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  ELF Renault Clio Cup champion Tom Onslow-Cole (New Malden, Surrey) and provisional Formula Renault UK with Michelin Championship winner Sebastian Hohenthal (Northampton) received their Championship trophies at the British Touring Car Championship awards night at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole hotel on Sunday, 5th November. Both champions were honoured by the drivers, teams and officials of the BTCC and support races as the pair celebrated their achievements in the 2006 season.
Onslow-Cole reached the peak of one-make saloon-car racing in his fourth year of Clio Cup racing. Since becoming the youngest ever Clio Cup racer aged 16 years and 22 days in 2003, he has developed his racing ability and improved his final position in the drivers' standings with each successive season. This year, his second racing for Total Control Racing, saw the 19-year-old win 10 of the 20 races and finish on the podium a further six times to win the title by a margin of 113 points.
Onslow-Cole won five races in the first half of the season and although he suffered two consecutive non-finishes, he recovered to win three of the last four races as the challenge of nearest rival Paul Rivett (Banstead, Surrey) faded. In addition to his wins, Onslow-Cole also secured 10 pole positions and 11 fastest laps.
After receiving his trophy from Dennis Carter, Chief Executive of the British Automobile Racing Club, Onslow-Cole paid tribute to his team, saying: "The trophy isn't just for me, it's something that the entire team has worked for throughout the season. I built up a big advantage over Paul in the first half of the season and that really set me up for the rest of the year. I knew that if I kept finishing consistently well up in the points the title would be on the cards, but I still went out to win every race.
"The support I have received from my team and my family has been fantastic and hopefully this trophy repays their faith in me. Now I want to progress my career to the next level, possibly in the British Touring Car Championship, and continue to enjoy my racing and add more trophies."
Hohenthal's Formula Renault UK victory was the highlight of the evening for his Fortec Motorsport team, which also collected the Formula Renault UK Entrants' title and the B4 Group Graduate Cup title thanks to Fabio Onidi (Northampton). Hohenthal had already received a hero's welcome in his native Sweden but relished the chance to celebrate with his team around him.
His victory is the closest in Formula Renault UK history as he finished tied on points with AKA Lemac's Patrick Hogan (Killiney, Co Dublin) but won due to having a greater number of race wins, seven to Hogan's six. An appeal regarding round 20 at Silverstone is yet to be heard by the Motor Sport Council, however, meaning the drivers' standings remain provisional.
Commenting after receiving his trophy from Dennis Carter, Hohenthal said: "This season has been really enjoyable and it has been great racing against Paddy. It was difficult at the start of the season and I was quite a long way behind but then I started to catch up at every meeting before finally taking the lead at Brands Hatch. It was very close in the end at Silverstone but I'm very happy to have come out on top.
"Fortec Motorsport has been a great team to drive for and I was very happy with the whole team all season. Congratulations to my team-mate Fabio on winning the Graduate Cup and thanks to my other team-mates James Sutton and Sam Bird. This is a great feeling and I am very happy to receive the trophy."
Hohenthal is due to test a 425bhp Formula Renault 3.5 car, which is used in the World Series by Renault, at Circuit Paul Ricard on Wednesday, 8th November as part of his Champion's prize. Due to the close finish in the Championship, Hogan has also been invited to take part in the test.
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