The 2009 AUTOSPORT Awards

Adrian Newey

Newey is applauded by the 1200 guests in the Great Room as he steps up to accept his Award.

The 50-year-old led the design of championship-winning Williams throughout the 1990s before a move to McLaren that yielded further title success.

In recent years, Newey has been technical director at Red Bull Racing. His 2009 car, the RB5, was skillfully developed into the fastest on the grid, taking six wins including a hat-trick of triumphs to close the season.

Formula 1 design guru Adrian Newey is 2009's recipient of the John Bolster Award for Technical Excellence.

Damon Hill is joined by Williams technical chief Patrick Head to present the Award.

Since 1985 the John Bolster Award for Technical Excellence has honoured outstanding technical achievement in motor racing.

Last year, Carl Haas was given an emotional standing ovation as he recieved the Award in the wake of Newman-Haas team co-owner Paul Newman's death earlier in the year.

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.

Brawn BGP 001

Brawn engineers John Owen and Russell Cooley head to the stage to receive the Award.

The BGP 001, designed by Brawn and his team with Honda's backing throughout 2008, made an immediate impact when it finally hit the track with a Mercedes engine in early March.

Winning six of the first seven races to laid the foundations for Button's drivers' title and the BGP 001 also took Rubens Barrichello to a pair of wins, securing the constructors' crown for the Brackley-based squad.

Hill announces that the Brawn BGP 001 is Racing Car of the Year.

Hill is tight lipped with questions on the future of the British Grand Prix, with a press conference scheduled for tomorrow here at the Grosvenor House.

1996 Formula 1 world champion Damon Hill is now on stage to reveal the winning machine.

Next up is the Racing Car of the Year Award and there are several top contenders from Formula 1 and sports prototype racing. Last year McLaren took the honour with its stunning MP4-23.

This season, Brawn GP and Red Bull went head to head for the world constructors' crown in Formula 1, while at Le Mans Peugeot finally broke the Audi diesel stranglehold with its sleek 908 HDi FAP.

F1 in Schools

The initiative, celebrating its 10th anniversary, encourages teams of students aged 9 to 19 to design, manufacture and then race miniature gas powered balsa wood Formula 1 cars.

31 teams from 20 countries recently battled for the Bernie Ecclestone World Championship Trophy in London, attended by Lewis Hamilton and VIP guests from the world of Formula 1 and education.

Andrew Denford from F1 in Schools will receive the Award.

F1 in Schools wins the AUTOSPORT Pioneering and Innovation Award.

Brawn and Horner reflect on an incredible season in Formula 1.

Formula 1 team principals Ross Brawn and Christian Horner, whose squads dominated the 2009 season, will present the Award.

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 the Head and Neck Support (HANS) device, which is now used widely across all forms of the sport.

Last year the Award was presented to the Singapore Grand Prix, Formula 1's first night race.

Kris Meeke

The 30-year-old, who won four rallies for Peugeot UK to take the Intercontinental Rally Challenge title, steps up to the stage to receive his trophy.

Meeke got his break into rallying back in 2000 when he won a Motorpsort News competition to make his debut in a Peugeot 106.

With the jokes over for the time being, Coulthard announces that Kris Meeke is the AUTOSPORT.com Rookie of the Year.

The entertainment continues as Rider shares banter with the BBC's Jake Humphrey.

Coulthard chats with Steve Rider, with his humor entertaining the crowd as he looks back over a long career and his new role in broadcasting.

Voting took place throughout November on AUTOSPORT.com. The votes have been counted and the winner is about to be revealed.

13-time grand prix winner David Coulthard joins host Steve Rider on stage to present the Award.

Now it's time for the main presentations at tonight's AUTOSPORT Awards.

The next Award is voted for by the readers of this website – the 2009 Rookie of the Year Award. Last year you voted for Sebastian Vetttel, following his amazing first full season in Formula 1.

However, the Award is not always collected by a Formula 1 driver. in the past Dan Wheldon and AJ Allmendinger have been your choice, proving that there is more beneath the surface than just Formula 1.

On the video screens in the Great Room, the racing highlights of 2009 are being played out.

For the six drivers nominated for this year's McLaren AUTOSPORT BRDC Award, the tension is rising as they wait to hear who will join the best of British.

They are: James Colado, Adam Christodoulou, James Cole, Callum MacLoed, Chrissy Palmer and Dean Smith.

McLaren AUTOSPORT BRDC contenders

Alexander Sims

One year ago, Alexander Sims was the name on everyone's lips as he collected the big prize here at the Grosvenor House.

A long winter followed with just six days of testing available prior to his F3 Euroseries debut with Mucke Motorsport. The early rounds proved difficult, with just nine points on the board from the first four events, but all the while Sims was finding his feet.

Sims' season reached a turning point at the Norisring with his maiden F3 pole position and a strong second place finish. From then on the Cambridgeshire man racked up a string of positive results, ending the season fourth in the championship behind runaway winner Jules Bianchi. He is likely to campaign in the Euroseries again next season.

Dario Franchitti

The highlight of the evening as always is the presentation of the McLaren AUTOSPORT BRDC Award.

The idea to reward an outstanding young British driver was first conceived in 1989, and has since correctly identified a host of motor racing talent. David Coulthard - then the British Formula Ford champion - was the first recipient. Double IndyCar champion Dario Franchitti, world champion Jenson Button and Anthony Davidson are just some of the names who have won this prestigious Award since its inception.

