Who’s Who

As the Emmy® Award-winning host, executive producer and creator of MotorWeek, television's longest running automotive series, John Davis is seen by millions of viewers on PBS, Velocity and V-me Spanish-language network. One of the most trusted and recognized automotive journalists in the nation, Davis has been featured on CNN, Weekend Today, Live with Regis and Kelly, PARADE magazine and The Baltimore Sun, as well as local media throughout the country. He has also written regularly on automotive industry topics for The Washington Post and is a frequent radio guest on WBAL-AM and 98Rock in Baltimore. Davis even helped Duff Goldman road test a delivery van on Food Network's Ace of Cakes.

More than three decades after its debut on public television in 1981, MotorWeek remains the leading source of unbiased information on automotive safety, fuel efficiency and in-depth car and truck reviews. Davis oversees all editorial content, travels the world covering auto shows and new vehicle launches, and steers the series’ increasingly high profile efforts in covering green motoring technologies and the use of alternative fuels.

Davis has received some of the highest awards in automotive journalism and television. In 2007, he won an Emmy® Award from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) National Capital Chesapeake Bay Region, and in 1998 from the NATAS Chicago-Midwest Chapter. Davis also received the 2009 International Automotive Media Award (IAMA) for Lifetime Achievement, as well International Wheel Awards in 2004 and 2003. The Detroit Press Foundation presented Davis with two Golden Wheel Awards in 1999, including the Grand Prize, which recognizes the best in automotive journalism.

Davis is one of the founders of the North American Car & Truck of The Year Awards, serving on its executive board from 1994 to 2008. He is also one of the organizers and an original member of the Washington Automotive Press Association. Davis is a former president of the International Motor Press Association, the oldest and most prestigious organization of automotive journalists in North America.

A 1970 mechanical and aerospace engineering graduate of North Carolina State University, Davis also holds a master of business administration degree from the University of North Carolina. He was the 1969-1970 recipient of the W.D. Cartwright Memorial Engineering Scholarship and a member of the Pi Tau Sigma honorary scholastic fraternity.

Prior to joining Maryland Public Television, Davis worked for the Wall Street brokerage firm of Kidder, Peabody and Company as a transportation analyst. He has owned a variety of high performance cars, including a vintage Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Corvette and deTomaso Pantera.

While the closest some of us will come to a microphone is karaoke night, MotorWeek's resident automotive guru, Pat Goss, is as comfortable on the air as he is under the hood. And when he's not dispensing advice on radio and television, this master technician trades his dipstick for a pen. Pat's articles on car care have appeared in publications such as U.S. News & World Report and Reader's Digest, in addition to his bi-weekly column in The Washington Post and his column in the National Corvette Owners Association magazine.

It hasn't been all sound bites and bylines for this native New Yorker. His first foray into automotive repair was when he opened a body shop as a high school freshman. By the time Pat was a senior, he was operating an 11,000 square-foot garage, with 23 employees, and was grossing $870,000 a year.

Since 1981, viewers have been able to lift the door on Goss' Garage, Pat's popular MotorWeek segment, and learn from his expertise. His weekly "tool kit" of information helps extend the life of the automobiles Americans love to drive.

This 40-year veteran of the automotive diagnostic and repair industry has helped millions of car owners gain knowledge and confidence. "Proper maintenance" is Pat's mantra to the mainstream, encouraging drivers to change the fluids and check the components in their cars on a regular basis. The most common and confusing consumer problem? According to Pat it's the ubiquitous yellow "Check Engine" light - the Yellow Gremlin! Mostly misunderstood by drivers, "Check Engine" lights make technicians dig deep to diagnose their cause.

When he's not on MotorWeek, Pat can be heard weekly on his wildly popular radio show, Goss' Garage, which has been consistently rated one of Washington, D.C.'s top radio shows for more than 20 years.

Award-winning reporter Yolanda "Yoli" Vazquez has shifted into overdrive since joining MotorWeek in 2007, and is focused squarely on giving viewers the inside track on important consumer stories. Accustomed to being on the frontlines of breaking news such as Hurricane Katrina and the Washington area sniper shootings, Yolanda's FYI segments deliver timely information on driving and automotive safety, money-saving advice, as well as the latest automotive trends and technological advances in fuel efficiency.

Her work has been recognized by some of the most respected automotive journalism organizations in the country. Yolanda won three 2008 International Wheel Awards from the Detroit Free Press Club Foundation for segments on extended warranties, vehicle leasing, and gas-saving tips. She also picked up a 2008 Telly Award for highlighting the dangers of texting while driving, as well as the Washington Automotive Press Association's 2009 Golden Quill Award and the 2007 International Automotive Media Award (IAMA) for a feature story on Brooklyn, New York's Automotive High School. Yolanda won two other 2007 IAMA's for her report on convertible crash testing and her continuing series of FYI segments.

Born in Puerto Rico and raised in Miami, Florida, Yolanda studied broadcasting and film at Boston University where she had a recurring role on, Bay State, a soap opera produced by students. From there she headed to the Big Apple and a stint as an NBC page and a Saturday Night Live! personal assistant. That led to on-air reporting gigs in Kentucky, Texas, Maryland and Florida.

Having spent much of her career on the road, Yolanda is particularly fond of her 4-cylinder BMW, Conchita. It's her favorite drive, but she wouldn't turn 007 down for a spin in his Aston Martin.

There are three good reasons you shouldn't be surprised that Brian Robinson has been MotorWeek's Road Test producer since 1997, and Two Wheelin' correspondent since 2009. One, while growing up in rural Maryland, Brian's first words included "tractor." Two, he spent every spare moment checking out the action at local racetracks. And three, he and his dad never missed an episode of MotorWeek. So, after attending Villa Julie College (now Stevenson University) in Baltimore, he set his sights on a career that would put his love of cars and bikes to use. He knew just the place for that - MotorWeek.

While Brian enjoys telling people his first car was a 'Vette, we must clarify that it was actually a Chevette. He's come a long way since then, traveling around the globe to test everything from Land Rovers to Lamborghinis. Brian is still stoked about a trip to Ferrari's Fiorano test track in Italy a few years back. Not only did he get to test drive a Ferrari 575M Maranello, but he got to see the F1 team in action on the track. But for every exotic Ferrari he's driven, there is also an economy car like the Ford Fiesta. Brian says it's all about helping consumers make smart buying decisions, and of course letting them dream a little!

Brian puts his dry wit and extensive knowledge of autos and bikes to use as a regularly featured panelist, and sometimes host, of MotorWeek's podcasts. As humble as he is modest, Brian says what he lacks in talent and ability, he makes up for with hard work.

Brian lives in Carroll County, Maryland with his wife and son. If you stopped by his house, you would find a 2000 Toyota Celica GT-S, 1979 Harley-Davidson FLH80 and 1974 Harley Davidson Super Glide in his driveway.