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National Racing Driver: Matt Neal

Matt Neal has won the National Racing Driver of the Year award at the Autosport Awards

Autosport Awards

The Autosport Awards are a series of awards presented by motor racing magazine Autosport to drivers that have achieved significant milestones each season. Some of the presentations are selected by the general public via a reader's poll.

Neal was awarded the Paul Warwick Trophy for finally winning the British Touring Car Championship after 15 years of trying.

Five of his six wins came in the first half of the year, but consistency was the key and he finished all 30 races to at last become 'the people's champion' and take home the BTCC title in his self-developed Honda Integra RDC5.

"For the people who know me and know my career and it has been a long while coming and has been a rollercoaster," he said.

"It has not always been good and had some soul- searching years. To finally win the championship after all that makes it special.

"I'm was a very superstitious racing driver and I always wished for sporting success and avoided black cats, but this time last year I felt I had got to a time in my life when I should actually gave up on that.

"I decided to wish for other things than motor racing success. Maybe that tells me something. "

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