Phillip Morrow scored his best result to-date last weekend, when he finished on the podium for the first time in an international rally, namely the
Jim Clark, round two of the Tesco 99 Octane MSA British Rally Championship.
Driving his Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX, together with his co-driver Daniel Barritt, Morrow overcame a variety of difficulties in his determination to get to the finish, his efforts rewarded with an excellent third place.
Starting and finishing in Kelso the Jim Clark Rally, as well as the British series, was also a round of the Global Group Irish Tarmac Championship, which brings with it a host of WRC cars. The event itself is unique, as it is the only stage rally on the UK mainland that takes place on closed public roads.
The competition began on Friday evening with two spectator-friendly stages near Duns – the short runs through Langton 1 and 2 proving to be more difficult for Morrow than he had expected after organisers had altered the running order, meaning that he was the first car on the road. Other than a half-spin as he exited the infamous water-splash, everything went well and he started Saturday's 10 stages fourth in the BRC standings and 13th overall.
Although having to contend with his car's ignition switch causing the car to intermittently cut-out and a small under-bonnet fire, Morrow made good progress for the first four stages of the day, consolidating his BRC position and climbing to seventh overall. But then a puncture on SS7, coupled with a brush with the scenery due to the subsequent degradation of his car's handling, dropped him back to 12th, albeit still fourth of the British runners.
Following the lunch-time service halt Morrow went out to make up for lost time, but on SS9 the car's front differential became inactive – another consequence of the puncture – meaning that he had to complete the remaining five miles of that and the following stage in just front-wheel-drive.
