DANIEL Barritt is on course to clinch his biggest prize yet in motorsport after he and driver David Higgins won the Group N class in the Jim Clark Memorial Rally in Scotland at the weekend.

The 21-year-old navigator is eyeing the Manx Rally in two weeks time when he and Higgins, who lives in the Isle of Man, could clinch the British Rally Championships Group N crown in their Subaru Impreza .

"It would be the biggest thing I have ever won," said Hapton's Barritt. "But it does depend on how the other drivers do and there are two more rallies to go after this so it is not all or nothing."

Welshman Higgins and Barritt had to pull out of their first rally together earlier this year, the Pirelli International, with a blown engine but won the N4 class in the Rally of Wales and Rally of Scotland and added another victory on the 21 tarmac stages around the Scottish Borders at the weekend.

After finishing in the top three overall in the previous gravel-based rounds, they found competing with the 'big boys' on the fast tarmac not as much to their liking and ended up seventh.

This was more than five minutes behind rally winner Andrew Nesbitt in his group A Subaru Impreza WRC - but they did expect it.

"The Group N cars can't compete with the big cars on tarmac. They are just so much faster especially on the corners where, with the gravel, you have to slow down," said Barritt.

The pair moved up from 13th place in Stage One to race into seventh at Stage Nine which they held for the rest of the race despite the changeable conditions in Scotland - sunny one minute, torrential rain the next.

And Barritt, who only linked up with Higgs a matter of months ago, is certainly enjoying the high life.

He previously competed in regional rallies and was second overall in the Polo Volkswagen Challenge with Dave Bateson last year. But meeting with US Rally championship leader Higgins has transformed his life - including competing in North America and the prospect of collecting the coveted Group N trophy.

"I am learning all the time," he said. "You have to pick things up quickly as you can't afford to make a mistake.

"I hadn't competed on tarmac since last November and it is so fast. There was a high quality of entries at the weekend, with the World Rally cars and competitors from Ireland who have better cars than we have.

"But this isn't an excuse, we were pleased with what we did.

"We had a plan to win our class. We knew where our main competitors in class were and then we had to make sure we didn't make any mistakes. Now we could win it in the Isle of Man."

Meanwhile, Daniel Harper enjoyed getting behind the wheel of a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo6 for the first time with Nelson navigator Chris Campbell. The pair finished 14th overall and fifth in the N4 class, 11 minutes behind the overall leaders.

It was a bit of a jumpy debut for Harper and Campbell, moving from 25th at the end of Stage One up to 11th place at the end of Stage Four before falling back to 26th but then making ground.

"Everything went okay, I had a great weekend," acknowledged Harper, who usually competes in the Astra Series. "It was the first time out in the new car and we were getting used to it.

"The reason for the jump in places was because of the conditions. On Friday it was wet and slippy and we were okay but on Saturday it was dry and then we were just struggling really with the power."

It was only the second event which the two of them have competed in together.

"We had a game plan to finish in the top 15 and we did it quite comfortably at the end."

Harper's next venture is the Tour of Mull in October.