Watkins said: “I’m absolutely delighted with this award. I’m extremely proud of the FIA Institute and the people who have put in so much work to get us here today such as Hubert Gramling, Andy Mellor and Peter Wright as well as all of the other experts that have helped along the way. To be given this award within two year years of launching is a great achievement.”

The Society of Automotive Engineers is a professional organisation for mobility engineering professionals in aerospace, automotive, motor sport and the commercial vehicle industries. It has more than 90,000 members, including engineers, business executives, educators, and students from over 97 countries, who share information and exchange ideas.

The Conference Award recognises ‘significant contributions to the racing community through research and engineering by an organisation’. It represents the second international accolade that has been won by the FIA Institute in the last month.

The first award was for the FIA Institute’s high-speed safety barrier, which won Professional Safety Innovation of the Year at the Professional MotorSport World Expo Awards 2006. It was presented to the FIA Institute’s head of research Hubert Gramling at the event’s Gala Dinner on 8 November, 2006 in in Cologne, Germany.