Guild Awards 2013 – The Winners

The much-anticipated event at the exclusive venue saw Guild members welcome sponsors, leading members of the automotive public relations industry, motorsport stars, up-and-coming writers and even royalty, to mark the presentation of awards to writers, editors, broadcasters, bloggers and photographers for their work undertaken in 2013. Among those who were on hand to congratulate the winners were His Royal Highness Prince Michael of Kent, The Hon Ralph Montagu, BTCC’s Andrew Jordan, Jaguar Design Director Ian Callum, Michael Quinn – grandson of Sir William Lyons – and Tom Hunt, son of legendary racer James Hunt.

For 2013 there were more prizes than ever, representing a wider diversity of activities undertaken by motoring journalists today. New for this year was the Skoda Video Award, while the Mercedes-Benz Award for the Montagu of Beaulieu Trophy was restructured. Winners received cash and trophies – and Commended citations were made in many categories. Prize money totalled more than £20,000.

The Guild also presented its prestigious Driver and Rider of the Year awards, chosen by its own motorsport experts. These went to British Touring Car Champion Andrew Jordan and World Speedway Champion Tai Woffinden respectively. Jaguar Design Director Ian Callum received the President’s Trophy from GoMW President Nick Mason, while His Royal Highness Prince Michael of Kent was awarded The Guild of Motoring Writers’ brand new Special Award for Contribution to Motoring supported by Kia Motors UK.

The evening’s most coveted prize, the flagship Renault UK/GoMW Journalist of the Year award, is bestowed on those judged to have made the most outstanding journalistic effort in any medium during the past 12 months. For the second year running, a chance at the title was opened up to anyone in the industry, not only Guild members. Read on to see who won this and all the other GoMW accolades…

The full list of 2013 Guild of Motoring Writers award winners:

AA Environment

Winner: Ben Oliver | Commended: Paul Barker

Audi Photography

Winner (General): Matt Howell | Commended: Martyn Goddard | Winner (Motorsport): James Moy | Commended: Alisdair Cusick, Jakob Ebrey

Automotive PR Consumer Journalist of the Year

WInner: David Williams | Commended: James Ruppert

Bentley Motors International

Winner: Alex Cox | Commended: Ben Oliver

BCA Feature Writer of the Year

Winner: Maggie Barry | Commended: George Barrow

Cummins Commercial Vehicle Writer of the Year

Winner: James Scoltock | Commended: Richard Simpson

Headlineauto Young Writer of the Year

Winner: Lewis Kingston | Commended: Greg MacLeman, Danny Hewitt

IAM Safety Award in memory of Christopher Bullock MBE

Winner: Bruce Grant-Braham | Commended: Chris Knapman, David Williams

Phil Llewellin Student of the Year Sponsored by CAR

Winner: Max Prince

Sir William Lyons Award Sponsored by Jaguar

Winner: Ciaran O’Donnell
Anderson Market Engineering Automotive Technology

Winner: Brian Weatherley

Mercedes-Benz Award for the Montagu of Beaulieu Trophy

1st – Ray Hutton | 2nd – Roy Smith | 3rd – Peter Higham

Newspress New Media

Winner: Chris Knapman

Peugeot Motorsport Cup

Winner: Alistair Weaver | Commended: Jim McGill

PFPR Editor of the Year

Winner: Dan Trent | Commended: Danny Hopkins

President’s Trophy

Winner: Ian Callum

Prova PR Business Writer

Winner: Mark Bursa | Commended: John Maslen

Renault UK/GoMW Journalist of the Year

1st – Hilton Holloway | 2nd – Ben Oliver | 3rd – Jim Holder

RM Auctions Classic Writer of the Year

Winner: Tony Dron | Commended: David Burgess-Wise, Dave Richards

Skoda Design Award

Wnner: Hilton Holloway

SEAT Breakthrough Blogger of the Year

WInner: Chris Auty

Skoda Video Award

Winner: Alex Goy | Commended: Ian Dickson

GoMW Special Award for Contribution to Motoring supported by Kia Motors UK

HRH Prince Michael of Kent

Congratulations to all those named above, and the Guild is particularly grateful to all existing and new sponsors for their support in 2013.

Philip Porter produces Murray Walker eBook

The digital version of Porter Press International’s best-selling printed Murray Walker Scrapbook has been released to celebrate the 90th birthday of the unique and very special Mr Walker. The 200-page eBook, available for Apple devices, contains more than 500 photos in addition to a multitude of stories and recollections.

It delivers a personal, touching and colourful look at this multi-faceted personality and his extraordinary career – which has ranged from holding a top job in advertising to the motorsport commentary for which he is best known.

