For the past few months, the Barbados Rally Club has been hard at work putting together the details of Sol Rally Barbados 2010 . . . and also looking at ways to celebrate what will be the 20th anniversary of its first-ever All-Stage Rally.
Over the last 20 years, there has been a common thread in the event’s success, the significant contribution of our overseas friends. They helped make the event what it is today, by returning year after year to give our local competitors some excellent competition and our local spectators some exciting driving to watch.
Legends like Martin ‘Mad-Dale’ Stockdale, Kevin ‘Bus Driver’ Procter, Kenny ‘Team Tartan Hall’ and many more have come to Barbados to compete but have found more than just competition; they have earned the admiration of spectators and enjoyed the camaraderie of local competitors. In Barbados, if you have been given a nickname, you are definitely part of the family!
In 2008 and 2009, the Club worked tirelessly to promote Sol Rally Barbados in Europe, and with great success; the best endorsements, however, are the positive words of those competitors, their teams and supporters who take part each year. That being said, we decided that 2010 would be a year of celebration of the clubman competitors who have made our event so special; our package is intended to show our appreciation for the effort they have put in over the years and the number of times they have come back to participate.
Check out the entry and shipping package in the Overseas Competitor Information Document, which can be found as a pdf download in the competitors section of the site. But remember that we’ll be updating it in the near future as more details are confirmed on the deals available from our airline, car rental, hotel and other service industry partners.
Entries are already open on-line – look under the entries section! – and the first came in more than two weeks before Christmas! If you’re keen to compete, make sure to get on-line quickly!
"The best rally battle I've ever been involved in", says Bird
Roger 'The Sheriff' Skeete chalked up his 11th win in the Caribbean island's premier event with victory on Sol Rally Barbados 2010 (May 29/30), which marked the 20th Anniversary of the inaugural running of the Barbados Rally Club's International All-Stage Rally; the winning margin of just 1.16secs was the smallest since 2001 after two thrilling days of competition, during which the lead changed four times.
With co-driver Louis Venezia in the Da Costa Mannings Auto Centre/Michelin/Warrens Motors/Big John's Subaru Impreza WRC S12, Skeete battled with fellow-countryman Paul 'Surfer' Bourne, who has won the event twice, and former UK National Champion Paul Bird, second for the past two years to Northern Ireland's Kris Meeke - all three led the event, described by Bird as "the best rally battle I've ever been involved in."
The intensity of the lead battle was reflected elsewhere, as 90 crews from a record 15 nations, including the host country, contested the 13 classes: 39 drivers set class stage-winning times, compared to 27 last year, and no winner of a contested class can claim a perfect set of stage wins . . . and all this played out in front of upwards of 20,000 spectators who lined the five stage venues over the weekend, culminating in the new Shell V-Power SuperSpecial at Simpson Motors.
Bourne and Allan Kinch (Banks/Chefette/LIME/Virgin Atlantic Ford Focus WRC 07) set the pace, beating Skeete on the opening uphill 5.8-kilometre Automotive Art Canefield stage by 1.85secs; co-driven in the supercasino.com/Vent-Axia Ford Focus WRC 08 by Scotland's Kirsty Riddick, Bird stalled under heavy braking after an overshoot and lost 16 seconds trying to restart the hot engine, dropping him to 16th.
Fastest on the next stage, LIME Malvern (6.2kms) - beating Skeete by one second and Bourne by two - Bird started to fight back; while Skeete retaliated on the second Canefield, three more stage wins placed Bird nine seconds behind Bourne at lunch, with Jamaicans Gary Gregg and Hugh Hutchinson (Rally Jamaica/Seaboard Marine/BD Gregg & Bros/NG Racing Ford Focus WRC 05) third and Skeete fourth.
The first downhill Canefield of the afternoon was cancelled, after a long delay to clear a damaged car, so battle was rejoined at Malvern, Bourne and Bird remarkably joint fastest; Skeete retook third place from Gregg, which became second (3.3secs behind new leader Bird) after the next Canefield, where Bourne lost 20 seconds to a puncture.
