After asking you to vote for your leading drivers from the HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship season, the time has come to start the count-down to the driver you voted the top star of 2008.

Over the next ten days, we will be revealing the top ten in reverse order, with the winner being revealed on Friday 14 November.

More than 7,000 votes were cast on the BTCC poll, with each drivers average score out of ten then being calculated to decide the winner.

BTCC Driver of the Year – Sixth place:

Name: Tom Onslow-Cole
Team: VX Racing
Car: Vauxhall Vectra (S2000)
Wins: 2
Podiums: 7
Fastest laps: 3
Championship points: 170
Championship position: 6th

After a solid debut season with Team RAC, Tom Onslow-Cole secured a plum drive for his second year in the BTCC after Vauxhall expanded to three cars and gave the youngster the chance to line up alongside championship winners Fabrizio Giovanardi and Matt Neal.

While some may have been overawed at lining up alongside the experienced pair, Onslow-Cole was quickly up to speed although his season started with a bang of the wrong kind with a high-speed accident at Brands Hatch.

After the wet weekend at Rockingham, Onslow-Cole threw himself into the mix in the title race with a hat-trick of podium finishes at Donington Park and then a double win at Thruxton at the wheel of his Vectra.

While he was unable to win again during the remainder of the season, there were a further four podiums and he ended the year just 15 points behind double champion Neal in the championship standings.


BTCC Driver of the year – Top ten:

7. Steven Kane Motorbase Performance
8. Adam Jones Team Aircool
9. Gordon Shedden Team Halfords
10. Mike Jordan John Guest Racing

Tomorrow: Who did you vote fifth in the Driver of the Year poll?