Having set his sights on becoming champion in what is regarded as one of the most closely fought rally championships in the UK.

Daniel Barry from Eniskerry did his chances of winning this year’s Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge title no harm at all at the weekend, when he recorded his fourth victory of the season on round five, the Severn Valley National Rally.

Using some of the best stages in the mid-Wales forests, the event is always a favourite with competitors, added to which the dry and dusty conditions made the going even faster and more demanding on this year’s rally.

Starting and finishing at the Royal Welsh Showground in Builth Wells, leg one featured four stages before the first of the day’s two service halts. Right from the word go Daniel and his co-driver Martin Brady from Navan set the pace – but it was close – their main rivals Simon Hughes/Craig Parry were just 1.6 seconds behind. Daniel’s speed through the stage was such that he also set the second fastst time overall.

On stage two the positions in the Evo Challenge were reversed, Daniel admitting that he couldn’t find his rhythm, the symptoms of a cold affecting his concentration. However, he put all that behind him for the next two stages and entered the first service halt having regained the lead – albeit by just three seconds.

The next two stages were a repeat of two and four and Daniel knew that any hint of a mistake would mean Hughes would get past. In fact, such was the competition, the first three cars in the Evolution Challenge were separated by just one-tenth of a second on stage six!

Hughes was now just two seconds behind as the cars lined up to contest the seventh and final stage – a daunting 25-kilometre run through Radnor Forest. However, half-way through Daniel spun, but coolly got the car pointing in the right direction and continued to the end of the stage. Unbeknown to him at the time, Hughes had experienced a similar delay, which meant that third placed Nik Elsmore was also right behind them.

After a few anxious moments at the finish, the time sheets finally revealed that Daniel had claimed his fourth Evo Challenge victory of the season by a margin of ten seconds. His performance also saw him win Group N and finish third overall, which means he still leads the MSA Gravel Rally Championship with three rounds to go.

“The hot and dusty conditions made this a tough event, but I’ve really enjoyed it”, said Daniel. “We’ve had a great battle all day, which went right to the final stage and you just couldn’t afford to make a mistake. This is my fourth win in the Evo Challenge this season and things are now looking very good for the title. I’m also pleased to still lead the MSA Gravel Championship. It’s turning out to be a good year, but you can never speak too soon in this sport.”

The Barry Motorsport team now has a seven-week break before round six of the Evolution Challenge, which sees a return to Welsh forests for the Swansea Bay Rally on 18th July.

Daniel’s 2009 campaign is supported by: Tech-Plus, Irish Shipping and Transport, BPI Telecom and SC Signs.