Giovanardi hails 'special' title

The Italian secured the crown in just his second year of competing in the British series, as he helped Vauxhall develop their new car through the season.

His title battle with SEAT's Jason Plato went to the final race of the year, and Giovanardi says that his team deserved a lot of the credit for his success.

"The feeling when I crossed the line (at Thruxton), it was a great feeling for me," Giovanardi told the BTCC website. "But it was the feeling that everyone in the team had won.

"This was special because of what we had done with a new car and because we had twice come from a long way behind."

Despite winning more races than Plato, Giovanardi had been unable to match the British driver's consistency, which meant that he often had ground to make up in the standings.

The 40-year-old added that he did have some sympathy for Plato, who led for the majority of the season, and then had to compete in the season finale less than a week after sustaining serious burns.

"I felt sorry for Jason because he made winning very difficult for me so the sensation was greater," he said. "But someone has to win and someone has to lose."