Fan favourite:
Georgian driver Davit Kajaia wins new award at TCR Series

A Georgian motorsport driver is the first-ever recipient of a special fan favourite award after the first race of the 2016 Touring Car Racing (TCR) International Series.

Georgian driver Davit Kajaia won the Fan Award of the competition following the opening round of racing last weekend in Bahrain.

Kajaia finished ninth in race one and fifth in race two in Bahrain on April 2 and 3, which saw him earn much applause from fans for his performance despite his lack of experience in the TCR series.

After the races organisers presented Kajaia with the TCR Fan Award after he gained 84 percent of fan votes. He was the first ever recipient of the award, which was established at the beginning of the season to recognise special performances in the competition's races.

Davit Kajaia (R) races against Slovakia's Mato Homola at the TCR race in Bahrain. Photo from TCR.

Kajaia was pitted against the Spanish winner of the Bahrain round Pepe Oriola for the Fan Award however the Spaniard received 16 percent of votes in the online poll.

Voting took place on April 4 and 5, with the results published today.

The jury, who shortlisted the drivers, said the Spanish racer had been selected "for his impressive driving on the way to a double victory" while Kajaia had been picked "for fighting with no sign of nerves despite his lack of experience".

After receiving the accolade, Kajaia thanked his fans for their support.

I am really happy because I was chosen as a candidate at the very first opportunity and happy to be the first winner of TRC fan awards. I would like to heartily thank all social media users who voted for me, and of course all my wonderful friends and followers in and outside my home country, who back me at each stage of my career. I always feel their support and really want to express how grateful I am,” he said.

Davit Kajaia (R) in action against Mato Homola during the TCR Bahrain race. Photo from TCR.

The Georgian racer is competing in the TCR series for the Liqui Moly Team Engstler team. He is currently sixth in the overall standings with 14 points. Oriola currently leads the championship with 51 points.

Kajaia was honoured on March 26 with a special exhibition at the Modern Arts Museum in Tbilisi, where one of his former racing cars was exhibited along with photo materials and awards.

Kajaia, an employee of the Ministry of the Internal Affairs of Georgia, spoke to Minister Giorgi Mghebrishvili at the occasion, with the latter wishing him success in his 2016 season.

The next race of the TCR series will be held on April 24 in Estoril, Portugal.

The full standings for drivers and teams for the series can be viewed on the official championship website here.