After a season full of ups and downs, emotional highs and lows and the disappointment of not becoming the 2006 Champ Car Atlantic Champion, nothing could have been sweeter than for Andreas Wirth to be presented with the coveted Gilles Villeneuve Award at the season-ending banquet this past weekend. source: Gail Shankland The prestigious Gilles Villeneuve award, named after the legendary Canadian Formula One star and 1976 Toyota Atlantic Champion, is traditionally bestowed upon "the driver in the series who possesses extraordinary ability, 'star' quality and who has distinguished himself through sportsmanship, dedication and perseverance in the face of disappointment." The recipient of this coveted award is determined by a special voting committee of series officials and team owners. Dedication and perseverance are two words that aptly describe Andreas Wirth. With his rookie season in the Toyota Atlantics being cut short by an unfortunate accident, this strong contender came back to the Atlantic Series in 2006 with something to prove. Looking to build on an extremely strong and consistent 2005, Wirth shone at the beginning of the 2006 season leading the Long Beach season-opener from wire to wire. Wirth's third career win in Houston Texas represented the first time in fourteen years that a driver captured back-to-back wins in the opening two rounds of Atlantic competition. In all, Wirth enjoyed six trips to the podium (two first place finishes and four third place finishes), and a total of eight top ten finishes in the twelve events on the 2006 calendar. Wirth is proud to have been a part of one of the closest championship battles in Atlantic series history, competing along side some of the world's top rising stars of open-wheel racing. Of this, Wirth had this to say; "It was a really great season overall, and I'm proud to have been a part of it. Obviously, my goal was to become the 2006 Champ Car Atlantic Champion, so I can't say that I'm completely satisfied to finish third overall. However, I am proud that I gave the top-two a real run for the money. I was a contender right up until Montreal, and in the end, I was just 15 points behind second place and 31 behind the Champion." The 2006 Gilles Villeneuve Award recipient also had this to say; "I was so surprised when they called my name for the Gilles Villeneuve Trophy! It's just awesome to receive such a prestigious award, and I can't thank everyone enough for this privilege. It kind of helps take away some of the disappointment I feel about not taking the championship this year. It's a really nice way to close out the season."
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