Best Automotive Website Award for 2002

Best Automotive Website Award for 2002

WINNERS OF BEST AUTOMOTIVE WEB SITE AWARD ARE NAMED

CarTest.ca site gets First Runner Up prize for 2002

Oct. 24, 2002 -- CanadianDriver.com was declared the winner of the 2002 Jacques Rainville Best Web Site award for a second time during a dinner honouring automotive journalism held Thursday, October 24th, 2002 in Belleville, Ont., while CarTest.ca was named the first runner-up.

Grant Yoxon, managing editor of the winning web site, was on hand to receive the original Inookshuk Inuit sculpture prize from the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) President, Tony Whitney.

Judges chose CanadianDriver.com as the winner once again because: "This site sets a very high benchmark for ease of use, timeliness, accessibility, relevance, editorial quality and effective use of web-based interactivity and search tools.

It has it all and presents its information in a lively and independent fashion." The judges concluded by stating that the site was an "Excellent resource for the full range of car enthusiasts."

You're now reading an award-winning site

Honorable Mention for the Jacques Rainville Web Site Award went to CarTest.ca, a site that the judges claimed "has superb editorial content. The site presents a humorous and irreverent side yet still provides excellent valuable information that is conveyed in a highly informative fashion." Editor Bill Roebuck was present to accept the prize certificate.

Roebuck, an independent writer and editor who provides a wide variety of content for both business and consumer publications, has operated his business in Oakville, Ont., since 1985. One of his most recent ventures was the launch of Cartest.ca this summer.

"I'm honoured that Cartest.ca received such a distinguished award in the first year of its operation. The site is intended to relay driving experiences of a variety of vehicles that are of interest to the general vehicle buyer, not necessarily the automotive enthusiast."

Oakville-based www.cartest.ca features independent reviews of new cars, station wagons, vans, SUVs and light trucks, as well as articles on car care, buying old vehicles, links to useful automotive information, and more.

The Jacques Rainville Best Web Site Award was established in 2000 in memory of a founding AJAC charter member, Jacques Rainville, who was also one of the first journalists to establish a web site in the early 1990s.

AJAC executive director Beth Xanerios noted that there were more entries this year for the Best Web Site Award than ever before.

Judges in this year's competition represented a variety of backgrounds specifically chosen by the AJAC Board of Directors to represent the consumers' view point as much as the technical aspect when evaluating contestants. Judges were: Linda Leonard, vice-president, Information Technology Association of Canada, Carey-Ann Greenham, from the CAA Central Ontario and Margie Mastrangelo from Media City and Margie Mastrangelo + Associates.

For more information about the awards, or winners, please contact AJAC at 1-800-361-1516 or visit the AJAC web site at www.ajac.ca.