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Dunlop Partners with RACER for the Inaugural RACER Creator Awards

RANCHO CUCAMONGA, CA – Dunlop is proud to have supported the inaugural RACER Creator Awards as the presenting sponsor. This first-of-its-kind program celebrated the talented content creators who share the passion, energy, and excitement of motorsports with audiences worldwide.

Held last week at the LA Auto Show and hosted by Zack Klapman, the RACER Creator Awards recognized the creative voices pushing the boundaries of storytelling, motorsport media, and car culture. Dunlop is honored to be an early advocate of the celebration to support online content creators in the automotive and motorsports world. The event began with a panel titled "How Automotive Meets the Creator Economy" – featuring Taro Koki, Larry Chen, and Diego Rodriguez.

Following the panel, Jeff Zwart and Zack Klapman announced the awards and recipients. This year's top honor went to Emilia Hartford, who was named Creator of the Year and was the winner of Best Tuning & Custom Builds and Best Female Automotive Creator. Event organizers paid tribute to the late Ken Block and announced a legacy award in his honor. All award winners have an option to select either the Crown Creator Package, which includes a production grant and VIP credentials for a Crown Racing weekend, or the Tucson Filmmaker Experience, which consists of a paid trip to Tucson, Arizona, with opportunities to produce content.

"We extend our congratulations to every winner during this event," said Nick Fousekis, Marketing Director, Dunlop Tires. "It was a pleasure to collaborate with RACER in this incredible celebration of talent in the automotive sphere. This partnership reflects our commitment to pushing the creative boundaries for the next generation in car culture."

"We’re extremely proud of what we accomplished together," stated Taro Koki, President of the RACER Creator Network. "Grateful to Dunlop for the support—this partnership is the start of something special.”

Congratulations to the winners of the inaugural RACER Creator Awards. Here are the winners in their respective categories:

Creator of the Year: Emelia Hartford

Ken Block RACER Legacy Award: Lucy Block

Best Branded Content Award: Warwick Patterson and Christopher Bowes for Subaru Launch Control Season 12.

Best Car Review Content: “The Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR Is a $10 Million Hypercar Legend” – Cars & Bids

Best Cinematic Videos: One of One – Ben Bertucci

Best DIY / How-To Content: How to Fix a Sloppy Shifter and Leaking Transmission – ChrisFix

Best Educational / Explainer Content: Dinner with Racers: Dinner(s) with the Rileys – Sean Heckman

Best Motorsports Content: Sylvain Guintoli – From Bikes to Cars – Adam C. Hughes

Best Short Form Content: Building a 911 Engine in 90 Seconds – Nicole Johnson

Best Tuning & Custom Builds: Superbird NASCAR Build – Emelia Hartford

Best Vlog: Unbroken Pursuit | Robert Wickens’ Inspiring Comeback – Matthew Spivey for IMSA

Best Newsletter/Written Creator: The Prototype – Sam Mitani

Best Podcast/Audio Content Creator: The Smoking Tire Podcast

Best TikTok or Instagram Creator: AI Arena – Ignite Media

Best YouTube Channel: ChrisFix

Best Automotive Lifestyle Creator: Luke Huxham – Street Fighters Presented by Peaches

Best Emerging Creator: Suellio Almeida

Best Fan Engagement/Community Builder: Polyphony Digital/Gran Turismo

Best Female Automotive Creator: Emelia Hartford

Best International Creator: Dino Dalle Carbonare

A one-hour special program of the awards show will debut on December 15th, 2025, on the RACER Channel on YouTube and the RACER Network.