I really can't begin to explain the full range of emotions I felt heading to Donington for the final round of the 2006 Dunlop Mini Miglia National Championship. The season was finishing on a high with good grid sizes maintained right through the year, one of the best tracks in the country and a Great & British meeting with plenty of Mini interest.

But of course, the biggest deal was deciding the championship after 12 races spanning 6 months of concerted effort. The maths was pretty simple to work out; James Hall my only remaining title rival had to win and if he didn't I would be champion. If he did win the race I had to be second to win the Championship. Looking at form I was very likely to finish in the top two - so pretty straight forward...

How do you prepare for such a weekend? Looking back I knew how not to. In 1993 I went to the last round needing only a top five finish to win the championship. I made the mistake of driving for 5th and got shunted out on the first lap! My '97 title was tied up with 3 rounds to spare, so there were no clues there. In the end I did exactly the same as usual, a thorough spanner check of the car and Andy joined me one evening for a full suspension set up - it turned out to be near perfect anyway, but at least we knew!

I was given very clear instructions from Nick Swift 'bring the engine and gearbox down and leave that entirely to me'. I was only too pleased to oblige, and I'll say it right now, I owe a great deal to Nick. His engine and gearbox have been superb. No, perfect!

We pitched up late on the Friday night, it was cold and wet and the forecast was for a changeable weekend. It was all adding to the tension! Early Saturday morning there was a 15 minute test, and I sneaked out of the camper without breakfast. Emma, Max and Zoe continued sleeping - they must have been feeling confident.

The car was great in the wet, sliding progressively and giving me plenty of feeling. I reminded my self of the sweeping curves of Donington, and tried to dismiss the undeniable fact that this track had been unlucky for me since 1998. Indeed in four Miglia races since then I hadn't finished once and had crashed three times! I could only conclude that a change of fortune was well overdue.

The weather dried up through the morning and we qualified on a dry track. The engine was flying, the handling was mint - I'd indulged in a new pair of slick for the front which were not in the (already exhausted) budget, and when Andy held out the board with a time 8 tenths under the lap record I started to cruise! No one likes a smart arse and I suddenly found myself bumped down to 3rd on the last couple of laps. No room for complacency then and a second row grid slot would mean that I'd probably be unable to fully exploit the stunning startline efficiency of the Swiftune engine.

Come Sunday morning the threatened rain had yet to arrive. We were scheduled for an 1130 race and I lined up feeling pretty relaxed. My start was good, indeed good enough to have lead but there was no way through. I went for the conservative option, tight on the leader's bumper to secure 2nd place as we exited Redgate. There was that 'demob happy' feeling on the first lap as a few contenders gave it the big one before the season finished, or the leaders got out of sight! But by the end of lap one I was secure in 2nd place, Hall lead, and Kelly Rogers was keeping me honest. I wanted to win this race, and I reckoned that would be the safest way of securing the principle objective.

On lap five I got a good run out of Coppice, and towed past on the outside sufficiently early to be able to pull across and take control at the chicane. Things were pretty tight for a lap, before Rogers captured second, and as a battle developed behind me I was able to escape. The remaining laps passed in a flash. Exiting the chicane for the last time, seeing the chequered flag waiting was a fantastic sight. The tension of a couple of months evaporated right there and then, allowing me to scream my head off properly! It's all captured on video!!!

It has been an amazing season of ups and downs. A tapestry and drama that I will recall for years to come. I'm still riding the crest of that wave. It feels better and better every day. It is the hardest I've battled to win a championship, and with two Mini Se7en titles and now two Miglia titles, I'm the first person to win both more than once. So while I bask in the glory I would like to thanks those who made it possible for me.

First, Emma, Max and Zoe who run their lives around the racing and support me throughout - it's just fantastic to have done it together. Andy Packham does a great job on the pit wall for me, and Peter Vickers is an ever present inspiration who I can turn to at any time. Sanwa Trading have been supporting us for 13 years - and this season they provided the engine. Furthermore Nori came all the way from Japan to support us personally at Donington. Mini Spares Centre has been my entrant for five years now, and we use loads of their stuff on the car - I'm personally grateful to Keith and Justin for their support. Al and Paul Daly of Skevington Builders Merchants are racers themselves (Fiesta Challenge) and they provide a welcome chunk of the budget, plus plenty of advice and enough mickey taking to keep the feet of a whole army fully on the ground! Tim Brise is another long term sponsor and supporter and we run a Brise starter motor, alternator and bespoke alloy radiator on the car. Nick Paddy has looked after us since he stopped racing himself, my only worry is what happens when he starts again - I feel it might not be long! Paul Vickers has provided us with photographs to remember the season by, and study comparative handling characteristics! The revelation of the year has been Swiftune. I've know Nick, and indeed his father Glyn, for years but never been a customer until this season. The engine and gearbox have been awesome, giving me an advantage over the whole field. If I could only learn to set it up and drive it a bit better... I'd also like to thank every member of the Mini Se7en Racing Club, and all our friends who support us throughout the year - Ian, Genny, Ross, Bethany, Ron, Sam, Matthew, Tony, Chris, Hillary and Franca.

It's been a brilliant year, best summarised in my memory by Emma and Max running up the Donington pitlane to greet me. Don't need a camera to remember that for the rest of my life.