NASCAR scoops two of three awards

At a special Awards dinner in the magnificent Rhodes House in Oxford, organized by Racecar Graphic and attended by senior motorsport engineers and executives from around the world, the Race Engine Designer of 2007 and the Racecar Aerodynamicist of 2007 both went to NASCAR recipients.

The award for the Race Engine Designer of 2007 was presented to Jim Covey, Chevrolet's NASCAR powertrain manager. Kurt Romberg, chief aerodynamicist of the Cup-winning Hendrick Motorsports team, picked up the Racecar Aerodynamicist of 2007 award.

It was left to UK company Xtrac to defend European honor by picking up the Most Innovative New Motorsport Product of 2007, for its front-wheel drive Touring Car gearbox, which has proved so successful in both the World Touring Car Championship and the British Touring Car Championship.

In presenting the awards to Jim Covey and Kurt Romberg, Soheila Kimberley, publishing director of both "Race Tech" and "Bernoulli Racecar Aerodynamics" magazines, said that the awards this year recognized the huge technology advances which continue to be made in NASCAR – despite its contrary image – and that both Chevrolet and Hendrick Motorsports are at the cutting edge of that.

On presenting the Most Innovative New Motorsport Product award to Adrian Moore, Xtrac's technical director, Soheila Kimberley said that motorsport is still the driving force for technology and that Xtrac was typical of such specialist companies which continue to drive development forward.

The Awards dinner was part of the World Motorsport Symposium held at Oxford Brookes University and attracted speakers and delegates from around the world. Now in its third year, it is firmly established as the informal voice of the motorsport industry, where top motorsport engineers and executives can discuss topical issues in an open environment.