Independent's Trophy

The Independent's Trophy is an award presented annually to the non-affiliated TM Master Cup Series driver that scores the most points in a given season.

The trophy was instituted for the 2010 season as an opportunity for drivers who didn't land one of the full-time rides to show their skills. To be eligible, teams designated as Independent teams can only use one driver per car, and only starts the driver makes with Independent teams count towards the Independent's Trophy.

The most recent winner was Welshman Ben Hurran for Abbey Engineering.

Format
From 2010 through 2013, drivers that competed for the Independent's Trophy contested a maximum of four races, not counting the special events, those being the Karjala Grand Prix, the Round of Indianapolis, and the Round of Decatur, though those three races did not count toward Independent points. Since the Round of Decatur did not award Independent points, the final race to earn points toward the Trophy was the Round of British Columbia.

Starting in the 2014 season, the format was revised so that the special events did count toward Independent points, making the Round of Decatur the final race for the Independent's championship as well as the driver's title.

As a result of the format change, drivers were permitted to "drop" their worst finish (i.e. their lowest finish would not count toward the standings).

Trivia

 * Michael Sykes became the first Independent's Trophy winner in 2010, edging Nils Tolonen by 12 points.
 * Mexican driver Jose Luis Martinez became the first Independent's Trophy contender to score a podium at the 2011 Round of Daytona. (He also became the first Independent driver to win a race.)