Mat won the first race after qualifying second on the grid. At the start, he out-fumbled rival Tom Ferrier exiting the first bend to move into the lead and, with the race's fastest lap in his pocket stayed there until the end.

In race two, Mat's Whale Tankers/Tin Top Tuesday-backed Leon Cupra lined up on pole position for the eighth time this season. What's more, his pole position time was more than a second faster than his nearest rival. In the race, though, Mat was forced wide off the track by Ferrier as they fought for the lead and had to settle for third. Again, Mat set the race's fastest lap.

To re-cap, Mat this season has:

Won more races than any other driver (8)

Qualified on pole position more times than any other driver (8)

Set more fastest race laps than any other driver (8)

Achieved a race victory by the biggest margin in championship history

"It's a shame all those achievements didn't add up to the title," says 24-year-old Mat, "but we were unfortunate with two mechanical problems earlier in the season and there was one driving error on my part which also cost us. Without those, we would have had more than enough points to make the difference, but I think my record speaks for itself. We're not the biggest team and the series was new to us, but we added some excitement to the championship battle and emerged as genuine title challengers."

Mat adds: "I was quite happy with my weekend at Brands Hatch. In race one I had to control a huge moment coming through Westfield corner. It only lasted about a second and a half but for a moment I honestly thought I wouldn't be starting race two! I was also really pleased with my driving in second qualifying - there'd been a stoppage and when it restarted there was just enough time to do three laps. The track was damp in places, but I just gave it everything and got the pole.

"The £40,000 prize money is a great reward from SEAT UK and will go towards a budget for 2005 when I want to move into touring cars. SEAT is one of the most pro-active manufacturers in motorsport when it comes to supporting new talent and has also given the top four in the championship a test with its British Touring Car team. It's a fantastic chance for a young driver and I'm really looking forward to it."