Morrow survives a sting in the Manx tale

The Rally Isle of Man was another character building event for young Ulsterman Phillip Morrow from Lisburn and his co-driver Daniel Barritt from Burnley, when they finished the arduous three-day event third in the Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge and 16th overall.

The rally comprised 24 stages and a total of 180 competitive miles over closed public roads on the island. It featured rounds of the Tesco 99 Octane MSA British Rally Championship, the Pirelli Irish Tarmac Championship and the Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge - and Phillip is registered for each.


Starting on Thursday evening from the famous TT Grandstand in Douglas, crews embarked on the first leg of five stages and, although experiencing an unusually high level of wheel-spin, Phillip kept out of trouble whilst others around him didn't. He therefore found himself leading the Evolution Challenge pack and in 18th position overall before the overnight halt.

In the service area back in Douglas the team worked on his Mitsubishi’s transmission and suspension settings in order to increase its grip for the following 11 stages on Friday, but intermittent showers during the day made the island’s already challenging bumpy roads even more unpredictable and difficult to negotiate.

Although getting used to the varying levels of adhesion, Phillip was not completely comfortable with his car’s handling and following a few spins and overshoots was passed by twice former winner of this event, Jonny Milner and was subsequently relegated by one place.

Eager to score Evolution Challenge points and get to the end of the event, Phillip opted to consolidate his position for Saturday’s seven stages. With dry roads throughout the day it looked like all was going according to plan as he lined-up to start the final stage which headed back to the TT Grandstand and the finish.

But it’s not over till it’s over and with just two miles to go Phillip clipped a wall and punctured his Mitsubishi’s oil cooler just two-miles from the end of the stage. The subsequent loss of lubricant then sent two con rods through the side of the engine and then caused an under-bonnet fire.

Although now stopped at the side of the road, Super-Rally rules for International events allow competitors who are unable to finish the last day’s stages to be classified in the results by getting their cars back to parc-ferme by a given time. Albeit on the end of a tow-rope, the team were able to retrieve the stricken Evo and, as so many others encountered problems too, Phillip’s final result was not as bad as it could have been, finishing third in the Evolution Challenge, 10th in the British Rally Championship and 16th overall.

“Even though we recorded a respectable result I was gutted when we stopped on the last stage with the finish almost in sight! There was no pressure on me to go quickly as my position was quite safe, so perhaps I was taking things too cautiously. Usually the car will slide a little when it corners at speed, so I think it must have turned in more sharply because we were going so slowly. I sometimes wonder what I’ve got to do to get through an event without a problem, but at least I gained loads of experience for the next event which is on my home turf.”

The event to which Phillip refers is the Ulster Rally on September 1st 2nd. The event is the next round of the British and Irish Championships and the fourth round of the Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge.

Phillip’s 2006 campaign is supported by Pirelli, Morrow Fuels, Fitzsamuel Insurance, Lyons European Haulage, Lagan Motor Factors, DGM Motorsport, Kelly’s Toyota, Proflex, PIAA, Speedline Corse, AMS gear kits, BADMC and RPM Promotions.

More at: http://www.evo-challenge.com

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