The 2012 AUTOSPORT Awards

Loeb

Malcolm Wilson is asked to come up to the stage to present the second of tonight's Gregor Grant Awards, and it goes to a true British rallying legend.

Much applause in the room for Jimmy McRae, who deservedly receives the accolade this evening.

The Lanark-born ace won no less than five British Rally Championship titles between 1981 and 1987 and is remembered best for his exploits in an Opel Manta 400 for the Rothmans Rally Team, before moving onto the MG Metro 6R4.

Loeb

AUTOSPORT editor-in-chief Andrew van der Burgt joins the stage to make the presentation of a Gregor Grant Award for lifetime achievement to the retiring Sebastien Loeb.

The Gregor Grant Award, named after AUTOSPORT's founding editor, is presented to motorsport personalities in recognition of lifetime achievement.

Previous recipients of the Gregor Grant Award include Bernie Ecclestone, Sir Jack Brabham, Tom Wheatcroft, Sir Stirling Moss and Professor Sid Watkins.

"For sure it was hard to decide to stop," Loeb says.

"I'm still winning, nine times in a row. We have a new plan with Citroen, WTCC, I wanted to do a bit more with my family. A few years now I think I have to stop rallying, so I think this year is maybe the right one."

Loeb

Kristensen remains on the stage as we move on to Rally Driver of the Year.

Nominees for this accolade include IRC winner Juho Hanninen, Citroen man Mikko Hirvonen, Ford challenger Jari-Matti Latvala and rising Skoda star Andreas Mikkelsen.

But your votes are in and Sebastien Loeb is once again Rally Driver of the Year.

"It's been a special year and a very special relationship with Skoda UK," says Mikkelsen. "Coming out with two IRC titles, it's been very special."

Double IRC championship winner Andreas Mikkelsen is next to be interviewed by Henry Hope-Frost.

C3

Beating off competition from the Ford Fiesta, Mitsubishi Lancer and Skoda Fabia, Kristensen reveals that the Citroen DS3 WRC is the 2012 Rally Car of the Year.

AUTOSPORT readers have given it this coveted accolade, following up successes for the all-conquering C4 in this category over the last few years.

Citroen team boss Yves Matton is on hand to collect the Award.

"There were some TV commentators that are maybe colourblind," quips Kristensen as he reflects on his driver steward role at the Brazilian Grand Prix last weekend.

Eight-time Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen is invited on stage to present the rallying Awards.

Highlights of a spectacular WRC season are played on the huge screen over the stage.

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

No-one could touch Sebastien Loeb in the World Rally Championship. At first 2012 loooked like it may be a close contest, but five mid-season victories for the Frenchman took him well away from the chasing Finnish duo - Mikko Hirvonen and Jari-Matti Latvala.

In the Intercontinental Rally Challenge, Andreas Mikkelsen blazed a trail from the first event in the Azores. The Norweigian driver took one further victory at the Rally Romania, with six of his eight best counting scores being first or second places. He claimed the title easily ahead of Skoda team-mates Jan Kopecky and Juho Hanninen.

Classic tales of the 70s from Dance have the audience captivated, as he chats with Rider and Walker on stage.

Bob Dance

There is a huge cheer from the audience, as Bob Dance is announced as the winner of a John Bolster Award.

The long-serving Lotus mechanic began work for the legendary marque in September 1960 and was chief mechanic from 1976 until the early 1990s.

Dance has worked for March, Brabham, Audi at the Le Mans 24 hours - and even now he still works three days a week for Classic Team Lotus.

Commentary legend Walker stays on stage for the second of tonight's John Bolster Awards.

Asked how he keeps going, Sauber says: "After about 20 years in sportscar racing and 20 years in Formula 1, it's not so easy."

Sauber

The Swiss motorsport icon, who is now stepping back from the day-to-day running of his eponymous team, gets a rapturous reception as he walks up to the stage.

Sauber began building sports prototypes as far back as the early 1970s, before becoming a leading force in the World Sportscar Championship in association with Mercedes in the late-eighties - propelling the careers of Michael Schumacher, Karl Wendlinger and Heinz-Harald Frentzen in the process.

Formula 1 was next on the agenda and Sauber has undoubtedly run a tight ship, while still being able to gain some remarkable results along the way.

And tonight's first recipient of a John Bolster Award for technical excellence is... Peter Sauber.

Walker shares a joke with Rider as our host this evening struggles with his voice.

Steve Rider invites Murray Walker onto the stage to present the John Bolster Awards this evening.

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

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

"We had to get out of the spec racing nightmare that we were in," says Bowlby on stage. "Racing has the opportunity to change people's perception of technology."

"You look at the reaction of people who didn't think it was going to work, the reality is it is a challenging concept but actually it did work."

DeltaWing

Franchitti has first hand experience of the winning machine and will present the second Award to the Nissan DeltaWing.

Designer Ben Bowlby comes up to collect the accolade in recognition of a daring vision for a radical new type of sportscar.

Marino Franchitti is invited onto the stage to present the second Pioneering and Innovation Award tonight, here at the Grosvenor House hotel.

Martin Donnelly, who was saved by the rapid intervention of the medical team after a horrific crash in qualifying for the 1990 Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez, is interviewed by Henry Hope-Frost.