The work is liberally spiced throughout with Murray’s personal reminiscences, wit and charm. Additional insight into this much-loved personality is provided by scores of people from the media and sporting world who have clamoured to add their stories, thoughts and memories to the record. These include Lewis Hamilton, Martin Brundle, Sir Stirling Moss, Nigel Mansell, Jenson Button, Sir Jackie Stewart, Paddy Hopkirk, Geoff Duke, Giacomo Agostini and John Surtees.

The Murray Walker Scrapbook eBook is enhanced with no fewer than 45 video interviews with Murray and 42 audio clips of his hilarious Murrayisms – and all for only £4.99.

It can be purchased from the Apple App Store or iBooks Store for iPads, iPhones and iPods. The perfect Christmas reading for motorsport enthusiasts.

See more information.

Book your place for The Guild Dinner

The glittering evening begins with a reception at 7.00pm in The Committee Room, followed by dinner at 7.45pm in the Mountbatten Banqueting Room, and the awards presentations.

Don’t miss out on this night of bonhomie with Guild and industry friends and colleagues, special guests, and accolades for the best work in automotive journalism. As featured in the box-office smash Rush, the event also hosts the presentation of The Guild Driver and Rider of the Year Awards.

Tickets cost £90, which includes pre-dinner drinks and a three-course festive menu with wine.

Application forms for places have already been distributed to members by email and post, but if you haven’t received one and would like to take part contact the General Secretary Patricia Lodge on email: gensec@gomw.co.uk – or by phone: 01202 422424.

Payment for tickets can be can be made by bank transfer, cheque or credit card (via eventbrite).

Guild member Murray Walker is 90!

Tweets about “#murray90”

Guild Awards 2012: the winners

The much-anticipated event at the exclusive venue saw Guild members welcome sponsors, leading members of the automotive public relations industry, motorsport stars plus up-and-coming writers, to mark the presentation of awards to writers, editors, broadcasters, bloggers and photographers for their work.

Among those who were on hand to congratulate the winners were rally legend Paddy Hopkirk, Intercontinental Rally Challenge champion Andreas Mikkelsen, chairman of Magma Group Dr Martin Leach, BRDC secretary Stuart Pringle and Michael Quinn, grandson of Jaguar founder Sir William Lyons.

For 2012 there were more prizes than ever, representing a wider diversity of activities undertaken by motoring journalists today. Winners received cash and trophies – and Commended citations were made in many categories. Prize money totalled more than £23,000.

The Guild also presented its prestigious Driver and Rider of the Year awards, chosen by the Guild’s own motorsport experts. These went to British Formula Three champion Jack Harvey and World Superbikes star Tom Sykes respectively. Motorsport engineering legend Patrick Head received the President’s Trophy from Nick Mason.

The evening’s most coveted prize, the Renault UK/GoMW Journalist of the Year award, is bestowed on the writers judged to have made the most outstanding journalistic effort in any medium during the past 12 months. Traditionally this been restricted to just Guild members – but this year it was decided to open up a chance at the title to anyone in the industry and to create three awards. Read on to see who won these, and the other GoMW accolades…

The full list of 2012 Guild of Motoring Writers award winners (click each picture for the full-size version):

Award titleWinnerCommended
AA EnvironmentDavid Williams 
Audi Photographic – GeneralAlisdair Cusick 
Audi Photographic – MotorsportJakob Ebrey 
Bentley Motors InternationalAlistair Weaver 
BCA Feature Writer of the YearJack CarfraeMartyn Goddard
Cummins Commercial Vehicle Writer of the YearTim BlakemoreBrian Weatherley
Headlineauto Young Writer of the YearJamie Fretwell 
IAM Safety Award in memory of Christopher Bullock MBEDavid Williams 
Phil Llewellin Student of the Year Sponsored by CARJoanna Price 
Sir William Lyons Award Sponsored by JaguarAndrew BradySophie Williamson-Stothert
Market Engineering Automotive TechnologyGraham HeepsTony Lewin
Paul Horrell
Mercedes-Benz Award for the Montagu of Beaulieu TrophyIan WagstaffJonathan Wood
Mitsubishi Motors Award for Innovation in Regional Motoring JournalismDavid Duffy 
Newspress New MediaEd Foster (accepted on his behalf by Damien Smith) 
Peugeot Motorsport CupEd McDonoughChris Pickering
PFPR Editor of the YearDavid Lillywhite 
President’s TrophyPatrick Head 
Prova PR Business WriterJack CarfraeJames Baggott
Jorn Madslien
Renault UK/GoMW Journalist of the Year1st Ken Gibson
2nd Ben Oliver
3rd David Williams		 
RM Auctions Classic Writer of the YearDavid LillywhiteJames Ruppert
Skoda Design AwardJames Scoltock 
SEAT Breakthrough Blogger of the YearKeith JonesGavin Braithwaite-Smith

Congratulations to all those named above, and the Guild is particularly grateful to all existing and new sponsors for their support in 2012.

