Frank Williams was last night awarded the Helen Rollason Award for Achievement in the Face of Adversity at the BBC's annual Sports Personality of the Year Awards.

Williams, now 68, has been confined to a wheelchair since breaking his neck in a road accident in 1986. Under his stewardship, and despite his injuries, he has led the team to 16 World Championships and 113 Grand Prix victories. The Grove outfit rank as the third most successful Formula One team in the history of the sport, just behind Ferrari and McLaren.

Williams adds the Helen Rollason Award to a series of significant accolades. In 1987, he received a CBE in the Queen's New Year's Honours list, followed in 1999 by a knighthood for his services to motorsport, the first figure in Formula One to receive such an honour. He is also a rare foreign recipient of France's Legion d'honneur.

On collecting his award at Birmingham's NEC Arena, Williams said: "It was an unforgettable evening. Mine has been a great journey, one I'd love to do again if I was younger. I wouldn't try and do anything differently, except perhaps try and avoid the accidents. I wouldn't have received this award without the assistance and energy of everyone at Williams, especially Patrick, and, of course, my wife and family, so my thanks go to them."