“You may know that I like to collect trophies. The silver bay laurel leaf is something special you don’t get every year, possibly only once in your life. This is a big honor,” Vettel said after receiving the award. Seehofer praised Vettel’s “rapid career” and added: “You have shown that you have a strong character. Despite all the success, you have remained down to earth.”

Vettel became the youngest F1 champion in 2010 and the youngest to repeat the feat last season. The only other German driver to get the award is record world champion Michael Schumacher. The Red Bull driver Vettel came to Berlin from preseason testing in Barcelona. The 2012 season starts on March 18 in Australia, with Vettel aiming to become only the third driver to win three F1 title trophies in a row, the others being Juan Manuel Fangio and Schumacher. (DPA)

Epps picked up his trophy for finishing runner-up in the Vee Championship, as well as the Top Rookie award, two separate trophies as he was won the Antim Rookie award, the Fred Matthews Memorial Trophy and the Best Prepared Car award. Epps also received £250 worth of Tengtools vouchers.

Epps said: “I’m delighted! I knew I definitely had two awards tonight but the other two I had no idea about. Someone had to help me hold all my trophies!”

The evening was a huge boost for Epps, who is currently trying to get the budget together to compete in the 2012 Formula Renault BARC Championship.

In 13 BCRA races, McQueen finished in the Top 10 every race, with 12 Top five runs, including a feature victory at Marysville Raceway Park on April 16, five Heat race wins, Trophy Dash win and two fast time awards, including a new track record at Silver Dollar Speedway (August 5). McQueen amassed six second-place trophies and nine Top 3 runs. ??In addition to McQueen’s finishes, McQueen Racing also had a pair of Top 5 runs by 2012 McQueen Racing Chili Bowl teammates Michelle Decker and Harli White.

McQueen Racing would like to thank all of our wonderful sponsors: Lucas Oil Products, K&N Filters, Simpson Race Products, JE Piston Company, Rod End Supply, Advanced Racing Suspensions, Eibach Springs, Ruth Engineering, Jet-Hot Performance Coatings, Butler Built Seating Systems, American Fabrication, West Evans Motorsports and Esslinger Racing Engines by Duane McQueen.

Visit www.shannonmcqueen.com for more information on McQueen Racing. McQueen Racing will kick off their 2012 campaign on March 23-24 in USAC-Western States Midget action at Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, CA as part of the Mini Gold Cup featuring the World of Outlaws. McQueen Racing’s 2012 racing schedule will be posted soon.

Bayer started on the pole with Broken Arrow driver Donnie Ray Crawford on his outside. Crawford briefly jumped out front before the yellow flag waved. On the restart Bayer wheeled out front and drove to victory. Crawford, a six-time shootout trophies champion, fell back as the race wore on allowing Chris Andrews, Harlan Hulsey, Zeke Lewis and Koen Shaw to get by. Crawford finished sixth.

Lemley earned his first shootout title in the 1200cc Mini Sprint main and had little trouble leading all 10 laps from his pole starting position. Derek Hollywood chased Lemley the final 10 laps but had to turn back a challenge from third-place finisher Jim Scanior near the halfway point to retain the runner-up position.

Lemley had a little help on the way to victory in the Non-Wing Outlaw main. Lemley was running third when the first, second and fourth-place cars tangled in turn one on lap 13 and ended up in the wall. Somehow Lemley drove through the crash unscathed and inherited the lead on the restart. Lemley led the final laps to victory over Broken Arrow driver Jonathan Beason.

“Straight after Rally Cyprus I went to London for a big media event and there have been things happening all the time ever since,” said Andreas. “When I eventually returned to Norway I was alone at home for a couple of days and watched the rally videos on YouTube. Only after I saw what we had done on-line did winning the IRC drivers’ title really begin to sink in!”

The IRC Awards took place at the stunning Maison des Arts et Métiers, where Andreas and co-driverOla Fløene were presented with their trophies. It had been a fantastic season for the pair who, in their first full season in the IRC and their first with Skoda UK, led the last six rounds of the series, won the final two rallies and set fastest time on an unequaled 38 special stages.

In addition to the receiving the trophies, Andreas attended a number of media engagements during his visit to Paris, including a meeting with Olivier Fisch (Eurosport Managing Director) and Laurent-Eric Le Lay (Eurosport Chairman), and enjoyed a tour of the Eurosport headquarters. He also signed 200 IRC Yearbooks, which were distributed to guests at the gala dinner.

Andreas: “It’s a great honor to be in Paris to collect the IRC drivers’ trophy. It’s an award the entire Skoda UK Motorsport team has been working so hard for this year, and finally we won it on the last rally in Cyprus. It was a great team effort and I’m really proud to have won the drivers’ title in my first year with Skoda . I’m also proud to have helped Skoda retain its IRC manufacturers’ title, as both awards mean so much to the ŠKODA UK staff and retailers.”

Andreas and Ola will now travel to the UK to attend this Sunday’s Autosport Awards at the Grosvenor House Hotel on London’s Park Lane.

