Manchester driver Steve Simpson claimed victory on Sunday's UTS Cheviot National Rally and in doing so clinched the 2007 MSA Asphalt Rally Championship title.

Co-driven on this occasion by Patrick Walsh on the Whickham & District Motor Club/Hadrian Motor Sports Club-organised event, the Hyundai Accent WRC driver finished a comfortable two minutes and nine seconds ahead of the Metro 6R4 of Mark Jasper and local co driving ace Don Whyatt to win the rally and the championship honours for the first time.

His title rivals, John and Caroline Price, bowed out on the first stage in their Metro 6R4 after they left the road, leaving Simpson with the simple task of making it to the finish in order to be crowned champion. His regular co-driver Mark Booth took the co-drivers' spoils in the series despite missing out on the sixth and final round.

Simpson and Walsh took charge at the top of the leaderboard on stage eight when early leaders Andy Fenwick and Lee Tindall retired after hitting a straw bale at a chicane and damaging their new Skoda Octavia WRC.

Other notable retirements included John Stone and Lee Carter in their 6R4, who failed to finish after damaging their suspension on stage one as only thirteen crews made it to the finish following a high rate of attrition across the challenging asphalt stages.

“It's fantastic to win the rally, it's a great feeling and it's been a cracking day,” Simpson said after the day of action on the closed military roads of the Otterburn ranges in Northumberland. “It's fantastic to take my first asphalt championship title, it's a dream come true.”

Third home were Chris Marshall and Simon Hunter in their Mitsubishi Evo 5, who were two minutes and a half minutes down on Jasper/Whyatt.

Fourth went the way of Tommi Graham and Mike Bailey in their Mitsubishi Evo 9 who were followed by Graham Hollis and Ashley Trimble in their Mk2 Ford Escort, who won class B11.

The Scottish pairing of Jude Wylie and Dave Robson were sixth in their 6R4 whilst Richard Clews and Barry James were seventh and winners of class B10 in their Peugeot 106 with Ryan Borthwick and Robin Laird eighth in their Peugeot 206. Mark Worley and Hamish Campbell finished ninth and won class N4 in their Mitsubishi Evo 9 with Richard Butler and Matt Dubber rounding-up the top ten in their Honda Civic Type R and taking the N3 victory.

Winners of the Keith Knox Rally, the national B event running alongside the Cheviot, were the Tyneside crew Michael Glendinning and Andrew Roughead in their Subaru Impreza. They finished a comfortable two minutes and five seconds ahead of John and Jim Rintoul in their Mitsubishi Evo 6.