Autosport Awards 2008

The event concludes with a warm round of applause for the 20th McLaren Autosport BRDC Award winner, Alexander Sims.

This was the 2008 Autosport Awards live from the Grosvensor House Hotel in central London. We hope that you have enjoyed the coverage and celebration of a great motorsport year.

Join us for more live motorsport coverage in 2009.

Sims is presented with his prizes by BRDC president Damon Hill, McLaren CEO Martin Whitmarsh and the Publishing Director of Autosport, Peter Higham.

The 20-year-old Formula Renault UK chanpionship runner-up demonstrated a calm consistency throughout the season, finishing every race in the top ten.

Steve Rider announces that Alexander Sims is the 2008 McLaren Autosport BRDC Award winner.

Early in November, the six candidates were invited to the Snetterton Circuit in Norfolk, for two rigorous days of testing.

The weather was less than pleasant, with rain affecting both days. This tested the drivers to the limit in powerful, unfamiliar machinery. Each driver spent time in three excellent race cars:

• Mercedes C-class DTM car prepared by Persson Motorsport
• Dallara Mercedes Class A British Formula Three car run by Carlin Motorsport
• Aston Martin V8 Vantage N24

The six hopefuls were monitored in how they got to grips with each car, their feedback to the engineers following their runs on the circuit and, of course, lap times in the various machines.

The Autosport expert judging panel were on hand to monitor all aspects of driver performance over the two days. Discussions took place, and the all-important decision has been made.

And now, to the main presentation of the evening - the 2008 McLaren Autosport BRDC Award.

To remind you, here are the six nominees in contention for this prestigious title:

Wayne Boyd (British Formula Ford champion)
Adam Christodoulou (Formula Renault UK champion)
Jason Moore (Formula Palmer Audi champion)
Alexander Sims (Formula Renault UK runner-up)
Aaron Steele (Formula Palmer Audi shootout winner)
Dean Stoneman (Formula Renault UK Graduate Class winner)

The prize on offer is £50,000 to go towards a future in racing, full membership of the British Racing Driver's Club, an Aston Martin DBR9 GT1 test, Puma racewear for a year, a TW Steel watch, and of course, the sought-after McLaren-Mercedes Formula One test.

Mika was the last man to win the world championship for McLaren back in 1999.

A man familiar to you all is invited onto the stage to present the Award to Lewis - two-time Formula One world champion Mika Hakkinen.

The 2008 Formula One world champion is interviewed by Steve Rider on stage at the Grosvenor House.

Lewis Hamilton is the International Racing Driver of the Year, as voted by the readers of Autosport in 2008.

Lewis Hamilton

Next we move to the International Racing Driver of the Year Award, celebrating sensational drives and spectacular victories by the very best our sport has to offer.

Scott Dixon dominated the IndyCar series to claim the championship for Target Chip Ganassi, winning six races. Felipe Massa came so near, yet so far in his title challenge for Ferrari, and another Ferrari-powered star, Sebastian Vettel claimed his maiden Grand Prix victory at a soggy Monza.

Robert Kubica mounted a serious challenge to the domination of Ferrari and McLaren in the first half of the Formula One season, scoring impressive results including his maiden victory at the Canadian Grand Prix.

Lewis Hamilton drove hard throughout the year, snatching the title in that memorable finish at Interlagos, and tonight's British Competition Driver of the Year Award winner Allan McNish has the chance to scoop his second prize of the evening.

The Racing Car of the Year is ... the McLaren MP4-23.

Coming up to the stage to receive the Award on behalf of the Woking-based team are Director of Engineering Paddy Lowe, and key members Tim Goss, Neil Oatley and Andy Cowell.

Tom Kristensen is asked to remain on the stage, to also present the next Award - Racing Car of the Year.

In contention for honours are the Ferrari F2008, which allowed the Scuderia to grab the Formula One Constructors' championship, the McLaren MP4-23 that took six victories this season in the hands of Hamilton and Kovalainen, and the Toro Rosso STR3 which sensationally won the Italian Grand Prix at Monza with Sebastian Vettel on board.