Guild of Motoring Writers helps find next automotive industry leaders

FOR THE first time ever The Guild of Motoring Writers has been involved in the judging process for the annual Autocar-Courland Next Generation Award – and the announcement of the results shows it has backed the winner, Roberto Antonio Pace, from the very start.

Guild chairman Richard Aucock joined the award’s judging panel to help narrow down this year’s huge number of entries for the annual contest, which was launched in 2009 to offer a unique chance to kick-start automotive industry careers. The Guild was eager to become involved owing to our long history of supporting up-and-coming talent through its own awards and our desire to offer a journalistic viewpoint on the contest. The opportunity to play a role in helping find the next generation of automotive industry talent was also welcomed, given the strong professional relationship Guild members have with the British automotive industry.

Roberto’s ‘Cylindrical Brake System’ scored joint top marks in GoMW chairman Aucock’s final rankings. The 25-year-old Kingston University student then went on to impress the main Autocar-Courland judging board, and collected his prize at the SMMT Dinner on 27 November at Grosvenor House, London.

Autocar editor-in-chief and GoMW member Steve Cropley presented the award, along with the chairman of Courland Automotive Practice, Kevin Gaskell. Runners-up Jonathan Maynard from Brunel University and James Benson from Huddersfield University were also honoured.

Cropley said: “Roberto, Jonathan and James should be justifiably proud of their achievement in the 2012 contest. The level of entries was extraordinarily high, and they have completed three tough judging processes, which was by no means an easy task.”

Richard Aucock added: “The ‘Cylindrical Brake System’ was a superb entry, and I’m delighted to see it go on and impress the main judging panel to scoop the overall prize. It was the sheer innovation of the design that caught my attention initially – and Roberto backed it up with full supporting evidence and technical information.”

Roberto, who also won a £7,500 cash prize, will now go on to complete a five-month work experience package with contest sponsors Jaguar Land Rover, McLaren Automotive, Peugeot, Skoda and Toyota.

The Guild’s own Dinner & Awards event take places on 6 December at the Royal Automobile Club on Pall Mall, London. Several prizes will be presented to the next generation of motoring journalism talent, including the Phil Llewellyn Student Journalist of the Year Award, the Sir William Lyons Award, the Breakthrough Blogger of the Year Award and the Headlineauto Young Writer of the Year Award.

Guild sweeps the board at Headlineauto awards

What’s more, the winners’ roll of honour includes a substantial number of members, including:

  • Automotive Website of the Year: www.autocar.co.uk, editor Jim Holder
  • Automotive Website of the Year, Commended: www.honestjohn.co.uk, editor Peter Lorimer
  • Business Publication: Car Dealer, editor James Baggott
  • Business Writer of the Year, Commended: Simon Harris, Fleet News
  • Editor of the Year, Commended: Jim Holder, Autocar
  • Motoring Section: The Daily Telegraph, editor Erin Baker
  • Photographer of the Year, Commended: Alisdair Cusick
  • Regional Journalist of the Year: David Morgan, Motorsnorth
  • Regional Journalist of the Year, Commended: Alan Douglas, The Scotsman
  • Rising Star, Business: Jack Carfrae, Business Car

To acknowledge Guild member (and Pemberton Trophy winner) Steve Cropley’s dedication, he was presented with the event’s inaugural Outstanding Contribution Award. The accolade recognises Steve’s consistent efforts to raise the quality and profile of motoring journalism.

The full list of winners is on the awards microsite.

Headlineauto Managing Director Andrew O’Kelly says: “These awards are valued by the industry as a true benchmark for excellence.” So it’s particularly positive to see Guild members making such a strong contribution: we congratulate the winners, commendations and shortlisted candidates on upholding standards in automotive publishing.

The Guild of Motoring Writers’ own awards are presented in December. There are numerous categories, many revised and others new this year, offering a total prize fund of more than £20,000.

See the last flying Vulcan

GUILD MEMBERS are being given the opportunity to see XH558, the last flying Avro Vulcan bomber, and meet a Falklands War Vulcan captain.

The visit on Thursday 1 November is the latest in the series of regional events being organised by Guild chairman Richard Aucock to allow him to meet as many members as possible during his two years in the chairmanship.

