Rookie of the Year: Kris Meeke
Peugeot's Kris Meeke has capped off his debut season in the IRC by being named Rookie of the Year at the AUTOSPORT Awards in London this evening
Autosport Awards
The Autosport Awards are a series of awards presented by motor racing magazine Autosport to drivers that have achieved significant milestones each season. Some of the presentations are selected by the general public via a reader's poll.
Meeke, who beat Jaime Alguersuari, Romain Grosjean, Sebastien Buemi, Nico Hulkenberg, Rafael Matos, Sebastien Ogier, Daniel Ricciardo and Alexander Sims to claim the award, accepted his trophy from 13-time grand prix winner David Coulthard.
"It was a very special year for me," Meeke said. "I'll never forget that last year I was sitting there with absolutely nothing to do. It was my first year in the IRC, and I was up against some very experienced drivers.
"It has been a massive year for me, and one that I hope to build on. We've just re-signed with Peugeot and next year will be a massive battle."
Meeke had a sensational first year in the IRC, becoming its most dominant champion ever. He clinched the title by 11 points, even after losing 10 through exclusion after victory on the Rally Scotland finale.
The Briton bounced back in emphatic style from his crash on the season-opening Monte Carlo Rally by winning the next three he entered - Curitiba, the Azores and the Ypres.
He stayed close enough to Skoda's Jan Kopecky in the Czech Republic and Spain and added another supreme win on the Sanremo Rally to secure the title.
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