by Geoff Mayes
Simon Harraway surprised the opposition, and himself, with his rapid pace on the RBS Manx International Rally last weekend, setting a string of extremely quick times in his Regency Group-backed Mitsubishi Evo 9.
With this weekend marking his first ever closed road tarmac rally Harraway had no idea what to expect and after the pre-event recce, which gives crews the opportunity to drive the stages and write detailed notes, he admitted that he was surprised at how fast the roads were. He then added, with a glint in his eye, that he was looking forward to the rally itself.
Despite insisting he only drove at 70 per cent, Harraway still finished the opening stage, a short 1.4 mile blast around Port Erin, and a full 3 seconds faster than last years Manx N4 class winner, and fellow Mitsubishi pilot Neil McCance.
On Stage 2 Simon was frustrated with the handling of the Evo 9 when the stages were bumpy, a common characteristic of this island, and discovered that a front shock absorber had seized and was not working properly, but he redeemed himself with a storming drive through Stages 3 and 4. Ninth fastest overall, and second in class behind recognised tarmac expert Richard Cathcart, showed his pace down the narrow and twisty Manx lanes.
Harraway and co-driver MSA academy member Craig Drew eventually finished day one 15th overall and in line for an Evo Challenge podium place.
Overnight work on the car until gone midnight saw Harraway and Drew raring for action on Saturday morning. Overnight rain had left damp and slippery patches under the trees, but young Harraway was unfazed as he flew through the opening stage of the day over a second faster than overnight class leader Cathcart.
All this good work was promptly undone on the very next stage however, when the pairing were caught out on a notoriously bumpy section and slid off into a ditch, damaging the rear axle. Although spectators were quick to push the car back onto the road Simon lost time dragging the crabbing car through the next two stages before repairs could be made.
![Simon Harraway / Craig Drew. Mitsubishi Evo. RBS Manx International Rally. May 2008. [Pic credit: Geoff Mayes Media - www.geoffmayesmedia.com]](http://pix.crash.net/thumbs/438597.jpg)