"He was an extraordinary man", says Susan Watkins on stage. "In the hospital they called him 'Saint Sid".

Sid Watkins

Hill presents the first Pioneering and Innovation Award to the FIA medical team, acknowledging the remarkable work of Professor Sid Watkins, who died earlier this year. In his honour, Sid's widow Susan is invited onto the stage to receive the Award.

It is a moving moment and the 1,200 guests rise to applaud as Susan Watkins makes her way through the tables and onto the stage.

1996 Formula 1 world champion Damon Hill is invited onto the stage by tonight's host Steve Rider to make this special presentation.

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

The AUTOSPORT Pioneering and Innovation Award, in association with TATA Communications, 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 - the Head and Neck Support (HANS) device, which is now used widely across all forms of the sport and the Singapore Grand Prix, Formula 1's first night race.

Last year the Award was presented to Manish Pandey for his fantastic work on the docu-film Senna.

The racing highlights of 2012 are being played out on the video screens in the Great Room.

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

They are: Jake Dennis, Jack Hawksworth, Josh Hill, Jordan King, Melville McKee and Josh Webster.

McLaren AUTOSPORT BRDC Award contenders

Solo percussionist FiSH is entertaining the guests with a live performance as tension builds in the room.

Two minute call from the Voice of God and we're just about to get the main part of the ceremony underway.

Dinner is wrapping up in the Great Room and the main Awards presentation will begin shortly.

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

The 2011 McLaren AUTOSPORT BRDC Award winner stepped up to the Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup series this year with Fortec Motorsport.

He found the going tough at first against an increased level of competition, but rounded out the year with three podiums and a season-ending victory at the Circuit de Catalunya.

Button

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. Four-time IndyCar champion Dario Franchitti, 2009 F1 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. The chosen driver will receive the following:

• £100,000 towards their racing future
• Full membership of the British Racing Drivers' Club
• A TW Steel watch
• A test in a McLaren Mercedes Formula 1 car.

Vettel

2012 has provided motor racing fans with many highlights across all disciplines, whether your passion is for racing or rallying.

Formula 1 produced arguably its best season ever, kicking off with a magnificent seven different winners in the first seven races, enthralling fans throughout the summer as Vettel relentlessly closed down on Alonso's championship lead, before that edge-of-the-seat climax at Interlagos last Sunday.

The World Rally Championship entered its 40th season and the man on top was the fearless Frenchman Sebastian Loeb, as he comfortably fought off the challenge from team-mate Mikko Hirvonen with a stunning summer streak of five consecutive victories in Argentina, Greece, New Zealand, Finland and Germany to claim his ninth world crown.

IndyCar racing introduced the DW-12 and the competition stepped up as another top series went down to the wire. Will Power blasted his way to an early points lead, but Dario Franchitti proved once again that he is the man to beat at the Brickyard, claiming his third Indy 500 after a last-lap battle with Takuma Sato. Ryan Hunter-Reay won four of the last eight races to come through to a sensational title at the final round in California.

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 2012 motorsport season as we salute the stars who make it all possible.

Gordon Shedden

Next followed the presentation of the National Driver of the Year Award, which celebrates achievement in the likes of British F3, BTCC and BRC.

After a closely-fought season of tin-top action, readers voted for the 2012 BTCC champion Gordon Shedden as National Driver of the Year.

Shedden, who finally triumphed after a tight championship battle with Honda team-mate Matt Neal and MG's Jason Plato, was delighted to receive the recognition of AUTOSPORT readers.

Scott Malvern

The traditional early batch of national motorsport gongs kicked off with the presentation of the British Club Driver of the Year Award.

Open to drivers competing in TOCA support events and equivilant or lower, the broad list of eligible candidates included Nissan GT racer Jann Mardenborough, Porsche Carrera Cup GB champion Michael Meadows, Clio Cup champion Jack Goff, Ginetta champion Carl Breeze and many more.

But AUTOSPORT readers voted for Scott Malvern, twice a nominee for the McLaren AUTOSPORT BRDC Award and the 2012 champion in Formula Renault BARC.

Malvern picked up his prize from Formula 1 legend Sir Jackie Stewart.

Ron Howard

The AUTOSPORT Awards not only celebrates the outstanding achievements of the year, but also looks ahead to the prospect of a wonderful 2013 - particularly in the field of cinema.

Following on from last year's success of Senna, another production is set to bring Formula 1 history to a mainstream movie audience.

The producers and cast members of Rush are here tonight. Chris Hemsworth plays James Hunt in the film, which is released in September.

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

WTCC champion Rob Huff was on hand to help celebrate the young stars of British karting:

• Dean MacDonald - MSA British Cadet champion
• Kiern Jewiss - Formula Kart Stars Honda Cadet champion
• Lando Norris -Formula Kart Stars Mini Max champion
• Sam Marsh - Formula Kart Stars Junior Max champion
• James Singleton - Formula Kart Stars Senior Max champion
• George Russell - FIA/CIK European Junior Kart champion
• Ben Barnicoat - FIA/CIK European Kart champion

All seven youngsters enjoyed their well-deserved moment of glory in front of a highly influential audience.