A mighty effort from Skeete on the day's final stage (Canefield, as the last Malvern run was cancelled to avoid excessively late running) saw him 2secs faster than Bird, to lead overnight by 1.16secs; Bourne was third, another 9.5secs down, with a delighted Sean Gill and Michael Cummins fourth in the Simpson Motors/Shell V-Power/Automotive Art Mitsubishi WRC. The top six was completed by Trinidad's John Powell, co-driven in the Shell Helix Subaru Impreza WRC S12 by experienced Brit Craig Thorley - Powell admitted to making a few mistakes - and locals Roger Hill/Graham Gittens in the Esso/Nassco/MotorMac Toyota Corolla WRC.
Second to Bourne on Sunday's opening Stewarts Hill stage (4.1kms), Bird took the lead, Skeete occasionally in trouble with the launch control - at the Prizegiving, he said: "Really, I think the launch control was having trouble with Roger" - but Bourne was on a charge. With three stage wins from the first four, he passed Bird for second and, by the end of the second Karcher Kendal (6.1kms), was just six-tenths behind Skeete.
Over the next six stages, Skeete and Bourne enjoyed a titanic struggle, Skeete the faster of the two on Stewarts Hill, Bourne on Kendal . . . each time Skeete extended his lead, Bourne cut him back on the next stage. As they headed for the Shell V-Power SuperSpecial at Simpson Motors - included in the event's overall timing calculations for the first time - the gap between them, which had risen to 4.31secs at one point in those six frantic stages, was back down to six-tenths!
By the time they arrived, there were already thousands lining the SuperSpecial at Warrens, unaware of the drama that was unfolding, or that the rally was yet to be won, or lost . . . one slight slip on the roughly one-kilometre stage winding through the estate's service roads, with sidewalks and kerbs at every turn, could spell disaster.
With all eyes on the Giant Daylight Screen, fans missed nothing: Skeete edged Bourne by seven-hundredths of a second on the first run then, while Bourne went nearly a tenth faster, Skeete found a whole second, to claim a memorable victory, his 11th on the island's premier event, his first since 2004. Bird was 11th on the first run, then split Skeete and Bourne on the second, to finish third by just under 13secs; he was also the highest-placed international competitor and co-driver Riddick the highest-placed female.
The rest of the top six remained unchanged - Powell (highest-placed regional crew), Gill and Hill - while Jamaica's Jeffrey Panton and Mike Fennell (Rally Jamaica/Seaboard Marine Ford Focus WRC 00) thrilled the Warrens crowds with some tyre-smoking doughnuts on their way to seventh place, fellow countryman Gregg having dropped out of the top 10 on Sunday morning. The highest-placed two-wheel-drive car was eighth, brothers Ian and Robert Warren having enjoyed a largely untroubled run in the Automotive Art/Shell V-Power/Simpson Motors Suzuki Swift, repeating their SuperModified 11 class win of last year.
Group N was won by UK crew Rob Swann and Darren Garrod, who finished ninth overall in the Automate CGI/Waves Hotel and Spa/Revolution Wheels/R A Swann Ltd Subaru Impreza N14; a perfect set of stage wins on Saturday morning's stages gave them an advantage they were not to lose, despite a big spin at Stewarts Hill on Sunday and only achieving three more stage wins (including both SuperSpecials) over the weekend.
Their margin of victory was less than 7secs over 10th-placed local crew Geoffrey Noel and Kreigg Yearwood (Globe Finance Inc/Mix 96.9/Sentry Insurance Brokers/Dewalt Tools/Automotive Art/Ezone Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX), but it was enough, as third-time visitor Swann said afterwards: "We had to win this rally on Saturday, so that's what we set out to do . . . but that spin at Stewarts Hill could have spoiled it all!"
