The 2010 Dean Batchelor Award Banquet will be held on December 7, 2010 at the Petersen Automotive Museum Deadline for the 2010 Dean Batchelor Award nominations is Wednesday, September 1, 2010, for works first appearing between September 1, 2009, and August 31, 2010.
The Dean Batchelor Award Excellence in Automotive Journalism
Established by the Motor Press Guild in 1995, the Dean Batchelor Award recognizes excellence in automotive journalism as exemplified by the man it is named after–Dean Batchelor.
The Award singles out individuals demonstrating outstanding achievement in the profession of automotive journalism. Each year MPG presents the Dean Batchelor Award to the journalist judged to have produced the single piece of work which best represents the professional standards and excellence demanded by Dean Batchelor during his life as an editor, writer, and chronicler of the automotive industry.
In addition, the Dean Batchelor Lifetime Achievement Award, selected separately by the Motor Press Guild Board of Directors, is presented on a case-by-case basis to individuals for outstanding contributions to the automotive communications industry.
The Dean Batchelor Award was first presented posthumously to Dean Batchelor in 1995 for his seminal book on hot rodding, The American Hot Rod, which was published after his death in 1994.
Designed by Gene Garfinkle, crafted by John Pyle, and underwritten by the Ford Motor Company, the resin-cast Dean Batchelor Award trophy is a stylized representation of the seminal So-Cal Streamliner race car designed and driven by Dean in 1949.
The Man
The career of Dean Batchelor spanned many disciplines, from aircraft builder, B-17 flyer, to race car driver and automotive journalist. He was the consummate historian, editor, racer, designer, and hot rodder. Dean's passion for automobiles led him to editing positions at Hop Up and Road & Track magazines. In the late 1970s, Dean began writing such signal books as Ferrari: The Early Berlinettas & Competition Coupes, Ferrari: The Early Spyders & Competition Roadsters, and Ferrari: The Gran Turismo & Competition Berlinettas. He went on to produce a series of other specialty books and buyer's guides. His last book, The American Hot Rod, was published posthumously and, in 1995, received the first Dean Batchelor Award, presented to Dean's widow, Pat.
Whatever he was involved in, Dean did it with style and with the highest ethical and professional standards. From those who worked with and for him, Dean expected the best, and they willingly gave it, knowing he only accepted the best from himself. Of course, Dean's best was difficult for most other people to match.
Following his death in 1994, to honor his memory and contributions to the automobile industry, the Motor Press Guild established the Dean Batchelor Award. The Award singles out persons demonstrating outstanding achievement in automotive journalism and communications. Each year the Motor Press Guild presents the Dean Batchelor Award to the journalist judged to have produced the single piece of work which best represents the professional standards and excellence epitomized by the career and life of Dean Batchelor.
Best of the Year Awards
As of 2006, the Dean Batchelor Award recipient is selected from among the winners of the MPG Best of the Year Awards in four journalistic disciplines: Articles, Books, Photography, and Audio/Visual. Entries are judged in their respective categories, with the Batchelor Award recipient being chosen by a separate panel of judges from among the four Best of the Year honorees.
It is the goal of the Motor Press Guild, through the Dean Batchelor Award program, to inspire automotive journalists, both present and future, to produce work of the highest professional caliber, and to acknowledge those who exemplify the exceptional standards of Dean Batchelor.
2009 Dean Batchelor Award Winner Keith Cossrow and Bennett Viseltear for the video, "Truth in 24," March 2009
2008 MPG Best of the Year Winners Books: Carlos Jalife-Villalon, "The Brothers Rodriguez," David Bull Publishing Articles: (print or online) Preston Lerner, "The Joy of Slow," Automobile Magazine, March 2009 Audio/Visual: Keith Cossrow and Bennett Viseltear, "Truth in 24," March 2009 Photography: Alison Merion, "Drifting," driftlive.com, August 30, 2009
Above left to right: Carlos Jalife-Villalon accepts for the Best of the Year Book (presenter MPG Board member Laura Burstein), David Boldt accepts on behalf of Preston Lerner for the Article, and Alison Merion accepts her award for Photography (presenter MPG Board Vice-President Dave Kunz).
