By Aisling McCarthy

Can you tell us a bit about the role of the SAGMJ?

The SAGMJ is an organisation, (like an association), which was set up to look after the interests of motoring journalists in South Africa. It represents probably about 70% of all journalists who are mainly focussed on motoring, writing about it for magazines, production for TV and radio etc. It engages in various activities, not only to enhance the standing of the Guild, but also to give recognition to the areas which they write about.

SAGMJ is one of the only guilds of journalists in South Africa. Why do you think it is important for journalists to be a part of such an organisation?

In the world today, where the nature of journalism is evolving so quickly, it’s important that credibility be attached to any individual who writes - you know what happens with social media and the rise of fake news. So by a person aligning themselves with the Guild, it gives individuals, organisations and, in our case, the motor manufacturers we work with, some indication of their credibility, reliability and skill.

What the Guild does, in the interests of promoting responsible and quality journalism, is to appoint bursars - currently in university, studying towards their finals. We sponsor a substantial part of that so that, ultimately, they will go into the motoring field.

We also invite people who want to be in motoring journalism, who may have a qualification or not, to spend a year as a bursar working through the various publications – whether it's electronic, motoring or whatever else. When they have finished their bursarship, they have the opportunity of being placed in one of those organisations in a permanent position, subject of course to them meeting the standards.

We offer individuals who do join the Guild an opportunity to enhance their driving skills, so that they are exposed to advanced driving courses on a regular basis. We have a skills development programme that enables them access to funds for skills that they may have had to acquire, in some field or other, provided it’s related to journalism. Then we offer the most wonderful package for them with membership – and membership is cheap. The extras, like life cover and insurance, exceed what the annual membership actually is.

The judges for the SAGMJ/Bridgestone Motor Sportsman of the Year Award are all motoring journalists. How do you go about selecting your judging panel?

The judging panel is appointed by the executive committee of the Guild, who are individuals well versed in motor sports. Michele Lupini, along with others on the committee, will solicit individual nominations from our membership who they think are worthy entrants. This then gets shortlisted for us to arrive at the finals.

Tell us a bit about the judging process behind the main award, SAGMJ/Bridgestone’s Motor Sportsman of the Year?

It has to be someone who has excelled in the time period under review, which was 2016. Someone who has been a noteworthy competitor, not necessarily only at an international level, but certainly it contributes towards it.

You know, [this year’s winner], Brad Binder has captured the minds and the attention of the audience throughout South Africa. He is seen as a proud ambassador and he is, in the committee’s eyes, the epitome of what represents motorsports. In previous years, it’s been Giniel De Villiers, Leeroy Poulter, and a couple of others who have really done South Africa proud.

What do you think the importance of these awards are for the motoring community?

One of the things we lack in South Africa is sufficient upcoming individuals in the motorsports community. I have noticed, and I can’t help but comment on it, there is an absence of people of colour. But the intention is that by creating a greater awareness of motorsports, which we as journalists must be doing, we create an environment where people aspire to be involved in motorsport and even see it as a career.

It’s a great opportunity to have individuals who want to be involved in something that’s really exciting – and motoring is, it’s phenomenal. In many instances, the cutting edge technology that you find in racing cars finds its way into the cars that you and I drive on a regular basis.

This year, 6 new categories have been added in order to broaden the appeal of the awards. Why were these awards added, and do you think there are any areas that could be covered in future?

If you have a look at journalism, for example, the nature of it is changing so dramatically, and we’ve found that motorsport has changed dramatically as well. Rally-cross is a relatively new sport in the Cape, sanctioned by the FIA down there, that we may see an entry level at some stage.

So it’s focused on the main areas and, as things develop, we could well find that there are going to be other areas, and we, as an organisation, are open to growing that so that we can recognise individuals who excel.

Read more about the awards in our article, South African Guild of Motoring Journalists honours Motor Sportsman of the Year.

Alternatively, visit www.sagmj.org.za or connect with them on Facebook or on Twitter.