Three further classes were won by International crews: Holland's Frans Verbaas and Mascha Corvers (Verbaas Preparations/Koni/Holland Huis/Hoewijk Special Paint Austin Mini Cooper) prevailed in Group B after local hero Geoffrey Ullyett's remarkable Datsun blew its engine; Rob Whitehouse and Yvonne Mehta won Modified 8-A in their Lancia Delta Integrale, while Richard Lewis and Marieanne Gray (Tsalta Motorsport/Cam Sport Ford Escort MkII) repeated their Historic class win of the previous weekend's Shell V-Power King of the Hill.
Sol Rally Barbados 2010 (May 29/30) and Shell V-Power King of the Hill (May 23) are organised by the Barbados Rally Club, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2007; title sponsor is the Sol Group. Marketing partners are Simpson Motors, LIME, Automotive Art, Banks and Karcher; official partners are the Barbados Hotel & Tourism Association, Barbados Tourism Authority, Divi Southwinds Beach Resort, Geest Line and Virgin Atlantic Airways; associate sponsors are Stoute's Car Rental, Glacial Pure and Chefette.
SOL RALLY BARBADOS 2010 - Results
ENG - England; IRL - The Republic of Ireland; JAM - Jamaica; KEN - Kenya; NED - The Netherlands; NIR - Northern Ireland; NZ - New Zealand; SCO - Scotland; TDAD - Trinidad & Tobago; WAL - Wales
1st Roger Skeete/Louis Venezia (M8-WRC Da Costa Mannings Auto Centre/Michelin/Warrens Motors/Big John's Subaru Impreza WRC S12), 1h 01m 07.57s 2nd Paul Bourne/Allan Kinch (M8-WRC Banks/Chefette/LIME/Virgin Atlantic Ford Focus WRC 07), 1h 01m 09.23s 3rd Paul Bird - ENG/Kirsty Riddick - SCO (M8-WRC supercasino.com/Vent-Axia Ford Focus WRC 08), 1h 01m 20.36s 4th John Powell - TDAD/Craig Thorley - ENG (M8-WRC Shell Helix Subaru Impreza WRC S12), 1h 02m 10.98s 5th Sean Gill/Michael Cummins (M8-WRC Simpson Motors/Shell V-Power/Automotive Art Mitsubishi WRC), 1m 02m 33.44s 6th Roger Hill/Graham Gittens (M8-WRC Esso/Nassco/MotorMac Toyota Corolla WRC), 1h 02m 48.72s 7th Jeffrey Panton - JAM/Mike Fennell Jnr - JAM (M8-WRC Rally Jamaica/Seaboard Marine Ford Focus WRC 00), 1h 04m 08.33s 8th Ian Warren/Robert Warren (SM10 Automotive Art/Shell V-Power/Simpson Motors Suzuki Swift), 1h 05m 15.06s 9th Rob Swann - ENG/Darren Garrod - WAL (P4 Automate CGI/Waves Hotel and Spa/Revolution Wheels/R A Swann Ltd Subaru Impreza N14), 1h 05m 20.54s 10th Geoffrey Noel/Kreigg Yearwood (P4 Globe Finance Inc/Mix 96.9/Sentry Insurance Brokers/Dewalt Tools/Automotive Art/Ezone Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX), 1h 05m 26.73s 11th Neil Armstrong/Barry Ward (SM9 Pit Bull Energy Drink/Hankook/Gunk/Electric Avenue Toyota Starlet), 1h 05m 41.61s 12th Gary Gregg - JAM/Hugh Hutchinson - JAM (M8-WRC Rally Jamaica/Seaboard Marine/BD Gregg & Bros/NG Racing Ford Focus WRC 05), 1h 05m 47.50s 13th Barry Gale/Cherie Edghill (P4 redlinefuels.com/Autolink/Maxi Malta/Rockstar Energy Drink/Metal Craft Works/Weetabix/ Bella Beauty Supply Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX), 1h 06m 11.96s 14th Josh