Steven Chopping started motorsport competition in car club events at 16 years of age, racing in autocross and grass roots level events including club day speed events.

He continued with lower level competition until 1974, when he purchased an Elfin Formula Ford, going on to race in Formula Ford, Formula 2, Formula Vees and a variety of sports sedans and production cars until 1984.

He also raced a kart in the international heavy class between 1980 and 1985.

Steven was active off the track as well and was president of the Hobart Sporting Car Club, which promoted Baskerville Raceway, and member of other organising committees at  Baskerville from 1967 to 1979.

Steven was also clerk of course at both Baskerville and Symmons Plains circuits from 1973 and officiated in numerous capacities in circuit race meetings and rallies.

He was also the founding and inaugural president of the Tasmanian Auto Sports in 1980.

Steven’s talents weren’t restricted to just officiating or racing and he was the Tasmanian correspondent for Racing Car News magazine and Motoring News International from 1966 to 1980.

He also had a weekly radio programme on 7HT from 1972 to 1979, he had a weekly column in the Saturday Evening Mercury newspaper from 1970 to 1980, as well as commentating on ABC TV live motorsport broadcasts.

Steven’s involvement in the national administration of motorsport started in 1969 as a member of the Tasmanian State Council, becoming the Tasmanian delegate to the National Council of the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport or CAMS (now Motorsport Australia) from 1979 to 1994 and being elected it’s vice-president from 1981 to 1991.

Steven’s expertise was in great demand and he was also the chairman of a number of national committees, including the National Stewards Panel, Judicial Advisory Committee, National Superkart Committee, National Officiating Committee, and the Recognition Committee.

Steven’s legal background also saw him appointed a member of the National Appeals Court (for Supercars) and he also represented Motorsport Australia in numerous sporting tribunals.

He was chairman of the Stewards Panel for the Australian Rally Championship from 1997 to 2003

and in 2021.

Steven was chairman of Stewards Panel for V8 Supercars 2005 to 2017, chairman of the Stewards Panel for the Australian Off  Road Racing Championship from 2014 to 2017 and in 2023.

He was also head coach of national championship stewards between 2019 and 2022.

His contribution to Australian motorsport was recognised with the CAMS Award of Merit 2017.

At international level, Steven was an Australian steward at Australian Formula One Grand Prix

from 2005 to 2019.

He was also the holder of an FIA (Federation Internationale d’ Automobile) super licence as a national steward from 2005 and an international F1 steward from 2013 to 2019.

Steven was a member of stewards panels at F1 Grands Prix from 2013 to 2018, chairman of the F2 and F3 stewards panels from 2017 to 2019, chairman of stewards panels at the World Touring Car Championship and World Touring Car Cup from 2016 to 2020, and a member and chairman of the stewards panels at the Macau Grand Prix (F3 and GT3) from 2017 to 2019.

He was also a member of FIA Anti-Doping Tribunal between 2014 and 2020.

Not surprisingly, Steven was named FIA Senior Official of Year in 2013.

He was awarded an Order of Australia Member (AM) in 2017, with the citation reading “for significant service to motorsports through leadership and technical advisory roles, and to national and international professional groups.”