Away from Formula One, both the Audi R10 TDI and the Peugeot 908 HDi that hotly contested overall victory at Le Mans are nominated, and finally the Aston Martin DBR9 that took GT1 class honours at La Sarthe.

Eight-time Le Mans 24 Hours winner Tom Kristensen is invited onto the stage to present the Award.

The Dane announces that his Fellow-Audi star Allan McNish is the 2008 British Competition Driver of the Year.

The British Competition Driver of the Year is presented to an outstanding British driver in any class at International level. Previous winners in this category include great names such as John Watson, Nigel Mansell and Damon Hill.

A number of strong drivers are in contention for this year's Award: Paul di Resta after a late season charge in the DTM to almost take the title. Justin Wilson, winner of the Detroit Grand Prix in IndyCar. David Coulthard, who scored a final podium in his swansong season in Formula One. Jenson Button for trying valiantly in a tough year for Honda. Allan McNish for his worldwide prototype exploits including a sensational drive at Le Mans. And, of course, the 2008 Formula One world champion, Lewis Hamilton.

You have voted for Sebastian Vettel as Rookie of the Year for 2008, after a stunning first full-season in Formula One.

Next up is an award voted for by the readers of this website – the 2008 Rookie of the Year Award.

Last year you voted for Lewis Hamilton, following his stunning debut season in Formula One, but the award is not always clinched by a Formula One driver - in the past Dan Wheldon and AJ Allmendinger have been your choice, proving that there is more beneath the surface than just Formula One.

Voting took place throughout November on autosport.com and the votes have now been counted. Before the winner is revealed, here is a reminder of the nominees:

Jules Bianchi: 19-year-old Frenchman and the nephew of 1960s Formula One driver Lucien Bianchi, Jules jumped straight into the Formula Three Euroseries from French Formula Renault, and scored two wins and two pole positions, finishing an outstanding third in the series overall.

Romain Grosjean: After comfortably winning the GP2 Asia Series early in 2008, the Frenchman stuck with the ART team for a campaign in the main championship. His results were not the model of consistency, but with a sprint race win in Turkey and a feature race triumph at Spa, he finished the year fourth overall.

Nelson Piquet: The son of triple Formula One world champion Nelson Piquet Snr, he endured a tough season alongside double world champion Fernando Alonso. He began to relax after a difficult start to the year, and with it came a steady increase in his speed and performance.

Scott Speed: The American driver pursued a career in NASCAR this season, delivering very strong performances in a difficult environment. His wins in the ARCA series and strong races in the Crasftsman Trucks show the potential for a long and fruitful career in the sport.

Sebastian Vettel: The outstanding German is eligible for Rookie of the Year, due to 2008 being his first full season in Formula One. A spectacular season in the Toro Rosso culminated in a remarkable and well-earned maiden victory at the rain-soaked Italian Grand Prix in September.

Timo Glock: A deserved Toyota F1 drive in 2008 which saw last year's GP2 champion score 25 points, with a creditable second place finish in Hungary as the highlight. He is best remembered this season for his role in the final round in Brazil, as the title swung back and forth between Hamilton and Massa.

Sebastien Ojier: This exciting Frenchman is on course to take over the rally mantle of Sebastien Loeb in the years to come. This year he won the Junior World Rally Championship, making light work of the competition.

Alexandre Premat: Another Frenchman on the shortlist, who continued his DTM career in 2008, alongside a debut in the Le Mans Series, driving the Audi R10 TDI. He took the drivers' crown alongside Mike Rockenfeller as the season concluded with a dramatic Autosport 1000km at Silverstone.

Oliver Turvey: Top Formula Three team owner Trevor Carlin offered Turvey a seat for 2008, and the Briton delivered, pushing his teammates Jaime Alguersuari and Brendon Hartley all the way in one of the most competitive Formula Three seasons for years.

EJ Viso: Debuted in the IndyCar Series for HVM Racing, scoring six finishes in the top ten, with the best a fourth on the streets of St Petersburg early in the season.

The Autosport Pioneering and innovation award goes to the Singapore Grand Prix for the sport's inaugural night race.

Here to collect the award is Colin Sym, deputy chairman of the Singapore Grand Prix.