Read/Mark Jordan (SM9 Automotive Art/Baram Services Toyota Starlet), 1h 06m 29.19s 15th Mark Hamilton/Clive Howell (SM11 PowerMaster Batteries/Consolidated Finance/Valvoline Oil/Kumho Tires Ford Escort MkII), 1h 06m 41.25s 16th Brian Gill/Avinash Chatrani (SM11 Aqua Pur/Electric Avenue BMW M3), 1h 07m 12.84s 17th Dean Serrao/Sean Abed (P4 Amalgamated Security Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX), 1h 07m 38.46s 18th Justin Campbell/Juan Watts (SM11 C & C Autoservices/Cumberbatch Nurseries/Target Design Studio BMW M3), 1h 08m 03.75s 19th Graham Manning/Brandon McKenzie (SM11 Ford Escort MkII), 1h 08m 43.12s 20th Adrian Linton/Jonathan Linton (M7 Ravensden/Garbage Gobbler/Morris Straker Construction Vauxhall Astra GSi), 1h 09m 19.65s 21st Neil Corbin/Zach Heaselgrave (SM9 Nassco/Jason Jones/Auto Solutions Toyota Starlet), 1h 09m 29.43s 22nd Jamal Brathwaite/Talia Mapp (M6 AM Electrical/FG Wilson/Autoplus Motors/Meridian Windows/Chicken Pen Racing/Ellesmere Quarries/D2 Racing Suspension/Avon Products/Cutters of Barbados/Freekz Customz Mitsubishi Mirage RS), 1h 10m 24.10s 23rd Kenny Hall - SCO/Fenny Wesselink - NED (M6 Halltune Ford Puma), 1h 10m 27.20s 24th Karl Waterman/Matthew Staffner (SM9 3W's/Propac/Rockstar Energy Drink/Catch Chocolate/Maxi Malta Toyota Starlet), 1h 11m 17.44s 25th Chris Ullyett/Derek Ince (M7 Ullyetts Machine Shop Service Ford Escort RS2000), 1h 12m 24.37s 26th Sean T Field/Trai Field (P3 Field Insurance Brokers/Castrol/Ackee Tree/AM Realty Services/Landscapes in Harmony Peugeot 306), 1h 12m 30.48s 27th John Corbin/Owen Proverbs (M7 Corbins Garage/Klark-Odio/Automotive Art Toyota Corolla), 1h 13m 07.48s 28th Freddie Gale/Kyle Proverbs (M7 Gale's Hatcheries/redlinefuels.com/Nassco Toyota Corolla RunX), 1h 13m 25.25s 29th Richard Lewis - WAL/Marieanne Gray - SCO (Hist Tsalta Motorsport/Cam Sport Ford Escort MkII), 1h 14m 38.31s 30th Wayne Manning/Willie Hinds (M5 Black Bess Quarry/Citgo/Glassfibre Products Peugeot 205), 1h 14m 48.23s 31st Sean Cox/Adam Cox (M5 Simpson Motors Suzuki Swift), 1h 15m 47.60s 32nd Simon Wallis - ENG/Louise Hay - ENG (P4 Wallis Performance Ltd Subaru Impreza N10), 1h 16m 42.57s 33rd Danny Williams/Reuben Nelson (M6 Cutters of Barbados/Lexy's Bar/Sunbury Plantation House Ford Fiesta), 1h 16m 55.57s 34th Owen Cumberbatch/Kelly-Ann Sandiford (SM11 Combo Auto Parts and Service BMW M3), 1h 17m 51.13s 35th Rob Whitehouse - NZ/Yvonne Mehta - KEN (M8-A Lancia Delta Integrale), 1h 18m 11.84s 36th Eric Allamby/Sean Corbin (SM10 Shelbury Construction/ACT Sand Blasting/Container Services Mitsubishi Lancer), 1h 19m 08.80s 37th Vishal Dhanraj - TDAD/Richard Ramsingh - TDAD (SM9 Track Batteries/Lucozade Energy/The Dispensary Toyota Starlet), 1h 20m 14.69s 38th Allan Maynard/Jeremy Croney (SM9 Marshal Trading/Lubriguard/El Tigre Catamaran Cruises Toyota Starlet), 1h 20m 42.93s 39th Peter Gallagher - IRL/Dario Hoyte (M6 Dublin Crystal/Peter Gallagher Design Peugeot 206), 1h 24m 20.73s 40th Fabien