British Touring Car youngster Matt Hamilton was at Silverstone this weekend to receive his 'Champagne Moment' award from HiQ Fastfit for his stunning drive at Brands Hatch in the pouring rain to claim ninth place and his first points in the BTCC.
The award is voted for by fans of the series who name the driver they think has performed best or provided the greatest moment of each round in an online pole. The winning driver is then presented with a bottle of champagne in recognition of their achievement by one lucky fan selected from the voters.
Matt received an amazing 27% of the votes after the round at Brands Hatch earlier this year, proving his performance didn't go unnoticed amongst spectators who saw him battle through the pack in the adverse weather conditions in his ageing Honda Civic run by TH Motorsport, taking on a number of championship front runners and proving his ability.
Matt and Russell Cook
Presenting Matt Hamilton with his prize was lucky fan Russell Cook, who HiQ Fastfit had picked from random from the thousands of voters. Matt also took to the tarmac for a grid walk with Russell as part of his prize.
During the presentation Matt was joined by a number of friends, family and supporters who are keen to see him get back on the grid as soon as possible. Lack of funding has seen the star pull out of the series, however it is hoped he will be back again soon.
It must have been hard for the 20 year old being at Silverstone and not being able to line up on the grid alongside the other drivers, but he seemed to be in good spirits and said, “At least it's not raining. Then I really would be desperate to get out there and show what I can do!”
As he has already shown this season, Matt has great ability behind the wheel and it will be a great shame if a new deal can't be secured soon. I'm sure everyone will join us at The Checkered Flag in wishing Matt and his team the very best in their quest to get him back out on the grid.
