“I can't take anything away from Fabrizio and Vauxhall,” he said. “They have been the model of consistency and have had had the reliability. Since the middle of the season when we got to grip with our diesels, we have been quick but unreliable. That is through no-ones fault, it is just how it is sometimes. They have deserved to win.

“There are many fantastic memories I will take until the day I die from my SEAT years. My relationship with SEAT is a wonderful one and we are great friends who understand each other and work well together. I had the chance to mould the team and use the knowledge I gained from working with teams like Williams and Triple Eight.

“I remember the conversation I had with Mark McKenna, who was the head of marketing at SEAT at the time, two weeks prior to our first race when he said what are the goals for the season and I told him we'd win. He was dumbfounded but we went out and won at Thruxton. That was a special moment, not just for me, but for everyone as we realised we could do well. I've had a lot of wins with them since then and 70 per cent of their time in the BTCC they have been on the podium, which is amazing.”


BTCC Driver of the year – Top ten:

4. Colin Turkington Team RAC
5. Andrew Jordan John Guest Racing
6. Tom Onslow-Cole VX Racing
7. Steven Kane Motorbase Performance
8. Adam Jones Team Aircool
9. Gordon Shedden Team Halfords
10. Mike Jordan John Guest Racing

Tomorrow: We enter the top two in the Driver of the Year poll?