Crash.net recently asked for your MotoGP star of 2008, from a shortlist of ten riders provided, and - with voting having now closed - the time has come to reveal the results.

During the next ten weekdays, we will be revealing the voting results in reverse order, with the winner being revealed on Wednesday December 3.

More than 54,000 votes were cast for the MotoGP poll. The average score given for each rider was used to produce the final ranking.


MotoGP Star of the Year – seventh place:

Name: James Toseland
Team: Tech 3 Yamaha
Bike: Yamaha YZR-M1
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Pole Positions: 0
Fastest laps: 0
Championship points: 105
Championship position: 11th

Of the four 2008 MotoGP rookies, James Toseland was the only one not to have raced in 125 or 250GP, but the reigning double World Superbike champion made an instant impact by qualifying a (valve-spring) Tech 3 Yamaha second on the grid for his MotoGP debut at Qatar.

Toseland finished the race in sixth, a position he repeated five further times in 2008, with his highlight of the year a thrilling ride at the Australian Grand Prix, when he became one of the few riders to fight back and re-pass Valentino Rossi this season.

The low point of Toseland's season was surely a turn one accident at his home British GP, an event that marked the start of a difficult run of races, but overall you felt the #52 did a better job than team-mate Colin Edwards, double 2008 podium finisher Toni Elias and fellow rookie Alex de Angelis - all of whom were ranked lower than Toseland on the shortlist.

Toseland's 105 points from 18 races means an average of 5.8 points per race. That compares as follows with fellow World Superbike champions Troy Bayliss, Colin Edwards and Neil Hodgson during their first MotoGP season (when there were only 16 races): Bayliss 8 points per race average (2003), Edwards 3.9 points per race average (2003) and Hodgson 2.4 points per race average (2004). Nicky Hayden, who arrived in MotoGP as the AMA Superbike champion, scored 8.1 points per race average in 2003.

7th - James Toseland
8th - Colin Edwards
9th - Toni Elias
10th - Alex de Angelis

Tomorrow: We reach number six in the MotoGP Star of the Year poll.