Phillip Morrow has said that he will be aiming for a top-three finish on the Pirelli International Rally, the opening round in the 2008 Tesco 99 Octane MSA British Rally Championship.
Morrow will make his debut with the 'works' Mitsubishi UK team on the Carlisle-based event this Friday and the Ulsterman, who earned his seat after winning last year's Mitsubishi Ralliart Evo Challenge, is already feeling at one with his Lancer Evolution IX.
Indeed the 24-year-old and his team-mate, Guy Wilks both conducted a two-day pre-event 'shakedown' earlier this month and Morrow was delighted to get his first opportunity behind the wheel of his manufacturer-backed Evo.
"The works Lancer is superb," he stated. "I felt comfortable with the package right from the word go, not just with the car, but the whole team.
"I was very pleased with the way the test went and it's certainly made a difference to my confidence, going into my first ever event as a works-driver. Although I'm fired-up, I'm going to take a sensible approach.
"I am aiming for a top three finish - and if things turn out better, then it's a bonus," he added.
Ralliart general manager and Mitsubishi UK Motorsport boss Paul Brigden meanwhile was also at that test and he too was more than satisfied with the outcome.
"When you put two brand-new cars into a forest and drive them hard for the first time there's always a moment of anxiety that things are going to go okay. But the test went very well and having started with the same set-up we used last year, we were able to make a number of improvements," he continued.
"I was impressed that Guy looked like he had never been away and how Phillip adapted to the works environment so quickly. We're now looking forward to the first round and carrying on where we left off last year."
