Team Netherlands award ceremony notes

Robert Doornbos and A1 Team Netherlands both winners of the annual A1 Award

London, Great Britain - A1GP World Cup of Motorsport fans have chosen their winners from the 2008/09 season. After a series of accolades were put up for grabs on the series' website, A1GP.com, fans from across the globe voted to decide who they thought should be rewarded in four special categories.

The annual A1GP end-of-season awards are a chance to reward the outstanding performances of the season, and not just those who finished at the top of the points' tables.

While we already knew that A1 Teams Ireland, Switzerland and Portugal were the gold, silver and bronze medal winners for the season, these other gongs rewarded the other outstanding performances of the season.

A1 Team Netherlands was able to celebrate two award successes. The squad was voted A1GP.com Readers' Favourite Team while Robert Doornbos was also named Best Rookie or New Driver of the 2008/09 season.

A1 Team Netherlands has always had one of the most passionate and enthusiastic fan bases in A1GP. Despite the atrocious weather, tens of thousands of orange-clad fans turned out to cheer on their local team in Zandvoort and there support has carried through to the very end of the season to make sure their team was acknowledged in the end-of-season awards.

There were high hopes for Robert Doornbos as he came into A1GP with a strong Formula One and Champ Car pedigree and he did not disappoint. Three medals in five starts was a solid beginning to his A1GP career, and the team seemed to effortlessly swap between himself and stalwart Jeroen Bleekemolen. From starting on the front row in his maiden race in Chengdu, to dominating proceedings in the Sprint race in the Algarve, he was always impressive. His only mistake all year was that his failed getaways when the lights went out to launch Chengdu's Feature race, but his raw pace was there for all to see whenever he took to the track.

Jan Lammers, A1 Team Netherlands seat holder, said: "We are honored that the fans rewarded us with their approval. Ultimately, that is all that we are worth; how many people watch us, follow us and read about us, the bigger those numbers are the more value we have to offer to our sponsors. That is why we take this award with great pride and are extremely grateful to our fans. We hope to be able to offer them much more in the future."

Commenting on driver Doornbos' award he added: "It goes beyond saying what a great driver and talent Robert Doornbos is, he definitely contributed to the spirit in our team and drove all of us, including Jeroen Bleekemolen, to the best of our abilities. He truly deserves this award and we are proud that he was able to do it with our team."

A1GP.com Readers' Favourite Team
Winner: A1 Team Netherlands

Best Rookie or New Driver
Winner: Robert Doornbos (NED)
Nominated: Zahir Ali (INA), Marco Andretti (USA), Earl Bamber (NZL), Felipe Guimaraes (BRA), Daniel Morad (LEB), Clivio Piccione (MON), Danny Watts (GBR)

-credit: netherlands