From a press release issued by the AMA, with no explanation of the nomination process or who does the nominating:


BOSTROM NOMINATED FOR 2001 AMA/SPEEDVISION
PRO ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

PICKERINGTON, Ohio — AMA Pro Racing and Speedvision are happy to announce the first of the 2001 nominees for the annual AMA/Speedvision Pro Athlete of the Year Award. The AMA/Speedvision Pro Athlete of the Year Award was created to honor the racer judged to have had the most successful racing season in all of AMA professional racing. The first nominee for 2001 is Eric Bostrom.

Eric Bostrom completed his most successful year of road racing to date. The 24-year-old Northern California native who now lives in Las Vegas and Temecula, Calif., won the 2001 Pro Honda Oils 600 SuperSport Championship. At several events this past season Bostrom dominated 600 SuperSport races in a way that is rarely seen in this highly-competitive category of racing. Bostrom earned seven podium finishes in 600 SuperSport this year, including three wins. He moved from 18th to seventh on the all-time winners list for the series with five-career victories. His championship gave Kawasaki its second 600 SuperSport title.

In addition to a championship-winning year in 600 SuperSport, Bostrom had another excellent season in the AMA Chevy Trucks U.S. Superbike Championship, winning two races and finishing second in that series. Bostrom also proved his talent on the world stage by qualifying on the front row at the U.S. round of the World Superbike Championships and finishing a solid fifth in both races.

“It’s great to be nominated for Athlete of the Year,” said Bostrom, a nine-year professional rider, who was the Ricky Graham Dirt Track Rookie of the Year in 1993. “To be considered among the best in all of motorcycle racing in America is a real honor.”

This marks Bostrom”s first nomination for Pro Athlete of the Year. His brother Ben was nominated in 1998 after winning that year’s AMA Superbike title.

The Pro Athlete of the Year Award has a rich tradition dating back to 1938 when the first Daytona 200 winner Ed Kretz was voted the AMA”s most popular rider. Other nominees will be announced in coming weeks.

The 2001 AMA/Speedvision Pro Athlete of the Year will be announced during the 27th annual AMA Pro Racing Champions Awards Banquet Dec. 7, 2001, at the luxurious Desert Springs Marriott Resort & Spa in Palm Springs. To purchase tickets to the awards banquet, contact AMA Pro Racing at (614) 856-1900.