Roger Maynor's crowning as the 2007 Figure 8 champion was
just one of many highlights of the annual SAFER awards banquet,
held last night at the Smithtown Landing Country Club. Many
members of SAFER came out to support their fellow competitors,
and many collected awards of their own during the event, which
featured a full night of food, drinks and dancing.
The awards part of the evening began with a presentation by
Jessica Larsen and Tom Ferrara to honor the top three finishers
in the John Kraft Memorial Blunderbust Rookie of the Year
contest. Second runner-up Jessica Larsen and first runner-up Rob
Bader received their plaques, sponsored by JTL Enterprises
Motorsports, LLC. The 2007 Rookie of the Year, Donny Oliver, was
unable to attend, though his accomplishments were noted.
The floor was then turned over to Joe Saraceno and Bob Finan
for the presentation of numerous SAFER awards. The awards
distributed were as follows:
Rookie of the Year - John Delavergne
Most Improved Driver - Tom Graff
Best Appearing Car - Carl Baxter
Johnny Zell Memorial Sportsmanship Award - Paul Specht
Crew Member of the Month - Nick Herzberg
Racing Team of the Month - Mike Mujsce (June), Carl Baxter
(July), Tom Kraft (August/September)
Billy Webster Memorial Owner of the Year - Ken Sergio (Double
Zero Racing - Tom Graff and Tom Ferrara)
Billy Webster Memorial Crew Chief of the Year - Eric Abbott
(Mike Mujsce)
Tom Ferrara then read a presentation he had prepared for Tom
Kraft, who was unable to attend. The tokens of appreciation were
accepted by Kraft's son on his behalf.
Next, the twelfth through second place finishers for the 2007
season were honored: Dorothea Hyde, Mike Rommeney, John
Delavergne, Tom Ferrara, Kenny Hyde, Paul Specht, Carl Baxter,
Tom Kraft, Jim Donaldson, Tom Graff and Mike Mujsce. Then it was
time to honor Roger Maynor, the leading all-time winner in
Riverhead Raceway history. He was presented with the Big
Brothers Big Sisters of Long Island Cup to mark his sixth
championship in the division. Maynor gave a brief but thoughtful
speech, and his daughter, Leah, joined him at the front of the
room to share in the occasion.
The final presentation of the night involved the induction of
the newest member into the Ernie Maynor Memorial Hall of Fame.
The honor was bestowed upon Racin' Bobby Mason, who has been a
fixture both in front of and behind the scenes for many years in
Long Island Figure 8 racing. Mason graciously accepted the
coveted honor.
Once all of the awards had been handed out, attendants
enjoyed a buffet dinner and DJ, as well as a cake which featured
the new 2008 SAFER logo. A 50/50 raffle was held, and Erin Kraft
walked away a winner.
There were many people who put in a lot of work behind the
scenes to bring this year's event into being, including but not
limited to: Joe Saraceno, Kathy Kraft, Karen Specht and Leah
Maynor. As has historically been the case, it was a well-spent
night of friendship and fun, and LongIslandJam.com is honored to
have been able to be a part of it for the first time. Special
thanks go out to contributor Cindy Johnson, who assisted with
pictures for the event.
Source: Tracy
Chirico/LongIslandJam.com
Posted:
April 5, 2008
