Morrow Claims Limerick Forest Win!

(Image: John Carey Photography)

Phillip Morrow returned to winning ways when he claimed victory at the West Limerick Mini Stage Forest Rally, round one of the Valvoline Irish Forestry Championship.

Driving his Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 and navigated by Jonny Hart, the Lisburn pilot claimed a last gasp win over Mick O’Brien. Morrow set fastest time on the final stage to nip to the head of the order at the last possible moment, finishing 1.4 seconds ahead of the Ford Focus WRC belonging to Mick O’Brien and Greg Shinnors.

While en route home, Phillip took some time out of his drive back to Lisburn to speak to RallyForums.com…

Obviously you enjoyed your day?

“I really enjoyed it. It had been a while since I was last out in a rally car in the woods, and probably about 10 years since I was last in an Irish forest, back in the rear-wheel drive 205 days.”

Did you find it difficult to get back into the groove?

“The car was a bit too stiff over the first few stages so we softened it off a bit. I was also braking too early because I was a bit rusty but as the event went on, I was able to go deeper on the brakes and was able to pick my lines a bit better.”

Did you enjoy the stages?

“The stages were fantastic. It was surprising how fast they were given they’re a bit narrower compared to the wider stages in the likes of Wales. I just bedded myself in and did my own rally.”

Did you expect to win?

“I really didn’t. Going into the last stage, I thought there was no point in pushing because we were only a few seconds off the bogey time on the first run. I didn’t think we were going to be able to catch Mick. But organisers altered the timing and we had a nice clean run. Considering I was going to sell the car about six months ago, it’s a good result!”

What are your plans now?

“I’m definitely going to do the second round of the Irish Forestry Championship and I might go to Fivemiletown as well. I’m not going to Kirkistown – the first round of the Northern Ireland Championship – as there’s no point in switching the car from gravel setup to tarmac, only to have to change it back to gravel again. We’ll just take one event at a time.”