SWINDON Robins captain Jason Doyle was named Rider of the Year.

Averaging 10.03, he won 77 of the 126 races he contested in Robins colours, finishing out of the points only five times.

The Australian led the Robins from the front in the 2016 Elite League campaign, but the side just missed out on the playoffs.

He was voted by the Robins supporters, and thanked his fans for their support.

“Thank you Swindon supporters for voting me rider of the year! 2017 will be better ,” he said on his Twitter account.

Doyle was also victorious in the ‘best foreign rider’ category at the Polish Ek - straliga awards night in Warsaw to cap a fantastic season on a personal note.

However, he’s currently recovering from a bad accident that saw him incur dam - age to his elbow, shoulder, while puncturing a lung.

As a result, he was unable to collect the awards in person, but is staying positive about his recovery.

Unfortunately, the accident meant he’s now been robbed of the chance of winning a first world title at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.

Having won the previous three events in Sweden, Germany and Poland to lie second in the standings, Doyle had the chance to capture the title with a good performance on the weekend, but he revealed he’s had to pull out.

“I would like to let everyone know first- hand from me that sadly I have had to withdraw from the Melbourne SGP.

“I punctured my left lung and badly traumatised my right lung.

“My right elbow is shattered and I have also dislocated my left shoulder.

“I am unable to fly due to the situation with my lungs and have to wait for surgery on my elbow once my lungs have healed.

“And finally, thank you to all the people who voted for me to be awarded the best foreign rider in the Polish league!

“One bad meeting wont tarnish a great 2016 season for me!

“Cheers guys, I have some great support.”

Doyle skippered a young Robins septet with aplomb throughout the summer campaign, although Swindon came up just short in their bid to reach the Elite League play-offs.

The 31-year-old is currently still in Torun, Poland, recovering from the lung, shoulder and elbow injuries he sustained in a crash during the penultimate Grand Prix of the season in the country earlier this month.

He has high hopes of a full recovery, but to miss out on the chance of a title has been hard to take.

His contributions have not gone unnoticed by the supporters, but fortune just hasn’t gone his way at the end of the season.