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GP3 champion Evans receives Pirelli prize fund

Mitch Evans secured the GP3 title by two points on Sunday at Monza © Sutton Images

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Mitch Evans has received a €200,000 prize fund from Pirelli after winning the 2012 GP3 championship.

Pirelli announced at the start of the season that it would reward the GP3 champion with the money to help fund a drive in GP2 the following season. Evans - who is a protégé of Mark Webber - secured the championship in the final race of the final round at Monza, and said it would help him attempt to get enough of a budget to step up a category next season.

"It's a very nice prize from Pirelli, which I'm very grateful for," Evans said. "It makes the transition to GP2 even more attractive, which I think is the ultimate step for me. This year has been an emotional rollercoaster and my phone has been going crazy since the last race, so we'll be working hard in the off-season to put a GP2 budget together. Right now, I just want to soak it all up and enjoy the next few months before testing starts again!"

Pirelli's racing manager Mario Isola said Evans was a worthy winner of the award and would hopefully see Pirelli support champions en-route to Formula One.

"Evans consistently showed that he had everything it took to succeed by leading the championship for most of the year and qualifying strongly, and that is why we are absolutely delighted to offer him this important 200,000 Euro prize towards next year's GP2 season," Isola said. "This award helps to extend our ladder of talent, which is designed to take the most skilled young drivers all the way to Formula One using our tyres."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.