Clarke/Arlington Hoyte (P2 Barbados Business Listings/Crimson Jade/RCR Tours/Bovell Auto Repair/Big P Customs Brokers/De Fx-Bar Suzuki Ignis Sport), 1h 24m 58.62s 41st Martin Taylor - IRL/Rob Brook - ENG (SM11 Dublin Crystal/Janet Taylor BMW 325), 1h 28m 06.21s 42nd Ding Boston - ENG/Hannah Byrd - ENG (Hist Oxford Universities Motorsport Foundation/Toyo/Recaro/Phillips Tyres/Huzier/Just Grillin'/VP Racing Fuels/Virgin Atlantic/Structural Systems/Ullyetts Machine Shop Service Riley 1.5), 1h 29m 30.35s
Highest-placed regional crew Powell - TDAD/Thorley - ENG (4th overall) Highest-placed International crew Bird - ENG/Riddick - SCO (3rd overall) Highest-placed two-wheel-drive car Warren/Warren (8th overall) Highest-placed female competitor Riddick (3rd overall, co-driver for Bird)
Historic 1st Lewis - WAL/Gray - SCO; 2nd Boston - ENG/Byrd - ENG
RECORD START LIST FOR SOL RALLY BARBADOS
Drivers and co-drivers from a record 15 nations, including the host country, have assembled for the Caribbean's biggest annual international motor sport event, Sol Rally Barbados 2010 (May 29/30); the final running order, published on Wednesday (May 26), lists a record 92 starters, promising a fitting celebration of the 20th Anniversary of the inaugural running of the Barbados Rally Club's International All-Stage Rally.
Past and present Champions from the wider Caribbean and Europe will face local aces Roger Skeete (Subaru Impreza WRC S12) - a 10-time winner in the event's 20-year history - and Paul Bourne, who is seeded at number one, following his victory in last Sunday's Shell V-Power King of the Hill; Bourne (Ford Focus WRC 07) has also won the island's premier event, twice, in 2003 & '07.
Two more former winners are seeded in the top 10, Jamaicans Gary Gregg (Ford Focus WRC 05) and Jeff Panton (Ford Focus WRC 00) - Gregg won in 2006, Panton in 1998; leading the European charge is former UK National Champion Paul Bird (Ford Focus WRC 08), who finished second to Ulsterman Kris Meeke for the past two years.
The tussle for two-wheel-drive honours also looks set to be one of the closest in recent years: front-runners Ian Warren (Suzuki Swift), Josh Read (Toyota Starlet) and Mark Hamilton (Ford Escort) are all seeded well inside the top 20 - Warren starts as high as eight - but much of the crowd's attention will be focused on BMW M3 number 27, shared by brothers Barry and Roger Mayers, making a rallying comeback after five years concentrating on circuit racing. Between them, they have claimed seven top 10 finishes, Roger winning (Ford Focus WRC) and Barry (Toyota Starlet) finishing fourth overall and the only two-wheel-drive car in the top 10, in 2005.
Sol Rally Barbados Chairman Barry Gale said: "The entry has been oversubscribed for some time now - we actually received 108 entries - but a combination of the worldwide recession and the usual problems of car preparation and incidents reduced the number to 92 by today, when we needed to publish the final list of starters.
