Top ten BSB riders: Simon Andrews.

We at Crash.net recently invited you to cast your vote for your favourite riders in this year's Bennetts British Superbikes season by rating their efforts out of ten.

Now, having crunched the numbers and tapped the calculators, we will begin to start counting down the riders you believe were most deserving of plaudits in 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.

Almost 12,000 votes were cast on the BSB poll, with each riders average score out of ten then being calculated to decide the winner. First up, Simon Andrews...

BSB Rider of the Year - Tenth place:

Name: Simon AndrewsTeam: Lloyds Jentin YamahaBike: Yamaha YZF-R1Wins:0Podiums: 0Fastest laps: 0Championship points: 176Championship position: 8th

If awards were given out for true grit and determination, Simon Andrews would arguably have his name on at least one winner's trophy by now.

The 25-year-old provided a star turn in 2008, with his results on the sole Lloyds Jentin Yamaha improving as the season wore on, despite the fact he spent much of the year suffering from the effects of a painful knee injury.

Indeed, a glance at Andrews score sheet for 2008 reveals some interesting points; he failed to reach the chequered flag on just two occasions, but in every other race - 20 in all - he was a top ten finisher.

While those top ten results never went any higher than fifth place, achieved twice over the season, it is a sign of his steady improvement that his results actually improved after suffering his injury in the testing accident. Indeed, his fighting ride to sixth at Knockhill soon afterwards was a particular highlight.

His best weekend of the season came on the second visit to Oulton Park with a fifth and sixth place finish, although he was equally impressive at Knockhill, Cadwell Park and Silverstone too.

Eighth in the final standings was his reward, as was the accolade of beating Rob Mac Racing's Karl Harris to the role of best Yamaha rider.

Despite his performance, Andrews is yet to be confirmed to any team in 2009, even if he claims talks are ongoing with Jentin, Hydrex Bike Animal and Relentless Suzuki.

Tomorrow: Who did you vote ninth in the BSB Rider of the Year poll?