Motorsport Celebrates Queen’s Birthday Honours

For his or her contributions to Australian motorsport, Papadopoulos, six-time Bathurst 1000 winner Larry Perkins, and 1984 & 1985 Motorsport Australia Drivers’ Champion John Bowe had been appointed participants of the Expose of Australia (AM).

Tony Cochrane, who’s illustrious in Australian motorsport as one in every of the visionaries for the contemporary-day Supercars Championship, became moreover awarded an Expose of Australia for his important carrier to sport administration and leisure production.

Dr Michael Henderson has been appointed officer of the Expose of Australia (AO) for noteworthy carrier to motor automobile and motorsport safety, and to the prevention of avenue trauma.



Papadopoulos, who became Motorsport Australia’s President for greater than a decade, oversaw a series of key initiatives for the game and became integral in motorsport safety’s improvements over the years.

First turning into concerned by the game as a competitor for the Alfa Romeo Homeowners Club of Australia’s NSW division, Papadopoulos served because the membership’s Speak President after which National President. Throughout that time, he moreover became a board member of the Australian Racing Drivers’ Club. 


In 2008, after maintaining positions as both a speak Councillor at then a member of the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport (now Motorsport Australia) Board, he became appointed President and held that speak unopposed till stepping down on the cease of 2020.



Throughout his time as President of Motorsport Australia, he oversaw a series of important achievements, along with securing an Australian round of the FIA World Rally Championship in 2012, setting up the Australian Motorsport Hall of Standing in 2014 and riding important improvements in motorsport safety, such because the obligatory introduction of frontal head restraints.



Internationally, Papadopoulos continuously strived to toughen Australia’s recognition in world motorsport and helped procure a series of prestigious foreign coaching engagements for Motorsport Australia.

He moreover served the game in a world skill as both an FIA Steward and as President of the FIA’s world ASN Pattern Taskforce.



“To be recognised for this award by my peers for doing one thing that I fancy is the truth is an honour and I am grateful to each individual that helped me with my involvement for all these years,” Papadopoulos acknowledged.



“I the truth is bear continuously had a passion for motorsport and you don’t enact this form of element to acquire accolades or awards, you enact it because it’s significant to you. To be efficiently nominated for an award love right here is one thing I will treasure for the relaxation of my existence.

“I am proud of many of my achievements in motorsport – nonetheless if I had been to preserve about a highlights, I judge playing a characteristic within the most modern crop of Australian world stars love Daniel Ricciardo and making improvements to the game’s safety measures would want to be ethical up there.

“There are a form of other folks I’d love to acknowledge. Eugene Arocca and the Motorsport Australia workers and Board, John Huge who became a amazing mentor over the years and naturally my family, who bear supported me and allowed me to pursue my passion.

“At final, it is serious to show that this award is now no longer honest recognition for me – it is recognition of motorsport as a full because it is our hardworking volunteers, the passion of competitors and trend of our formative years that drives this sport and keeps it rising around the nation.



“To procure this award and be half of a protracted record of talented other folks makes it very inner most for me too. There bear been so many amazing ambassadors for the game who bear been recognised for their contributions and to now be half of them is terrific.”

Dr Michael Henderson, who made important contributions to motor automobile and motorsport safety within the nation, became moreover a solid advocate for obligatory seat belt prison pointers in Australia.

Hailing from the UK, Dr Henderson became instrumental within the institution of the Australian Authorities’s avenue atomize examine unit and take a look at laboratory, Break Lab, as nicely as writing over 100 examine papers on avenue safety and main critiques on head atomize prevention with bicycle helmets.



From a motorsport level of take a look at, Dr Henderson’s experience and fervour for the game saw him withhold more than one high profile roles such as Vice President of the Historic Sports and Racing Car Affiliation of NSW, Deputy Chairman of the Motorsport Australia Historic Motor Sport Rate and the Inaugural Chairman of the Australian Institute for Motor Sport Security (AIMSS).



His ebook, “Motor Racing in Security, the Human Elements”, proved to be a seminal step within the introduction of safety concepts valid into a carrying self-discipline that became then very perilous and precipitated many of of deaths and endless accidents worldwide every twelve months. His work became most necessary within the promotion, consume and trend of safety harnesses.

In recognition of his important contribution to motorsport via his management, dedication and specialist talents, Dr Henderson became awarded existence membership of CAMS in 2004 and became more honest now no longer too long ago presented with the Award of Advantage, Motorsport Australia’s most reasonable award.



Motorsport Australia President Andrew Fraser lauded both Papadopoulos and Dr Henderson for their major roles within the game. 



“I am very delighted that both Andrew and Dr Henderson bear been recognised on this twelve months’s Queen’s Birthday Honour’s Checklist as they’ve been serious in helping motorsport obtain to the save it is as of late,” Fraser acknowledged.



“Motorsport Australia has grown to be a globally recognised chief in motorsport below Andrew’s management, and his passion for motorsport has seen him rise to a important speak inside of the FIA, in particular within the distance of ASN Pattern.  

“His dedication to driver trend is in particular noteworthy and it is no accident that there are such plenty of young and talented Australian racers competing on the earth as of late.


“Dr Henderson established a world recognition for excellence in safety, and for greater than 50 years he has had an internationally recognised pre-smartly-known characteristic within the distance of motor automobile safety examine. While sophisticated to quantify, his contribution in direction of the reduction in trauma and death on both the avenue and the trot song has been very important.

“These gents are advisable recipients of this award and all people at Motorsport Australia is extremely proud of their achievements.”

Note a paunchy record of motorsport citations beneath.

Officer within the Celebrated Division (AO) 

Dr Michael Henderson: For noteworthy carrier to motor automobile and motorsport safety, and to the prevention of avenue trauma. 

Member within the Celebrated Division (AM) 

John Bowe: For important carrier to motorsport as a touring automobile driver. 

Tony Cochrane: For important carrier to sports administration, and to leisure production. 

Andrew Papadopoulos: For important carrier to motorsport, and to driver safety and training.

Larry Perkins: For important carrier to motorsport as a touring automobile driver and group owner.

Trent Smyth: For important carrier to world relatives, to motorsport, and to industry.