"In light of this year being the 20th Anniversary of an event which was started by clubman competitors in the island, and has been increasingly supported by clubmen competitors from overseas, we decided that no-one should be excluded from this year's event. We have therefore waived our 90-car maximum, and all 92 confirmed entries will receive competition numbers at tonight's Briefing Meeting and be allowed to start.
"While we are delighted to have a record number on our list of starters, the decision was not about the record, but made in the spirit of the way our event has developed and making sure that we continued to support the clubmen who have supported us."
Live coverage for Shell V-Power SuperSpecial at Simpson Motors
The Shell V-Power Super Special at Simpson Motors looks set to provide an even more fitting climax than anticipated to the Barbados Rally Club's 20th Anniversary celebrations of the inaugural running of its International All-Stage Rally, with confirmation today that there will be live coverage of every run broadcast on the Giant Daylight Screen.
The screen will be sited in the grounds of Collins Ltd, close to the finish of the roughly one-kilometre stage, which winds through the grounds of Simpson Motors from the start near H & B Hardware. Merville Lynch Productions will capture all the action from four camera positions, accompanied by live commentary.
Debbie Simpson said: "We are extremely happy to partner with the Barbados Rally Club once again, and hope this extra effort will help the Club's anniversary celebrations end with an event to remember, viewed via the Daylight Screen which has become an important element of motor sport in Barbados.
"I must also thank Merville Lynch Productions, Crane & Equipments and Williams Equipment for their generous technical support, and Collins Ltd for letting us park the crane to 'fly' the screen on its land. The Super Special at Simpson Motors promises to be very exciting and we encourage all spectators to follow the instructions of the marshals and officials to ensure their safety."
The Shell V-Power SuperSpecial at Simpson Motors will run twice, the first run scheduled for 4.20pm; maps detailing spectator parking and viewing areas will be published in the print media on Friday, and will also be available as a pdf downloand from the spectator section of the official web site, www.rallybarbados.bb.
Sol Rally Barbados 2010 - final running order statistics
+ 92 crews entered
+ drivers or co-drivers from 15 nations, including Barbados 20
+ four-wheel-drive cars, including eight World Rally Cars
+ 16 drivers or co-drivers from the wider Caribbean
+ 36 International drivers or co-drivers
+ 17 female co-drivers
+ cars from 18 manufacturers, Toyota (19) and Ford (18) the best represented
More Rally Barbados video is available on the Klutch website.
BOURNE WINS SHELL V-POWER KING OF THE HILL
Twice winner of the island's premier event, Paul Bourne completed his preparations for Sol Rally Barbados 2010, which marks the 20th Anniversary of the inaugural running of the Club's International All-Stage Rally, with a dominant victory in Shell V-Power King of the Hill yesterday (May 23) in front of a crowd of thousands.
He was never headed on the Sailor Gully stage in the northern parish of St Peter, and was delighted: "I tried a different approach, changed the mapping, and it was smooth sailing. Roger Skeete is the main man, though, and I'm sorry we couldn't go head to head." Skeete, a spectator for the day sidelined by turbo problems, said: "Everyone should be worried about the yellow Subaru - it is fully insured, and will be driven hard!"
Bourne set the pace on the single practice run in the Banks/Chefette/LIME/Virgin Atlantic Ford Focus WRC 07, clocking a time of 2m 01.55s, more than 10 seconds clear of the field; Roger Hill (Esso/Nassco/MotorMac Toyota Corolla WRC) was second on 2:11.80, ahead of the hard-charging two-wheel-drive front-runners - Ian Warren (Automotive Art/Shell V-Power/Simpson Motors Suzuki Swift) on 2:12.89 and Josh Read (Automotive Art/Baram Services Toyota Starlet) on 2:14.41.
The first official run gave a clearer indication of how the day would play out: Bourne lowered his time to 2:00.90, with Trinidad's John Powell now second (2:03.91), a late change of co-driver seeing Brit Craig Thorley sitting in the Shell Helix Subaru Impreza WRC S12. England's Paul Bird was third in the supercasino.com/Vent-Axia Ford Focus WRC 08, just over three seconds adrift of Powell.