Participants, dressed in anything “Christmasy,” have the option of walking the leisurely 1K “Candy Cane” route while enjoying groups Christmas caroling and free candy canes or taking the longer “Polar Expressway” 5K route, which includes a pit stop at the free cookie, coffee and cocoa station. Both routes start and stop at Nibco Ice Rink, 303 Nibco Parkway.

A costume contest will take place after the event at Nibco Ice Rink with trophies for the best adult and child outfit. Trophies will also be awarded to the winner of the 5K run and to the largest “group” registered. Participants bringing nonperishable food donations will be able to ice skate before or after the event for free. (A $3 skate rental fee applies.) This is a “fun” stroll and will not be timed. Families are encouraged to participate together for this event and special pricing of only $20 for a family of five applies.

Individual registration is $10. Registration forms can be downloaded at www.santaspantry.org or participants can register the day of the event starting at 1:30pm. The event starts at 3 p.m. For more information please visit www.santaspantry.org or call Santa’s Pantry at 574-262-4478.

The Belgian rider, who won four GP races and a Macau GP, woke this morning to find his collection of memorabilia missing and not only would he like to appeal for witnesses to the crime but also for people to keep an eye out for items on sites such as eBay.

“This morning the alarm clock has been harder than other days because when I got up, I have found that had come and rob me of my collection helmets, trophies, and combinations of memories of my career,” said de Radigues.

“When you’ve put everything into it for two hours, whether you are rewarded with a big or a small cheque really doesn’t matter, but a nice cup makes a difference,” he told SID news agency. “When I stand up there (on the podium), I know life for me could not get much better.” Next month in India, Vettel will once again be presented with the official drivers’ championship trophy, and it’s the one that the German is not allowed to keep. The only way to keep looking at his name on the most important cup of all, then, is to keep the championships rolling.

“I have to give it back (eventually),” said Vettel, “so it would be great to have it for several years… Michael (Schumacher) had it for five in a row. “My ultimate goal has always been to be Formula One World Champion, and now no matter what happens in the future, it can’t be taken from me.” “I could give up anything, but not the trophies,” said the 24 year old, who in his 80 Formula 1 races has won 21 times and stood on 35 podiums. “When you’ve put everything into it for two hours, whether you are rewarded with a big or a small cheque really doesn’t matter, but a nice cup makes a difference,” he told SID news agency. “When I stand up there (on the podium), I know life for me could not get much better.”

“My dad never really encouraged me,” Nicotera said. “But I have been told that I used to use hot dogs as handle bars and “race” around the house.” Joey’s father, Kevin, used to race motorcycles in his youth but says most of the talent is in his son. “He is a way better racer than I ever was,” Kevin Nicotera said.

Joey races two different size motorcycles in different racing circuits around the west. “I race the 250 Junior class and the 450 Junior class,” Nicotera said. “There is more competition in the 250 class, but the 450 is more fun to ride.”

Joey made some hard decisions this year, being a senior in high school. He wanted to focus on football and the team, but he also wanted to win the Wild West Nationals. The races are located in Utah and Nevada. Even though he would focus on school and football, he would still find time to race.

This year he wanted both and achieved both. He was able to sweep the Wild West Nationals and take the championship and he was one of the Kemmerer seniors that led the Rangers to a first round playoff game.

Racing motorcycles is a family sport. Kevin and Joey’s sister Kelsey, are his coaches and managers. His mother Jami is the cheerleader for everyone. “When we are not at the races, we feel out of place,” said Jamie. Kelsey tried racing but realized her talent is not on a bike, but on the track. She is a certified lap counter and helps the track officials with counting laps at each race.

“Kelsey has been lap counting for many years,” Jamie said. “In fact, she cannot only keep track of the laps, but still finds time to coach her brother.” Kelsey has a keen eye and gives her brother a lot of pointers to improve his riding style. “I’m the bad and the good,” Kelsey said. “I tell him what he is doing good and bad, I encourage and criticize.”

Joey was accepted to the University of Wyoming and plans on studying engineering, but he will still be the weekend warrior with the help of his family. “We will be there to take him to the races,” Kevin said. “If he won’t quit, neither will we.”

The many trophies that line the Nicotera living room are the ones Joey received this year. Each wall in his room, two walls in the garage and a few photo albums are proof that the weekend warrior will never stop because there are still a few walls to fill up.

Special care has been taken to include icons of the country in the four trophies (three for drivers and one for constructor), handcrafted by British silversmith Richard Fox. According to Fox, who has been designing the trophies for motor racing and other sports for the last few decades, the top of the main trophy was gold plated with the Taj Mahal and a temple engraved on it.

“We have tried to combine culture with modern technology of India. The F1 track represents the zenith of technology,” Fox told The Hindu from London on Monday. He said other Indian icons like the tricolour and the lotus had also found a place in the trophies. Fox said the trophies would be of 0.5m in height and five kg in weight.