McLaren driver Heikki Kovalainen joins Steve Rider on stage to present the Award.

Digi-flag in Singapore

The Autosport Pioneering and Innovation Award recognises the never-ending research and development across the motorsport spectrum.

Previous winners since the award's inception in 2004 include the SAFER barrier, the Audi R10 - the first diesel-powered prototype sportscar to claim victory at Le Mans - and most recently the Head And Neck Safety device (HANS), which is now used widely across all forms of the sport.

2008 has been another year of continual advancement. In Formula One, the 'digi-flag' warning system was successfully debuted and used at selected events. Staying with Formula One, Singapore held the first ever night race in the sport, and it was a roaring success, made possible by the fantastic lighting facilities provided by Valerio Maioli.

Tyre warming specialists M A Horne also deserve a mention in this category. Earlier this year, Mike Drury and his team introduced an all-new, touch-screen based tyre-and-rim warming system, moving the art of optimum tyre operating temperatures into a new dimension.

These and many other innovations have been under consideration for tonight's Award.

The John Bolster Award for Technical Excellence is presented to legendary US open-wheel racing team Newman-Haas.

This is an emotional moment following the death of team co-owner, actor Paul Newman, earlier this year.

Carl Haas makes his way to the stage to accept the Award.

Since 1985 the John Bolster Award for Technical Excellence has honoured outstanding technical achievement in motor racing. Last year Patrick Head, Director of Engineering at Williams, received the award in celebration of 30 years in Formula One.

Previous winners of the award read as a who's who in motor racing technology: Don Panoz, Pat Symonds, Ross Brawn, Roger Penske and the late Ken Tyrrell have all been presented with this coveted accolade.

World Rally continues to be the theme as the second of tonight's Gregor Grant Awards for Lifetime Achievement is presented by Prodrive boss David Richards to Finnish Rally legend Ari Vatanen.

The International Rally Driver of the Year is Sebastien Loeb and his car, the Citroen C4 WRC, is Rally Car of the Year.

Sebastien, and Citroen team principal Olivier Quesnel, accept the Awards via a video recorded at Wales Rally GB.

Chris Atkinson

While Loeb is on top of the world, others in the WRC are continuing their efforts to topple the Frenchman. Jari-Matti Latvala and Chris Atkinson have both enjoyed positive campaigns this year, as they look to challenge for title honours in the future. Finn Latvala scored his maiden WRC victory earlier this year in Sweden, following Loeb's incident with the snowbanks. Atkinson has yet to win a WRC event, but the Australian will surely achieve this as his performance curve is still on its ascent. Seventh in the standings in 2007, the Subaru driver has bettered that this year in a run that included four podiums in the first five events of this season. Both drivers are on the up and looking to edge closer to the emphatic Loeb in 2009.

Another driver who is most certainly on the up is French sensation Sebastien Ogier. The 24-year-old has dominated the Junior WRC this year, taking three event victories in Mexico, Jordan and Germany, amassing 50 stage wins in the process of his debut season in the Junior category. His rise up the ranks continues, and just this weekend he took part in the Wales Rally GB as part of the Citroen factory squad in a C4 WRC. Next year, Ogier will compete in the first six rallies on the calendar.

Dani Sordo

Spain's leading rally star Dani Sordo is the final nomination for International Rally Driver of the Year. Being teammate to the greatest rally driver on the planet must be a tough position to be in, but Sordo has played his part to the full, with a string of top five finishes in 2008, and helping Citroen to regain the manufacturers' title from the grasp of Ford.

Away from the spotlight of the World Rally Championship, Fiat's Grande Punto Abarth battled season-long with Peugeot and their formidable 207 S2000 in the International Rally Championship. The French car-maker produced a winning effort to claim the 2008 IRC manufacturers' crown, but not before the Abarth had won the 50th San Remo Rally – now part of the IRC and Italian Rally Championships – in the hands of Giandomenico Basso.

Already this evening we have paid homage to the skills and achievements of some of the finest circuit and open wheel racers in the world. Now it is time to move things sideways – quite literally – with the Awards for International Rally Driver of the Year and Rally Car of the Year.

