Thanks very much gents.
I'm tearful as I type this. But then again, I'm also standing on a brightly lit stage, clutching an imaginary trophy, as I look out across a vast hall filled with sumptuously decorated tables, at which sit immaculately dressed guests who I hired from an extras agency. This bloody event has cost me a fortune!
However, it is all worth it to pay tribute to such a superb series of racing, played out in fantastic spirit by all who took part. Steve pulled together a great combination of car, tracks and regulations, and I'm really, really pleased to find the GBRC as strong and lively as this, after all these years. It's a tremendous credit to everyone who works so hard off track to make the on track entertainment truly top drawer.
Those who have noticed the odometer on my car will realise that I have had little to do in life for the past four weeks, other than to jump in the Porker at every available moment and thrash it around Suzuka, Sardegna, Monza and Spa. So, in terms of points gained for every mile of practice, I'm pretty certain that I've come stone last. But it didn't come as any hardship, I've loved every minute of it.
Thanks in particular to Trevor and Carl, for making me push the practice so hard, and to Roman for showing me that no matter how much practice I do he'd still have given me more realistic expectations if he'd been able to make it to all the meetings.
Finally, an apology to Lunch. I carried out an overtake at the end of the first long straight at Spa. Even from my perspective it bordered on optimistic, but seeing it from his point of view in the replay, it was a fully certified lunge. I'm sorry...
I can't wait to see what is next on the menu.