Tim Considine accepts the award for Keith Cossrow and Bennet Viseltear for the video "Truth in 24."
-photos by Pete Lyons for MPG
2008 Dean Batchelor Award Winner Peter Egan for "Hank's Last Drive," April & May 2008 Road & Track.
2008 MPG Best of the Year Winners Bottom photo at right: Dean Batchelor Award Committee Chair Chuck Koch (far left) presents the four Best of the Year winners (left to right): Books: David Bull, publisher, accepts on behalf of Jesse Alexander, for his book,"Portraits" Articles: Peter Egan holds the Dean Batchelor Award for "Hank's Last Drive," April & May 2008 Road & Track. Audio/Visual: Glenn McLanan, "Comparison Test: 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 vs 2008 Ford Mustang Bullitt," April 30, 2008, Edmunds' InsideLine.com Photography: Scott Jacobs, "2008 BMW M3," March 23, 2008, Edmunds' InsideLine.com
Peter Egan 2008 winner
Best of the Year winners 2008
-photos by Pete Lyons for MPG
2007 Dean Batchelor Award Winner Bernard Cahier for F-Stops, Pit Stops, Laughter and Tears. Accepting the award for Bernard is publisher Michael Keyser
2007 MPG Best of the Year Winners Books: Bernard Cahier, "F-Stops, Pit Stops, Laughter and Tears," publisher Michael Keyser Articles: Preston Lerner, "Fast and Spurious" January 21, 2007, West Magazine Audio/Visual: Ed Justice, Jr., "Interview with Charlie Hughes" January 27, 2007, Road & Track Speed Radio Photography: Louise Ann Noeth, "Salton Sea Roadster" June 2007 Goodguys Gazette
2007 Lifetime Achievement Award Tom and Ray Magliozzi. also known as Click and Clack, or the Tappet Brothers.
Tom and Ray Magliozzi have been informing and delighting audiences on Public Radio for 30 years, most famously, for the last two decades, as Peabody Award-winning hosts of National Public Radio's Car Talk.
Tom and Ray Magliozzi are also authors, their most recent books being, "In Our Humble Opinion" and "A Haircut in Horsetown and Other Great Car Talk Puzzlers," published by Penguin Putnam.
Michael Keyser accepts for 2007 winner Bernard Cahier
-photo by Pete Lyons for MPG
Tom and Ray Magliozzi 2007 Lifetime
2006 Dean Batchelor Award Winner Mark Christensen for his history of the Southern California hot rod movement as told from the viewpoint of Alex Xydias who started the So-Cal Speed Shop. Alex helped accept this honor for the book, "So-Cal Speed Shop."
2006 MPG Best of the Year Winners Books: Mark Christensen, "So-Cal Speed Shop" Articles: Pete Lyons, "Heroes Are Human, Too," Vintage Racecar magazine Audio/Visual: Chris Szwedo, "A Gullwing at Twilight, the Bonneville Ride of John Fitch" Photography: Stan Papior for the photos that illustrated the Insideline.com story, "The World's Greatest Driving Road"
2006 winner Mark Christensen (on left) with Alex Xydias
-photo by Pete Lyons for MPG
2005 Dean Batchelor Award Winner Tom Madigan is honored for the story of the Edelbrock family, Vic senior, Vic junior, their lives and their business: "Edelbrock: Made in the USA"
2005 MPG Lifetime Achievement Award Robert E. Petersen, founder of Petersen Publishing Co. and a pioneer in the automotive enthusiast magazine industry.
Note: Matt Stone presented the 2005 award at the 2007 Dean Batchelor Award banquet to the late Robert Petersen's wife, Margie, who graciously agreed to attend the dinner and accept the award.