Vulcan XH558 is based in Hanger 4 at Doncaster Sheffield Robin Hood Airport. and members will be able to arrive there from 10am on the day of the visit. You will be hosted by associates of the Vulcan to the Sky Trust, including Richard Gotch of Market Engineering, who has organised the event.

During the day, members will be given a history of the Vulcan, which is celebrating its diamond jubilee, plus a tour of the famous delta wing bomber undergoing its winter service. Also in attendance will be chief Vulcan display pilot Martin Withers DFC, who flew the aircraft which first bombed Port Stanley airfield in 1982 putting the runway out of action for large aircraft. At the time the 8,000-mile, 16-hour return journey from Ascension Islands held the record for the longest bombing mission ever flown.

Vulcan XH558 was the last Vulcan to leave RAF service in 1993 and was sold to a family firm who maintained her until the Vulcan to the Sky Trust was formed in 1998. After £7 million was raised to restore the aircaft she returned to flying in October 2007, 14 years after her last flight. It costs £2 million a year to keep the Vulcan in service and she performs at events and air shows up and down the country – her final flight of the 2012 season is a national tour this Saturday (29 September 29). Visit website www.vulcantothesky.org for full details.

The Trust will be providing refreshments during the day including lunch so there is no cost to Guild members. As the hanger is airside those attending will need to bring their passports with them on the day to gain access.

If you wish to take part in the visit on Thursday November 1, contact Honorary Secretary Chris Adamson to book your place – details below. Chris Adamson, Honorary Secretary, The Guild of Motoring Writers Ltd, Secretariat, 40 Baring Road, Bournemouth, Dorset BH6 4DT, England. Tel: 01202 422424. Email:honsec@gomw.co.uk.

Free Porsche advanced driving course for Guild under-30s

Every member under the age of 30 is eligible to undergo the YouDrive@Porsche course, free. Over-30s haven’t been neglected, either, as they can also take the programme for a bargain sum by making a modest £100 donation to the Guild – helping boost funds at a time when they are most needed. The course usually costs £165.

The half-day YouDrive@Porsche programme is held at the Driving Skills Academy at the Porsche Experience Centre, Silverstone, and teaches car-handling exercises on the Ice Hill, Kick Plate and low-friction surfaces. The course – which is completed in part using each participant’s own vehicle – also incorporates an advanced theory session, and is hosted by TV presenter and race-driving instructor Vicki Butler-Henderson alongside Porsche’s chief driving consultant Gordon Robertson. In addition, a session with the Porsche Human Performance team tests various motorsport-related fitness activities. The highlight of the programme is 30 minutes on the handling circuit in a new 911.

Guild chairman Richard Aucock said: “Younger motoring writers are often expected to drive powerful cars – usually without any advanced driving lessons whatsoever. This course will enable them to improve their skills behind the wheel in a safe and controlled environment while having a huge amount of fun. Older – and likely more experienced – members can also take part and help boost Guild funds.”

New Guild committee member James Baggott, who helped to organise this benefit, added: “When I started writing for car magazines I was expected to drive fast cars with little more than a few years’ experience behind the wheel. I believe the Guild should be doing all it can to help its younger members – and this is a big step in the right direction.’ Porsche PR chief Mike Orford concluded: “We are keen to support The Guild in any way possible. YouDrive provides both an element of driver training in a fun environment and an opportunity for writers to get a story from the day.”

The YouDrive@Porsche course takes place on selected Saturdays throughout the year. Any road-legal car can be used – participants must hold a full valid driving licence and be 18-80 years old. Please let the Porsche press office know in advance of any convictions on your licence, as restrictions may apply. Comprehensive Porsche insurance covers all aspects of the track-driving activity.

Although not compulsory, the Guild suggests participants make every effort to cover the course in the form of a feature, news story or blog for their respective publication.

Catch up with the Guild classic

Both The Guild of Motoring Writers’ Twitter account and Facebook Page were updated with rolling news throughout the weekend, as entrants used the hashtag #guildclassic to bring news and views from the event as it wound across Belgium and France.

Among those who enthusiastically Tweeted were Sue Baker, Gareth Evans and Lewis Kingston. Models taking part included an original Lotus Elan, Volkswagen Beetle and Volkswagen Scirocco, plus the last-ever Ford Cortina produced and a Ford Racing Puma.

Sue Baker: @carscribe

Gareth Evans: @garethevansuk

Lewis Kingston: @theseoldcars

Peter Burgess: @pburgess123

The Guild on Facebook

The Guild on Twitter: @gomw_uk