Citroen C4 WRC

Once again Citroen faced stiff competition from Ford, with Suzuki and Subaru also challenging for honours, but the French manufacturer came out on top with their C4 WRC, amassing ten victories during the season.

In the drivers' championship, Sebastien Loeb stood head and shoulders above the rest. But, if we rewind the story to the start of the campaign, the results tell a different tale.

Loeb went into 2008 as the current WRC drivers' champion, and with his Citroen C4 on song, yet again he would be very difficult to beat. That said, Ford produced a mighty challenge in the first half of the season with their Focus WRC. Mikko Hirvonen was fast and consistent, scoring points in every round, while Loeb – clearly the faster of the two men – pushed the boundaries a little bit more than his Finnish rival and occasionally paid the price.

A record fifth victory at the prestigious Monte Carlo Rally set the tone nicely for Loeb, but at round two in Sweden he clipped a snow bank on the fourth special stage and rolled, effectively ending his event. In April, he lost another potential ten points after a freak incident during the Rally of Jordan, crashing head-on into Conrad Rautenbach on a road section between stages. Meanwhile, Hirvonen continued to pick up solid points, and, with almost a third of the season gone, it was the Finn who led the standings by five points over the reining champion.

Sebastien Loeb

Following his lapse of concentration in Jordan, Loeb buckled down to some spinetingling performances, reeling off a string of seven victories in eight rallies – a mind blowing summer performance. This resulted in him overhauling the five-point deficit and turning that into a healthy 14-point advantage as they arrived at the penultimate round in Japan.

Hirvonen, to his credit, never gave up the fight throughout the season and led home a Ford one-two. But behind them Loeb took the cautious approach, making sure he brought the car home. He did so in third place – despite a quick spin on the penultimate stage - securing the points needed to become the most successful driver in world rally history with a fifth world crown, moving clear of four-time champions Juha Kankkunen and Tommi Makinen.

Loeb completed his record-breaking season after snatching a dramatic final-stage victory just a few hours ago at the Wales Rally GB - his 11th win of the 15-event 2008 season.

Martin Brundle remains on the stage to present Sir Stirling Moss with a Gregor Grant Award for Lifetime Achievement.

There is rapturous applause in the Great Room as Sir Stirling makes his way to the stage.

The Gregor Grant Award, named after Autosport's founder, is presented to personalities within motorsport in recognition of lifetime achievement.

In 2007, Dario Franchitti and Fabrizio Giovanardi both received the award for their championship titles in Indycars and the British Touring Car Championship, and in 2006 the Great Room was an emotional place to be as Sir Jack Brabham carefully stepped onto the stage to be presented a Gregor Grant trophy in honour of his 50 years in the sport.

Other past winners include: Mario Andretti, Colin McRae, Alain Prost, Emerson Fittipaldi, Fernando Alonso and a certain Bernie Ecclestone.

The Moment of the Year is the finale of the Formula One Brazilian Grand Prix.

Receiving the trophy are James Allen and Martin Brundle, the commentary team for British broadcaster ITV during that edge-of-the seat moment.

The Moment of the Year award will be presented by commentating legend Murray Walker.

A video showing the events of the 2008 season is being played.

The main part of tonight's show opens with a musical string performance from the group Siren.

Danica Patrick wins in Japan

2008 has seen many great moments in racing. In GP2, the Senna name was once again victorious at Monaco on a beautiful sunny day, stirring memories of the past. The Indycar series series saw new ground broken, as Danica Patrick claimed her first major race victory at the Twin Ring Motegi in April, creating instant headlines around the globe.

The Le Mans 24 hour race at La Sarthe was a close and exciting battle, until one man grabbed the race by the scruff of the neck. Peugeot and Audi were locked in battle for victory – then Allan McNish climbed aboard the No.2 Audi R10, putting in a marvelous run in the wet to extend a slender margin into almost a one lap lead. It was a remarkable three-and-a-half hour stint of driving and was the defining moment in a memorable event.

