Robert Kubica celebrated winning the coveted Colin McRae ERC Flat Out Trophy for his dramatic victory on round one of the 2014 FIA European Rally Championship by paying tribute to the rallying legend.

The Colin McRae ERC Flat Out Trophy is presented on all rounds of the ERC to the driver whose performance best embodies the spirit of the 1995 world rally champion.

“For sure it is a great honour to get this trophy for the second time,” said Kubica. “The first time I was in a bit of a different mood after losing victory by a mistake in Canary Islands but it is much better this time. Colin was always a very fast driver and very spectacular. When I was young I was always playing the computer game with his name. He was a great personality and is a really big loss.”Two-time world rally champion Marcus Grönholm, who presented the award to Kubica in Freistadt this evening, said: “All the top drivers did a really good job but Robert was very impressive because he had no experience of the rally, the conditions or the car. I still can’t understand the time he did on the final stage when he won the rally.”