BRDC ANNUAL AWARDS 2009

The British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC) celebrated motor racing achievements of 2009 in some style on Monday 7 December, when it hosted the BRDC Annual Awards Luncheon at a star-studded event at The InterContinental Hotel in Park Lane, London.

It was another successful afternoon for the recently crowned Formula 1 World Champion. Jenson joined Sir Stirling Moss and fellow British F1 World Champions Sir Jackie Stewart OBE and Damon Hill OBE for a brief photo call, before receiving a standing ovation as he collected no fewer than four awards - including the prestigious BRDC Gold Star, presented to him by ten-time BRDC Gold Star winner, Sir Stirling Moss OBE.

Jenson’s arrival at the Awards was eagerly anticipated and, once on stage, he spoke about his remarkable Championship-winning season with Brawn GP, thanking his former team for their hard work, support and commitment throughout a sensational year.

Jenson, however, wasn’t the only driver being celebrated at the prestigious Awards ceremony. Dario Franchitti was presented with his first Gold Star after winning his second IndyCar Series Driver’s Championship in 2009. While British Touring Car Championship driver Jason Plato was also in attendance to receive the BRDC’s highest national racing accolade, the BRDC Silver Star.

The achievements of Lewis Hamilton MBE and Sebastian Vettel were recognised, with the two drivers being awarded the John Cobb Trophy and Johnny Wakefield Trophy respectively. Neither was able to collect their awards in person, however, Lewis had been able to pre-record an acceptance speech which was played to the attending guests. Fellow F1 driver Mark Webber was in attendance and was suitably honoured with both the Innes Ireland and Bruce McLaren Trophies. The successes of Ross Brawn and Adrian Newey were also recognised, with the duo being presented with the Colin Chapman Trophy (awarded to an individual who has shown great team spirit) and the Sir Jackie Stewart Award (presented to a motor sport engineer who has shown brilliance during the course of the season).

A new award, the Henry Surtees Award, was also introduced this year, recognising the most outstanding performance by a BRDC Rising Star. The inaugural winner of this award was Daniel Ricciardo, following his title-winning season in the British F3 Championship.

For a full list of award winners, click here