DANIEL Barritt certainly had a novel way of belatedly celebrating his 23rd birthday - by winning the North America Rally Championships!

The Hapton co-driver, who turned 23 on August 23, spent last weekend in Seattle navigating Welsh driver David Higgins around the rocky 13-stage rally.

And despite retiring on Stage 11 - something he and Higgins hadn't done in the five championship rallies so far - they got the good news that they had clinched the coveted title.

"We were on Stage 11 and the engine just stopped," said Daniel of the AV Sport Subaru Impreza.

"We were two minutes ahead of everyone when it cut out and we both looked at each other and then there was silence.

"Then the swearing started!

"But it was a tough rally, there were a lot of retirements. It is fast and rocky through forests. It was a bit like the rallies in Britain apart from the fact they were 5000 miles away!

"But when we got back we learnt our nearest rival, British driver Mark Lovell, hadn't finished far enough up to catch us so it made it a championship winning weekend for us."

The duo would have had another chance to clinch the title in the final rally of the championships at Lake Superior in Michigan at the beginning of October but now they can take it easier with the crown safely in the bag.

"I think we might try out a new car but there is no pressure on," said the youngster.

It has been an amazing six months for Daniel, since he linked up with David Higgins in March.

The pair hit it off straight away and celebrated winning the Group N class in the British Championship in the Isle of Man in early August.

But this is the jewel in the crown as rally driving begins to take off in America.

The North America Rally championships have been running for more than 25 years but it is only recently that they have started to make a big impact in the area.

"It is in the last 12 months really that it has taken off," said Barritt. "It is a fairly new sport here but it now gets an hour's coverage on television.

"It is now the most popular motorsport behind NASCAR (which gets crowds of 130,000).

"It is quite big and getting bigger all the time. David got interviewed in Seattle - I have done it before but stayed in the background this time."

The pair won the RIM of the World Rally, their first North American adventure, and then won the STPR Rally - the second one in the championships.

They finished third in the Maine Forest Rally and second in number four, the Ojibwe Rally.

This fifth rally might have been a disappointment with the engine trouble but Barritt could not hide his delight at what has happened to him this year.

"It has been an absolutely brilliant six months. To do this and win the Group N Class in the British Rally championships is great.

"It was David's first season in the North American Rally as well so it has been good for both of us."

The aim now is to defend the title with next year's Rally starting in January. The championship is likely to comprise of 90 per cent of the same rallies but Daniel is prepared for a new challenge in the first one.

"It is a snow and ice rally," said Daniel. "David has done these before but I have never navigated through snow and ice.

"It is called the Snowdrift Rally and is in Tennessee. I suppose it depends how much snow falls as to how deep it is but it is the ice which will be the problem.

"It will be the tyres which will make the difference, they need to be really narrow especially as we will go up to speeds of 130 miles per hour. I don't know if I am looking forward to this," he laughed.

The duo are also hoping to contest the Network Q Rally. Daniel has been in it before with Steve Bateson. "We didn't finish so I hope to do better than that!"