''I'm very proud to accept this trophy'' Dan Wheldon source: irl.racing-live.com Dan Wheldon has built a trophy case "that cost me an arm and a leg" to display his baby Borg Warner Trophy and his Indianapolis 500 championship ring in a place of honor in his St. Petersburg, Florida home. After last weekend, though, he may have to add on. Wheldon, the 2005 IRL IndyCar® Series Champion accepted the British Competition Driver of the Year award during the annual Autosport Awards banquet at the Grosvenor House hotel in London on December 4. Hours earlier in Indianapolis, he was named winner of the Jerry Titus Memorial Award as driver of the year as selected by the American Auto Writers and Broadcasters Association. The recognition capped a busy weekend for Wheldon. He competed in his first Race of Champions - Nations Cup at Stade de France in Paris on December 3, falling in the first round of the individual event, and picked up a Gold Star, the Richard Seaman trophy for success abroad and the Earl Howe award at the British Racing Drivers Club banquet. "It was just a dream season and I'm very proud to accept this trophy that has such a storied history of winners," said Wheldon, who was presented the Autosport Award by 1992 Formula One Drivers Champion Nigel Mansell. "To win both the Indianapolis 500 and the series championship is just unbelievable. It's still overwhelming to me really. "Winning the Indianapolis 500 certainly raised my profile, and to be able to follow in the footsteps of some great English drivers there is something special. It was a privilege to win. I never liked milk until the month of May, but I think I drink it every morning now."
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