Daniel Barry recorded his first ever Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge victory this weekend, when he and co-driver Mark Bowens won the eighth and final round of the one-make series for Group N Lancer Evolutions on Saturday's Bulldog Rally.

With the fiercely contested Mitsubishi Championship already wrapped-up by winner of six rounds Phillip Morrow and the only other winner this year Neil McCance still rebuilding his car following an accident on round six, the 2007 series was destined to see a new name on top this weekend.

The event itself started and finished in Oswestry, with its 70 competitive miles split between six timed special stages in north-Wales forests, the names of which conjure-up memories of classic RAC Rallies: Dyfnant, Dyfi, Pantperthog and Gartheiniog.

Although having already secured the runner-up spot, Sebastian Ling stood by his commitment to the series and, without the pressure of the title chase on his shoulders, entered the season's finale with the intention of notching up at least one victory this year.

However, his recent run of bad luck continued when his car's turbo actuator failed halfway through the first stage. Although limping out of the forest and getting his car back the service area, the unfortunate Welshman was out of contention, but opted to carry on to make the most of the excellent forestry roads that were a feature of this rally - and proceeded to set the fastest Mitsubishi times on all four remaining stages.

Fastest Evo Challenger through the first stage was Nik Elsmore, who had two targets in this weekend: To ensure that Stephen Petch was not going to snatch third place in the series standings and, to get his co-driver Patrick Walsh back to the finish to claim the co-driver's championship.

However, Elsmore's lead was short-lived. He was first slowed on the second stage when he caught the car ahead of him and then was waved down by competitors at the scene of an accident, only to find the road was clear when he got there! The subsequent loss of time meant that, at the first service halt of the day in Dolgellau, Barry had passed Elsmore and was now leading by 23 seconds.

In third place and thoroughly enjoying himself on the smooth but deceptively slippery stages, was the current Icelandic Rally champion Daniel Sigurdarson, who had made another trip to the UK to compete in what has become his favourite championship.

Another driver looking to post a strong result in his last event of the season was Tom Naughton. Holding fourth place, all was going well until a short distance into the second stage, when the car slid wide, plunged off the road and rolled some 60-feet down a slope. Thankfully both he and co-driver Terry Wilson were unhurt and Naughton pledged he will return with a re-shelled car in 2008.