Romford's Matt Luff secured the Milltek Honda Civic Cup Championship title in a dramatic season finale at Norfolk's Snetterton circuit on Sunday. 

The 21-year-old roared to victory in the first race of the day, which saw him take over at the top of the standings, then battled his way to the chequered flag in the second race to win the title by three points.

And he admitted it was a 'dream come true' to be crowned champion in such a thrilling climax, having finished runner-up in 2021.

"The whole weekend was a roller coaster of emotions," said Luff.

"From dominating the first race, to being taken out in the final few minutes of the Championship decider, and then coming back to dramatically claim the title with half a car, was a dream come true."

Having pole position snatched from him seconds before the qualifying session was red flagged, with five minutes remaining on the clock, Luff had to settle for a second-place start in race one. 

But in torrential rain, Luff quickly took the lead to finish almost eight seconds ahead of the second-placed driver, gaining enough points to take the overall championship lead.

Luff went in to battle in race two in fading light with three other drivers all still in with a chance of gaining the title with just 14 points separating them. 

And he started in 10th place on the reverse grid, due to his success in race one, but in dramatic scenes which BTCC commentator Paul O'Neill said he had never seen, he soon worked his way up the order to third.

At that point he just needed to stay out of trouble to seize championship victory by seven points, but the second-placed driver started to slow down in a deliberate tactic to back up the pack and Luff was hit by another driver and sent off the circuit and into the barrier, spinning several times. 

Unbelievably, Luff carried on his battle and made up three places to finish fourth in a badly damaged car and just one point ahead of his rivals to take the championship title. 

But a driver penalty handed out after the race meant Luff was promoted to a third-place finish in the race, giving him championship victory by three points.

"I will be taking a few weeks to let the dust settle before turning my attention to 2023," added Luff, who is currently studying for a Masters in Entrepreneurship & Innovation after getting a 2:1 in his BSc (Hons) at the Royal Holloway University of London.

"I'd just like to say a massive thank you to all my family and friends, and especially my sponsors for all their support. Also a big shout out to Area Motorsport for giving me an unbelievable car and my two fanstastic mechanics who correct my mistakes."

Gerry Byrne, of the Romford McDonald's Group, is a long-time sponsor of Luff, since he won the junior competitor of the year prize at the Havering Sports Council Awards.

And Luff has spent time working with BMW at Brands Hatch this week, instructing individuals and corporate clients as an instructor/driver coach for Jonathan Palmer's Motor Sport Vision. 

To watch the dramatic action from Snetterton visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wCkSVjQJ1w&ab_channel=CivicCup.