The most memorable racing moments have also re-wrote the history books. In the World Rally Championship, for example, Sebastien Loeb claimed a record fifth driver's title in Japan

Of course, the Formula One world championship has delivered plenty of interesting moments throughout the year. Maiden victories for Robert Kubica and Sebastian Vettel, the final laps of the Belgian Grand Prix and the subsequent stewards decisions and talking points are memorable, but one moment truly stands out.

Lewis Hamilton went into the final race of the season needing a fifth-place finish to secure the title. His mission was looking under control, with rival Felipe Massa leading and Hamilton fourth. But, with less than ten laps remaining, a rain shower arrived, throwing the race – and the destiny of the world championship – into chaos. Every motorsport enthusiast in the world was captured by the intensity of what was taking place.

Brazilan Grand Prix

Toyota decided to risk the changing conditions on dry tyres while almost everyone else pitted for intermediates. Glock therefore leapt up the classification to fourth, with Hamilton fifth and young Vettel right on his tail.

Then, it happened. Hamilton ran wide at Juncao, allowing Vettel to sneak up the inside into fifth, with Hamilton now sixth and at that time no longer potentially the world champion.

The cards would however fall the Briton's way in the final two laps, as the rain intensified. Massa came home to win the race, with Brazil ready to celebrate a dramatic championship win for their home-town hero, but behind him Glock began to struggle on his dry tyres as the track surface became ever-wetter. His pace dropped like a stone and Hamilton was able to nip past the ailing German approaching Juncao – the final corner of the 71st and final lap – for fifth, to snatch the title in the most dramatic fashion possible.

We have enjoyed the major moments throughout the motorsport year. In just a moment, the best of them will be commemorated.

The main batch of awards is about to begin, and we continue with the presentation for Moment of the Year, a new Award for 2008 voted on by the staff of Autosport.

Aaron Steele

The sixth and final nominee in contention for tonight's McLaren Autosport BRDC Award is 20-year-old Aaron Steele.

Chatham-based Steele booked his place on the shortlist with an impressive display at the recent Formula Palmer Audi shootout – a three-race event at the end of the season that also counts as the final three rounds of the FPA Autumn Trophy. This year's shoot-out was held at Snetterton on November 2nd and attracted a strong field, minus the newly-crowned champion Jason Moore.

From the trio of races, the best two results count to determine the overall points total, and Steele delivered a brace of podiums in the opening two races to establish some breathing space going into the final, deciding round.

For the final race, Jolyon Palmer and Matt Hamilton remained in contention for shoot-out honours, with Steele looking to improve his potential points telly with a result in the top two. By the end of the afternoon Steele had been disqualified from a very hectic race, but emerged as the delighted shootout victor, as Palmer and Hamilton narrowly missed out on the results they needed thanks to a fabulous drive from Niall Quinn.

Aaron Steele's career is one of a talented young driver who, like many others starting out in single-seaters, faces the ever-present pressure of achieving results whilst all the time striving to raise the necessary funding and sponsorship in order to continue in the sport.

A promising 2006 campaign in Formula Palmer Audi had to be abandoned due to a lack of funds. Despite this, Steele scored a podium, before moving on to the FPA Autumn Trophy, where he finished second overall to American Dane Cameron. Since that time, Cameron has gone on to become the 2007 Star Mazda Champion, and then into the Atlantics series this year in the United States.

Meanwhile, Steele pressed on, moving to the BARC Formula Renault Championship (the tier below Formula Renault UK), stringing together some impressive results before returning in November to the Formula Palmer Audi fold and the shootout victory.

All six nominees have an eye on the prize, and their performances – as we have tried to demonstrate to you this evening – merit a place on the shortlist for this most prestigious award.

For these six young men, tonight means everything. Soon, one of them will join names such as David Coulthard, Dario Franchitti and Jenson Button as a McLaren Autosport BRDC Award winner.

Wayne Boyd

Another of the contenders for tonight's show-piece McLaren Autosport BRDC Award is an Ulsterman who dominated the 2008 British Formula Ford Championship, winning more than half the season's 25 races for the Jamun Racing stable.

Wayne Boyd claimed the 2007 Northern Ireland Formula Ford 1600 title, graduating to the national series this year, and it wasn't long before the 18-year-old was standing proudly on the top step of the rostrum.

