Fabrizio Giovanardi has today been crowned the new Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Champion at the Thruxton circuit in Hampshire. The Italian, driving for Vauxhall, took two race wins and then, in the final round of 2007, finished second to privateer driver Mat Jackson to move ahead of season-long rival, SEAT’s Jason Plato by a winning margin of just three points.

Italian Giovanardi becomes the 32nd different driver to win Britain’s premier motor racing title since the BTCC was first formed in 1958. Plato, who today celebrated his 40th birthday, finished the first two races in second and the third in fourth, but it was not enough to protect the nine-point lead he had arrived with at Thruxton.

Giovanardi’s Vauxhall team had double reason to celebrate – in its first season with its Vectra model it has also regained the BTCC’s Manufacturers’ crown from arch rival SEAT. But it is the Spanish make’s SEAT Sport UK squad that has won the Teams’ title. Elsewhere, Colin Turkington was crowned the Independent Drivers’ Champion while his Team RAC BMW squad has taken the Independent Teams’ honours.

Italian Giovanardi, who ends the season with an unrivalled ten race wins, said: “This is incredible. It has been an amazing fight all year and Jason has always kept ahead until this, the last race. I have won touring car titles before but this is the toughest. Even on the last lap I knew Jason was close. It’s been like this all year. He has been a great rival and what he has done today with the injuries he suffered in the week was really brave – a really fighting spirit. I’m really pleased we had this battle. The result is also very special for Vauxhall and the Vectra. It’s just the perfect year.”

Plato, who so desperately wanted to add to the crown he won in 2001 and today bravely raced on in pain from the burns he suffered to his hands, neck and face in a TV filming accident earlier in the week, paid tribute to Giovanardi and his own SEAT crew. Plato said: “It’s been a great championship and Fabrizio is a great champion. Somebody has to win and somebody has to lose. Everyone in the SEAT team has tried their hardest in 2007 but it wasn’t to be so we’ll just have to come back in 2008 and give it another go. It would be easy to pick out moments during the season which cost us in the end, but we both knew what we had to do in the final race and it went Fabrizio’s way. But I’m pleased with my performance this year – I’ve finished every race which nobody else has done which shows great reliability in the SEAT. Winning the title, though, just wasn’t to be I’m afraid. The BTCC is a very tough championship to win.”