2005 winner Tom Madigan
-photo by Pete Lyons for MPG
Matt Stone with the projected image of Robert Petersen
-photo by Pete Lyons for MPG
2004 Dean Batchelor Award Winner Phil Hill and John Lamm. Hill, a legendary race car driver, the first American F1 World Champion, and automotive writer, and Lamm, a respected automotive photographer and writer, are recognized for their book, "Ferrari: A Champion’s View."
Phil Hill (left) with John Lamm
2003 Dean Batchelor Award Winner Robert Genat and Don Cox. Genat, an accomplished author and photographer, and Cox, dry lakes racer and photographer are recognized for their book, "The Birth of Hot Rodding."
2003 MPG Lifetime Achievement Award Wally Parks, founder of the National Hot Rod Association, is honored for his years of contributions to motor sport.
Lifetime winner Wally Parks (left) with Robert Genat holding two awards, one for Don Cox
-photo by Pete Lyons for MPG
2002 Dean Batchelor Award Winner Gordon Kirby. Motorsports journalist and author of five auto-racing books, is recognized for his compelling biography, "Mario Andretti: A Driving Passion."
Gordon Kirby
2001 Dean Batchelor Award Winner John Lamm. Photographer and writer, Road & Track Editor-at-Large, for the Corvette Stingray Salon feature, Road & Track, June, 2001.
John Lamm
2000 Dean Batchelor Award Winner Janos Wimpffen. Automotive historian. For his book "Time and Two Seats; Five Decades of Long Distance Racing."
2000 MPG Lifetime Achievement Award Shav Glick. Motor racing writer, Los Angeles Times, for his extraordinary and enduring work in the field of motor racing.
Janos Wimpffen
Shav Glick
1999 Dean Batchelor Award Winner Genevieve Obert. For her book "Prince Borghese's Trail." She is also a contributor to European Car magazine.
Genevieve Obert
1998 Dean Batchelor Award Winner Michael T. Lynch. Motor racing historian and writer. William Edgar, journalist and award-winning documentary filmmaker, and attorney Ron Parravano, co-authors of "American Sports Car Racing in the 1950s."
1998 MPG Lifetime Achievement Award Denise McCluggage. Racer, syndicated columnist, photographer, and author of "By Brooks Too Broad for Leaping," "American Racing" (with Tom Burnside) and other titles, for her extraordinary and enduring work in automotive and motor racing journalism.
Michael T. Lynch (left) with Willliam Edgar. Parravano not shown.
Denise McCluggage
1997 Dean Batchelor Award Winner Tim Considine. Author of "American Grand Prix Racing; a Century of Drivers & Cars" and other titles, Editor-at-Large for European Car magazine, Vintage Racecar Journal, and the CompuServe Motor Racing Forum (RIS).
1997 MPG Lifetime Achievement Award Jesse Alexander. Author of "40 Years of Motorsports Photography" and other titles, for his extraordinary and enduring work in the field of motor racing.
Tim Considine (left) with Jesse Alexander
1996 Dean Batchelor Award Winner Pete Lyons. For his book "CAN-AM." He has written other titles, and is a contributing author to AutoWeek, Car and Driver, Vintage Motorsport, Formula, Autosport, Cycle, Cycle World and Road & Track magazines.
1996 MPG Lifetime Achievement Award Chris Economaki. Editor and publisher of National Speed Sport News for his pioneering work in the field of motorsports broadcasting.
Pete Lyons
Chris Economaki interviews Stirling Moss at the 1967 Road America Can-Am. –photo by Pete Lyons/www.petelyons.com
1995 Dean Batchelor Award Winner Dean Batchelor. For his book, "The American Hot Rod." The first Dean Batchelor Award, created in honor of the man for which it is named, was posthumously awarded.
Dean Batchelor
Co-presenting the award to Dean's widow, Pat, are MPG President Matt Stone (left) and MPG board member Eric Dahlquist (right).
