Glasgow driver Colin Greer recorded his best Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge result of the season on round five, the Jim Clark International Rally at the weekend. Colin and co-driver Neil Ewing crossed the finish ramp in second place, although the event did not go as smoothly as they may have hoped.
The Innovation Motorsports backed driver had a steady run through the opening stage of the event to acclimatise himself on only his second event on a tarmac surface. A second fastest Evo Challenge time through stage two displayed great potential, however it was not to last. An engine fault appeared through stage three and the car was mis-firing and down on power for the remainder of the event.

The GreerSport mechanics tried in vain to cure the engine fault throughout the rally and Colin explained, “The boys replaced the fuel pump, fuel filter, plugs, various sensors, boost pipes, coils, everything but the problem was still there.” The team incurred a total of one-minute twenty-seconds penalty throughout the entire event while the mechanics tried tirelessly to fix the problem at every service halt. Despite this, Colin went into the final loop of stages in third position behind Phillip Morrow and Ryan Champion.

The demise of Morrow on stage nineteen elevated Colin up to second in the Challenge, the position he held to the finish ramp of the event. Colin remarked, “We are very happy to get the podium place but unhappy with the fact that the car was down on power so I could not get a proper go at the stages. We are still unsure of what the problem is but we will take a closer look during the week to determine what is wrong.”

Swansea Bay, the next round of the Challenge will take place in two weeks time, Saturday 23rd of July. However, Colin is still unsure whether he will continue. He said, “Of course things have changed since our second place at the weekend. We are now in fifth place overall in the series and only six points away from third place. We will try our best to get to Swansea but we will make a final decision during the week when we know what the problem with the car is.”

Innovation Motorsports team manager Chris Moore remarked, “I am delighted with Colin’s result at the weekend. He showed his pace once again with a second fastest time on stage two, followed by his sheer determination throughout the problems with the engine. Its very difficult to drive under those circumstances, so to bring the car back in second place is a remarkable achievement.”

Colin and the team are still trying to secure the budget to continue their assault on the Evo Challenge.

(this article was taken from brcweb.co.uk)

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