THE annual A1 Grand Prix 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 table.
Australia, which has struggled in the first four seasons managed to pick up the quickest pitstop award.
Headed by former 1980 World Drivers Champion Alan Jones, the team is looking forward to the new season.
With several team changes and possible new drivers, the Aussies may just surprise a few teams in 2009/10 particularly with a round of the championship heading to the Gold Coast in October.
A1 Teams Ireland, Switzerland and Portugal were the gold, silver and bronze medal winners for the season, other gongs rewarded the other outstanding performances of the season.
Team Malaysia has scooped the award for Most Improved Team in the 2008/09 season in a closely contested vote.
Despite tough opposition from teams including Lebanon and Australia, Malaysia's was judged to be most deserving of being rewarded for their season of hard work. After a dismal 2007/08 season, finishing 16th, they vaulted the highest number of positions in the standings of any team nominated, ending season four in sixth.
New Zealand's Earl Bamber was a runaway winner to take the plaudits for best overtaking move of the season.
He won it for his manoeuvre on home favourite Jeroen Bleekemolen during the Zandvoort Sprint race in The Netherlands.
In many ways, it was actually the sheer nerve of it as the 18-year-old, driving his first A1GP race, attempted to pass local hero Bleekemolen on a track the Dutch driver had been racing on since he was a kid, in torrential rain.
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.
CHERISHED CHARIOT
If you have had a licence since your teens, you have probably clocked up at least a quarter of a million miles or 400,000 kilometres. Imagine travelling all those miles in the same car. Some people choose to do just that.
While most of us get the itch every few years to drive something newer or more interesting, a few motorists just keep going in the same cherished model.
The average motorist has driven a dozen cars by the age of 50. When most of us learnt to drive, odometers only went up to 99,999 miles, because cars were not expected to make it that far.
So any car that motored past 100,000 miles was viewed as remarkable. But not any more.
Exceptional mileages are now common place with regular service intervals, highly advanced technical workshops and brand name parts. Do it yourself home mechanics should change the oil and filter regularly.
Always use the same good brand of oil and if possible factory-branded parts. Check under the bonnet each week. Even the most mechanically challenged car owners can look for low fluid levels or deterioration of belts and hoses. Wash the car regularly and wax at least twice a year.
Develop a good partnership with your dealer and mechanic for those times when your car makes a strange noise.
Don't hesitate to take action as soon as the problem is noticed, possibly saving more expensive repairs if the problem is not rectified straight away.
With careful maintenance, cars can last a very long time. You have only to watch the annual Veteran Car Rally or car club runs that pass through town.
From the variety of old cars still going strong, it is clearly not the make that matters most, but the way they are looked after.
BATHURST FILLING FAST
Some of the most sought after sporting tickets in the land have gone on sale and an early chance for fans to secure a place on the Mountain for the Bathurst 1000.
The legendary Australian icon race at Mount Panorama from October 8-11 celebrates its 47th year in 2009, marking some of the greatest years, milestones and moments in Australian sporting history.
The Bathurst 1000 is set for another memorable year. If you are planning a pilgrimage to Bathurst, you had better get in quick as several campsite areas are already full and grandstand tickets are almost sold out.
Some 52,000 people will camp on the Mountain itself while extra grandstands, dedicated family areas and the popular motor home park will all return for the four-day speed mega carnival.
It's not just a race. It's an experience. It's an amazing atmosphere and for those that get to experience it live, it's an event they will never forget.
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