf

2009 Second Place – Photography – “Inspiration’s Record Run”, www.landspeedproductions.biz

http://www.landspeedproductions.biz/worlds-fastest-kettle-gets-its-steam-on.html

19th Annual International Automotive Media Competition

Magazine column writing/series – Third Place – Fuel For Thought | June, July, November

http://www.landspeedproductions.biz/wp-content/uploads/FFT_June09.pdf

http://www.landspeedproductions.biz/wp-content/uploads/FFT_July09.pdf

http://www.landspeedproductions.biz/wp-content/uploads/FFT_Nov09SteamCar.pdf

Internet Blog – Investigative -  Second place – “Jesse James Isn’t a Dead Man, Just a Brazen Liar” -www.landspeedproductions.biz

http://www.landspeedproductions.biz/jesse-james-false-claims-of-world-recor.html

BURBANK, Calif. – The 2009 All-America Auto Racing Team has been chosen by the nation’s motorsports press with a surprise and a shocker coming out of the final totals. Just two drivers are contenders this year for the Jerry Titus Award — the team’s Driver of the Year, both of them dominating the vote in their category. One is not all unexpected but the other is a high surprise and they stand just two votes apart in the final tally. Who those two are is not revealed until the All-America ceremonies in Brownsburg, Ind., on Jan. 16 but they will come from among the eight drivers named to the First Team by the voting members of the American Auto Racing Writers and Broadcasters Association.

Two former Titus winners are on the team this year — Indy Car champion Dario Franchitti (2007) and NHRA Top Fuel driver Tony Schumacher (2006, 2008), both bidding to repeat this year after winning their categories.

The Titus, given in remembrance of the late racer/journalist, signifies the top vote-getter on the All-America team regardless of category, is announced at the conclusion of the annual AARWBA banquet, which is open to the public. One drivers from each of seven categories is elected to the First Team, one more to the Second Team, and all drivers receiving at least five percent of the vote (minimum five votes) earn honorable mention.

Schumacher won his seventh NHRA Full Throttle Top Fuel championship this year, his sixth in a row. With his 5-win season he won his seventh selection as an All-America in the Drag Racing category, every one of them First Team.

Franchitti was last selected when he won the IRL Indy Car championship in 2007 when he. After a year racing stock cars, he returned to the IRL in 2009 to win it again and also rejoin the All-America team for a fifth time, his second as a First Team member.

The shocker came in the Stock Car category where Jimmie Johnson, on the heels of his unprecedented fourth straight Sprint Cup, and sentimental favorite Mark Martin, virtually split the vote with the ageless Martin coming out on top in the balloting by just two votes. It is Martin’s 15th time as an All-America, his fifth on the First Team. It is the eighth time Johnson has made the team

Donny Schatz also scored a championship four-peat this year in the World of Outlaws Sprint Car series. It was not his only quadruple as he also won the prestigious Knoxville Nationals for a fourth consecutive year in addition to 12 wins on the WoO circuit. Winning the Short Track category, this also becomes Schatz’ fourth straight year as a First Team All-America.

In the Road Racing category, drivers racing as teammates in the same car are voted on as a single entity resulting in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series’ Daytona Prototype champions Jon Fogarty and Alex Gurney winning First Team honors. Their four victories made them the most winning pair in Daytona prototype history. It is the third time as an All-America and the second on the First Team for both.

In Touring Series it was another 50-plus veteran, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion Ron Hornaday, atop the tally after his six-win season. It is Hornaday’s fourth All-America selection, each of them First Team.

The vote in the At Large category produced IRL Indy Lights champion J.R. Hildebrand as the First Team choice on the strength of his 4-win season. Hildebrand was last on the team in 2006, a first-team selection that year as the Formula Ford 2000 Champion.

Information on the All-America Banquet is available at www.AARWBA.org. The banquet and ceremony is open to the public.

FIRST TEAM
OPEN WHEEL: Dario Franchitti
STOCK CAR: Mark Martin
ROAD RACING: Jon Fogarty/Alex Gurney
DRAG RACING: Tony Schumacher
SHORT TRACK: Donny Schatz
TOURING SERIES: Ron Hornaday
AT LARGE: J.R. Hildebrand

SECOND TEAM
OPEN WHEEL: Helio Castroneves
STOCK CAR: Jimmie Johnson
ROAD RACING: David Brabham/Scott Sharp
DRAG RACING: Ashley Force Hood
SHORT TRACK: Joey Saldana
TOURING SERIES: Parker Kligerman
AT LARGE: Frank Manzo

HONORABLE MENTION
(At least 5% of the vote)
OPEN WHEEL: none
STOCK CAR: Kyle Busch. Tony Stewart
ROAD RACING: Gil deFerran/Simon Pagenaud, Luis Diaz/Adrian Fernandez
DRAG RACING: Larry Dixon, Mike Edwards, Robert Hight
SHORT TRACK: Levi Jones, Brad Kuhn
TOURING SERIES: Justin Lofton
AT LARGE: Travis Pastrana/Christian Edstrom

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