Having led the Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge since the start of the season, Phillip Morrow finally secured the title on the Rally Yorkshire at the weekend and he did it in style by recording his sixth victory of the year - a record in the seven-season history of the series.
The 24-year old Lisburn driver went to the event sporting a healthy 18-point Evo Challenge lead, which meant that he needed to score at least six points - by finishing fifth or higher - to secure the title, with Welshman Sebastian Ling the only driver within a mathematical chance of spoiling the young Ulsterman's glory.
Not knowing weather to drive at a reduced pace and run the risk of losing concentration or to get down to business as usual, Morrow decided that a cautious approach was the order of the day.
He was a little surprised then to emerge from the first stage in his familiar position – lying first in the Evolution Challenge - with a time good enough to put him in fifth place overall.
David Bogie was second quickest of the Evos with Ling third, both drivers reporting overshoots and spins in unpredictably slippery conditions. Try as he might to get in the way of Morrow reaping his reward, Ling's efforts were dashed when a driveshaft sheared on stage two and he collected a puncture on SS4.
With Bogie keen to record his first Evo Challenge victory of the season, he upped his pace on SS2 and went into the lead, extending his advantage on stage three after Morrow also broke a driveshaft. However, Bogie rolled his car out of the event on SS4 when he slid wide and clipped a rock.
Stage four very nearly spelt the end of Phillip's day, when he had to avoid a stray digger in the stage! Fortunately he saw the solid obstacle in advance and, after negotiating it, he and co-driver Daniel Barritt dutifully stopped at the next radio point to report the incident before completing the stage.
