Triple British Rally Championship National Cup Champion John Morrison will return to the newly renamed Motorsport UK National Rally Championship in upgraded machinery for 2021.
Having made over 80 starts in his ageing Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX since 2007, the Scottish driver has made the upgrade to a Ford Fiesta R5. It’s a move he has been thinking about for a while, but had been talking himself out of due to his age. Speaking to britishrallychampionship.co.uk he said, “We had been talking about upgrading the Mitsubishi for a while now but I had convinced myself that an R5 was a young man’s car and I wouldn’t get on with it,”
“The lad in the team convinced me to go and try one so I went to Dom Buckley’s for a test and I was blown away, it was like putting on a glove. The braking and suspension were phenomenal and I knew I had to have one, it’s like a go-kart and does everything I want it to. It’s got a bigger restrictor so we will be running in the National series again.”
Morrison currently holds an impressive stat of having finished every event in his Evo IX since 2017, something he will be keen to continue this season in the Fiesta R5. The three times champion has been a long supporter of the National series, enjoying the pre-event recce longer distanced nature of event that it offers. Joined by regular co-driver Peter Carstairs, Morrison knows that a new car and a ever increasing entry list in the series will mean it won’t be plain sailing.
“It sounds like the National Cup is popular this year so maybe I won’t have it all my way, especially with trying to learn a new car. There are lots to adjust and change so it will take a while to get used and get some miles under my belt. Oulton Park is not my usual cup of tea but it will be a good testbed for me and the car,”
“Mull is the one I`m looking forward to. It’s a proper marathon event which is what I enjoy and it’s an event that isn’t always about speed. There is so much to think about there and I’m keen to see what the Fiesta will be like on the island”.