As motor racing generated more and more television coverage, the AUTOSPORT Awards grew both in size and stature, into the major end-of-season event that we know today.

The prize awarded to the annual winner of the McLaren AUTOSPORT BRDC Award has also grown, and is fiercely sought-after. This year the chosen driver will receive the following:

• £50,000 towards their racing future
• Full membership of the British Racing Drivers' Club
• Puma racewear for a year
• A TW Steel watch
• A test in a McLaren Mercedes Formula 1 car

F12009

2009 has provided motor racing enthusiasts with many highlights across all disciplines, whether your passion is for racing or rallying.

The Formula 1 season - which at one stage looked like it could be a total walkover - was decided at the penultimate round in Brazil thanks to a superb summer fight back from Red Bull Racing, but finally Brawn and Jenson Button clung on to secure both titles.

Once again, the Indycar series went down to a thrilling final showdown and Dario Franchitti made it two championships in three years, while in NASCAR Jimmie Johnson clinched his fourth title in as many seasons for Hendrick Motorsports.

The World Rally Championship went down to the wire, where Mikko Hirvonen just failed to stop Sebastien Loeb taking a remarkable sixth title.

Throughout, championships were won and lost, providing thrills, incidents and marvelous moments. We would invite you to raise a glass of your favourite tipple and celebrate a wonderful 2009 motorsport season, as we salute the stars who make it all possible.

Colin Turkington

The second Award, presented during an earlier break in dinner, saw Colin Turkington named as National Driver of the Year.

The BTCC champion became the first BMW driver to win the tin-top title for 16 years and gave Dick Bennetts' WSR squad an overall crown for the first time since it moved into the series in 1996.

A string of four wins from six races at Oulton Park and Croft was key to the Northern Irishman’s campaign before he successfully played the percentage game to hold off veterans Jason Plato and Fabrizio Giovanardi on a thrilling final day at Brands Hatch.

Tom Kristensen and Andy Priaulx remained on hand to give Turkington his Award.

Sarah Moore

Following the karting and Pirelli presentations, Sarah Moore scooped the Award for Club Driver of the Year. She was presented with the Award by racing legends Tom Kristensen and Andy Priaulx.

Moore, the Ginetta Junior champion, sprung to prominence at Thruxton in April when she became the first female to take outright victory at a BTCC event, winning both rounds that weekend along with the next race at Donnington.

Two more wins and some impressive battling through the field allowed Moore to follow brother Nigel to the title, coming out on top of a late-season points battle with Jake Cook.

The Awards began this evening with a presentation to four young stars who could be the names to look out for in future.

Robert Reid and Kamui Kobayashi led the plaudits for the Formula Kart Stars championship winners.

George Russell, Jack Barlow, Matt Parry and Alex Albon spoke before an influential audience and will receive their trophies from Jenson Button at Autosport International.

Pirelli Star Driver UK winner Keith Cronin was also on stage to celebrate an outstanding season in the British Rally Championship.

Just as in 2008, this year's AUTOSPORT Awards kicked off in triumphant fashion, as the 1,200 guests rose in unison to applaud new world champion Jenson Button as he made his way down the grand staircase into the Great Room.

One year ago it was Lewis Hamilton walking down those same steps to a warm reception and many people are interested to see how these two drivers shape up against each other at McLaren next season.

Awards 2009

You can join in the proceedings and feel part of the event tonight, by sharing your views on the Awards and reacting to events as they happen on the stage.

• Who will become the International Racing Driver of the Year? Will the 2009 Formula One world champion, Jenson Button, breeze his way to the trophy?

• Who got your vote for the 2009 AUTOSPORT.com Rookie of the Year Award?

• Most importantly, who is going to have their name etched on the most coveted trophy of them all – the Mclaren AUTOSPORT BRDC Award for 2009?

The answers to these and many more questions will be revealed over the next two hours of coverage, exclusively live from the Grosvenor House hotel.

If you are an AUTOSPORT.com forum member, then click on the 'SHOW LIVE FORUM' link below to begin discussion on the event as it happens.

Awards 2009

Earlier this evening, the great and the good from the world of motor sport arrived in the Great Room at the Grosvenor House.

Formula 1 world champion Jenson Button leads a star-studded line-up, supported by past and present heroes of our sport, such as Lewis Hamilton, Damon Hill, Martin Brundle, Nick Fry, Ross Brawn, Ron Dennis, Patrick Head and Christian Horner.

Other top echelons of motor racing are also represented. Touring car stars Jason Plato, Andy Priaulx and Fabrizio Giovanardi are here. Monte Carlo rally legend Paddy Hopkirk, Prodrive boss David Richards and 1992 world sportscar champion Derek Warwick are all here to enjoy this glittering occasion.

The invited guests are just coming towards the end of dinner, and soon the all-important Awards will be presented on the main stage.

Awards 2009

Good evening everyone and a very warm welcome to the 2009 AUTOSPORT Awards, brought to you in association with the 2010 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix, from the Grosvenor House Hotel in Park Lane, central London.

Since 1982, the world's leading motorsport weekly has celebrated the outstanding achievements of drivers across the racing spectrum, as well as the cars, teams and technical innovations that have become the talk of the sport.

Tonight, the 28th edition of this prestigious awards ceremony will take place, and you will find out who the winners are, live, right here on AUTOSPORT.com.