ABERGAVENNY'S Damian Cole has won the REIS MSA National Asphalt Championship for the second successive year.

With 20-year-old James Morgan co-driving the Ford Focus WRC05, Cole won the Patriot Stages Rally held at Caerwent last weekend by nearly three minutes to clinch the championship with one round to go.

The win also saw James Morgan crowned as the youngest winner in the championship's history.

Having previously won four rallies at Caerwent, Cole knew he would have to drive tight and avoid all the kerbs and low brick walls at the decommissioned MoD munitions factory near Newport.

Simon Mauger and Brian Cammack always poised the biggest threat, and a fast start for both rival team's cars saw equal times on the wet, slippery first stage. The Get Connected Focus took an eight second lead on stage two, followed by another tie on stage three.

With the weather rapidly improving and the roads drying, stage four saw the championship resolved when unfortunately for Mauger and Cammack, their Mk 2 Escort stopped with throttle problems and retired from the event.

Consequently the Get Connected team were instantly awarded the REIS MSA Asphalt Championship.

The retirement entailed Cole had a massive lead over the rest of the field, so a careful risk-free drive through the last two stages was the order of the day as he and Morgan cruised to glory.