WITH KUMHO-SHOD FOCUS

The Kumho-shod Focus WRC pairing of Damian Cole and Craig Drew are the 2010 REIS MSA Asphalt Rally champions. Even with two rounds of the series remaining, a maximum points scoring on the Eventsigns Mewla Rally of last weekend (August 29) - their fifth maximum of the season – has put the crew beyond the reach of their rivals.

Following an incorrect tyre choice on the first couple of stages, Cole and Drew found themselves trailing the Subaru Impreza S14 of Lloyd and Handley by just over 30 seconds at the event’s halfway point. Then, showing the spirit and determination that has made him the driver to beat this year, Cole began eating into Lloyd’s lead. However, the fightback so nearly came to nought when a dashboard light caused a momentary lapse in Cole’s concentration, allowing the car to leave the road while flat out in sixth gear! Amazingly, the damage that could so easily have been catastrophic was confined to a chunk out of one of the rear wheels. The related Kumho tyre remained inflated, but a further minute had been lost, leaving the team in third position at the start of the final stage.

Luck really was on their side, as a problem with the Lloyd/Handley Subaru then caused it to slide into a ditch from where there was no escape. So, despite a day of dramas, Cole and Drew still finished second overall in the rally, clinched the MSA Asphalt Championship and were awarded the coveted ‘Kings of Epynt’ title – a good day’s work by any standard.

Said Kumho’s European Motorsport Manager, Steve Thompson, “We are delighted for Damian and Craig, for whom anything less than a championship win was never going to suffice. They have played their hand to perfection. With the system counting the best five results from nine events, they achieved an unbeatable maximum points, something no other team can manage, even with two rounds left to run. Their victory gives Kumho its first motorsport champions of the year and we look forward to many more over the coming weeks.”