To win a championship you need to be in the best team with the best bike with the best tyres and that's what I've had Neil Hodgson Hodgson's year in photos

The English rider won the title at Assen on Sunday and immediately spelt out his hopes that a turbulent start to his career can finally be laid to rest.

"It means so much to me to win this championship," he said. "I've been racing since 1990, I've had an up-and-down career but now I've proved a few people wrong by winning the title and I truly feel I can move on from here."

Hodgson was tipped as the next great British rider after claiming seventh in his home Grand Prix and earning a dream move to the Ducati factory squad for the 1996 World Superbike Championship.

But he struggled to cope with the expectation and eventually had to return to domestic racing to recover his lost confidence.

Hodgson was also quick to pay tribute to his Ducati team and to his family for their support.

"I'd just like to dedicate the title to Kathryn and our baby girl, as well as my chief engineer and right-hand man Ernesto Marinelli, who couldn't make it here due to a recent accident.

"It was all a total team effort and to win a World Championship you need to be in the best team with the best bike with the best tyres and that's what I've had all this year.

"From day one I've felt that I've been a real part of the Ducati team and welcomed into the family."