MRF new signing Scott Pedder, and his long-term co-driver Glen Weston, have had their first taste of the Lancer Evo IX they will pilot in this years APRC.

Last week Pedder and Weston completed a successful private test session just outside of Perth, home base for Race Torque Engineering, the team that prepares the MRF Lancers. Even though Pedder has driven Lancers for many years, there were several differences between the Race Torque prepared Evo and the Team Mitsubishi Ralliart Australia car he last used in the Australian rally series.

“Probably the biggest difference, and the major reason for this brief test, was to get me used to driving left-hand drive which is obviously something very, very new to me! Despite some close shaves on the right-hand side of the car and a few missed gears early on, it became very familiar very quickly.”

“The car is very impressive. Most importantly it is incredibly easy to drive which I think is pivotal to our chances in a championship we haven’t been to before and with such a diverse range of climates road conditions and environments. Given the change of driving position and my length of time out of the seat I thought it would have taken me longer to get back up to speed but full credit to the Race Torque team for producing a superb overall package.”

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Pedder and Weston kick off their 2008 campaign in New Caledonia, the first round only a month away.”New Caledonia is especially important…I have seen some footage of the event and it looks very similar to some of the stages we do in Rally Queensland, narrow, twisty through rainforests dispersed with some ridge-lined sections and also some very fast forestry roads – and sometimes all in the one stage!”

Photos and video courtesy of www.scottpedder.com.au