Boyd, along with Australian team-mate Tim Blanchard, blitzed the opening weekend of the season at Oulton Park in March. The third race of the day would separate the pair, as Boyd lost control of his Mygale in truly awful conditions as sleet fell during the race.

At Knockhill three weeks later the spectacular Boyd – still only 17 at the time – secured a hat-trick of victories, making it five wins out of six with Blanchard the only other winner thus far.

The end of April saw the series move to Croft for rounds seven, eight and nine, and despite pre-event concerns that the circuit would not suit the Mygale chassis, Boyd once again demonstrated supreme mastery to take another hat-trick – an incredible string of results which gave the young star from Templepatrick a healthy lead in the championship. The story changed a few hours later, however, as Boyd and Comtec driver Westley Barber were subsequently disqualified following post-race scrutineering.

The experienced Barber would give Boyd a strong run for his money at the next event at Brands Hatch, supporting the A1GP series, but the youngster scored another two crushing victories – the first achieved whilst still learning the circuit.

A fortnight later at Rockingham, Boyd's incredible season began to taper off just slightly with one win in the three races, and an unfortunate collision with his Jamun Racing team-mate Blanchard as they battled for the lead in race two. He still held the championship lead, but by this stage the gap was beginning to come down with Blanchard his only serious challenger for the crown.

The series moved outside the UK and headed to Spa for a brace of races in June, giving the young drivers a chance to tackle one of the world's most challenging Grand Prix circuits. We could give you three guesses at who won both races, but you'll only need one – Wayne Boyd overcame safety car periods and a strong challenge from his team-mate Tim Blanchard to grab another double victory and take his championship lead over the Australian to a staggering 58 points.

Wayne Boyd

That gap would close somewhat following a difficult weekend for Boyd at Silverstone in mid-August. During Friday practice he encountered problems with the car, losing crucial track time, and in qualifying he could only place seventh on the grid, with his title rival Blanchard over six-tenths of a second ahead of him on the pole. The races also proved to be very difficult, spending most of the time in close battles, as Blanchard marched to a win and second place in the day's two rounds. Seventh and third respectively for Boyd trimmed his points lead down to 36 as the Formula Ford field headed to Donington for the final trio of races in the campaign.

For Wayne, a major step towards the title was achieved in qualifying with another pole position and rival Blanchard could only manage fifth on the grid. Under pressure, Boyd got a great start and pulled away relentlessly as Blanchard attempted to work his way towards the front. The Australian quickly worked his way up to third, but soon came under attack from Victor Correa - the Brazilian dived past Blanchard for third and, with his championship hopes starting to fade, he had to regain track position. The pair made contact as Blanchard tried a move and, seconds later, sitting in the gravel at Coppice, he knew that his teammate was virtually assured of the 2008 title.

Knowing the score, Boyd sensibly backed off the pace a little, allowing Victor Correa and David Brown through into first a second. He finished the race a comfortable third - needing just a single point from the final two Donington races to clinch the title. Brown went on to win the final two rounds the following day, with Boyd finishing on the podium in both to become the 2008 British Formula Ford champion.

Wayne Boyd

Six weeks ago, the spectacular Boyd added the Formula Ford festival victory to his growing list of achievements.

The intense knockout-style racing competition has been won in the past by several drivers who went on to Formula One stardom, such as Johnny Herbert, Jenson Button, Anthony Davidson, Eddie Irvine and Mark Webber. Boyd calmly progressed through his heat and semi-final, doing exactly what he needed to do to make it to the final race and, when the time came, Boyd really turned on the style, darting into the lead at the lights and beating the competition out of sight – which in Formula Ford terms is to the tune of 4.3 seconds.

It was a great end to a great season for the 18-year-old, who celebrated his birthday just after the triumph in the festival, and his year of domination could just result in his name being known a lot more widely if he takes the coveted McLaren Autosport BRDC Award this evening.

Dinner now continues at the Grosvenor House, with the Award presentations due to resume at 22:00 GMT.

In the meantime, we will continue to look at the racing seasons of the remaining drivers in contention for the McLaren Autosport BRDC Award.