Manxman Peter Harrison fought back from brake problems on his Peugeot 106 GTi to clinch Protyre Motorsport UK Asphalt Rally Championship Class 7 victory on the East Riding Stages – which was a magnificent achievement on his first event outside his native Isle of Man.
Peter started rallying in 1999, stopped at the end of 2009 and started again in 2019!
He made his competition debut in a self-built Mk2 Suzuki Swift GTi, finishing best newcomer, 23rd overall and 2nd in class on the 1999 Complete Construction Stages Rally (one of the main asphalt events outside of the Manx National and International rallies back then).
He went on to become class champion in the 2009 Forest Experience Stages Championship and 2009 Eurocars Manx Rally Championship.
His current Peugeot 106 was previously a road rally car based in North Wales, which Peter had planned to convert into a Cup-spec car, using parts removed from his old forest car.
After running it in 1999, Covid put paid to things until 2022, when Peter finished 40th overall and 3rd in class on the Manx.
The 106’s development has continued apace since then and is now powered by an engine from Dobrowolski Motorsport in Poland.
And with all that extra power, Peter and co-driver Nigel Morris put their 106 to good use on the opening round of the 2026 Protyre Asphalt Rally Championship.
“East Riding was my first event outside of the Isle of Man, so I was slightly apprehensive going into it having not been in the car since the Manx in 2025, and not only that we also had an additional 50bhp on tap,” said Peter.
“I was hoping to ease into the event stage by stage, but the handbrake stuck on solid on the hairpin at the start of the first stage. We continued through the stage with the rear brakes glowing red hot by the end. A quick call to Kyle in our service crew and we traced the issue to a faulty proportioning valve. That sorted, and off we went for a slightly quicker run through Westwood the second time.
“We then had a good run through SS3 and onto SS4 where there was a delay. We stopped the car and when the queue started moving the car wouldn’t restart, so with some help from Nige my navigator and few people we managed to round up we bump started the car uphill – good job it’s not heavy!
“Kyle from KW Motorsport Services got to work on the various bits and pieces at the end of the evening so we were all set for Saturday morning. The first loop was very difficult with lots of mud and debris on the stages, even sections which looked clear would then be covered in mud part way round a corner.
“At some point during this first loop I noticed the brake pedal was starting to feel a little soft. I thought it was just in my head and carried on. When we returned to service at the end of the loop, a fellow competitor came over to say he’d seen a brake pad drop out on the rear at the end of a stage. Upon investigation a retaining pin had worked its way out and the outer pad had dropped out. We had spare pads but no pins, so after a quick run around the paddock Ed Cartledge was kind enough to lend us a set. We had a fairly clean run in the afternoon loop with only an occasional moment in the drying conditions.
“Overall, we really enjoyed the trip over to Beverley. It was a great event and really well run.
“I’d like to say thanks to Kyle at KW Motorsport Services, David Campbell and Dean Quayle for their time on the car over the years, Tony at Satchell Engineering for all his support and the parts they’ve designed and supplied.
“I think it’s great what the Protyre Asphalt Rally Championship team are doing for motorsport in the UK, so keep up the great work!”
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