MOTORSPORT: Rally driver Matt Barker had a successful weekend in his West Midlands Motorsport Peugeot 205 GTI, winning the national championships' novice class.

Barker took the lead from the first stage at Binbrook airfield, near Louth, and extended it to finish an impressive first novice.

He was second Peugeot 205 overall, missing the win by two seconds.

Bewdley's Ben Colley also had a good weekend, staying with the front runners of the expert class at just 19-year-olds to end up third.

Team-mate David Crossen had a bad start with a small engine problem distracting him.

Crossen left the road on a high-speed corner and put the car onto a one-foot concrete bolder.

It took him and co-driver David Pitchford five minutes to recover though they did finish the event.

The drivers now look forward to the championship's next round with the rally cross at Gainsbrough.