Despite improving his time by more than three seconds, Hill had now slipped to fourth, with Sean Gill fifth (2:10.96), using the day to learn the intricacies of the ex-Gigi Galli Shell V-Power/Automotive Art Mitsubishi WRC; an impressive sixth was England's Rob Swann (Automate CGI/Waves Hotel and Spa/Revolution Wheels/R A Swann Ltd Subaru Impreza N14), on 2:12.02, two seconds clear of the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IXs of local Group N front-runners Barry Gale (redlinefuels.com/Autolink/Maxi Malta/Rockstar Energy Drink/Metal Craft Works/Weetabix/ Bella Beauty Supply) and Geoff Noel (Globe Finance Inc/Mix 96.9/Sentry Insurance Brokers/Dewalt Tools/Automotive Art/Ezone).
With the top 10 now running at the end of the field in reversed order of seeding, the final two runs saw improvements for nearly all the front-runners: on run two, Hill found another three seconds (2:05.31) to move ahead of Bird into third place, while Warren (2:10.22) was still leading the two-wheel-drive battle, now fifth overall and ahead of Simpson Motors team-mate Gill. A big effort from 'Birdy' on the final run (2:04.82) moved him back ahead of Hill, to finish third behind Bourne, whose last run (2:00.16) was his best, and Powell, who had failed to improve on his first-run time.
In Group N, Noel closed to within eight-tenths of Swann on his second run (2:12.82), but then Gale pulled out all the stops on his final run for a 2:10.37, which placed him seventh, with Swann's first-run time still good enough for ninth, while Noel slipped out of the top 10 to 11th. A fine second run of 2:12.66 for Graeme Finlayson (www.racedandrallied.com Mitsubishi Lancer Evo III RS) saw him claim 10th place.
Two-wheel-drive promises some real fireworks next weekend: behind Warren's fifth place (first in SuperModified 10), Read finished eighth overall, while Mark Hamilton (PowerMaster Batteries/Consolidated Finance/Valvoline Oil/Kumho Tires Ford Escort MkII), who had featured in the top 10 after the first run, slipped to 13th, winning SM11. At the end of the day, Warren said his confidence had been boosted by the additional competition, Read admitted to trying to "be a bit conservative with Rally Barbados next weekend", while Hamilton said he "had accepted that sideways is not the fastest way, so took a leaf from the book of Josh Read which gave good results."
Some good class battles are in prospect, too, with Read likely to come under pressure in SM9 from Neil Armstrong, who is making steady improvements to the Pit Bull Energy Drink/Hankook/Gunk/Electric Avenue Toyota Starlet. In Modified 6, points leader Edward Corbin (Automotive Art/Klark-Odio/Corbins Garage/JVM Signage Daihatsu Charmant) is looking forward to fighting back next weekend, after finishing second to Dane Skeete (Williams Trading Inc Peugeot 206), while Scotland's Kenny Hall (Halltune Ford Puma) was not far off the pace.
The day was interrupted by a number of incidents, the most severe of which involved Nick Gill and Sue Rogers, whose Mazda 3 rolled on the approach to the Esses; both were taken to hospital for checks. Other casualties were the BMW M3 of England's Martin Stockdale, Toyota Starlet of Marc-Lee Bascombe and Vauxhall Astra of Adrian Linton.
Chairman of Rally Barbados, Barry Gale, said afterwards: "I was glad to see the event going smoothly, despite some very unfortunate encounters for some competitors, also that there were no major spectator problems. I must also make grateful mention of Barbados Farms and the BAMC, the land owners who cooperated in the use of their estates during the day."
Sol Rally Barbados 2010 (May 29/30) and Shell V-Power King of the Hill (May 23) are organised by the Barbados Rally Club, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2007; title sponsor is the Sol Group. Marketing partners are Simpson Motors, LIME, Automotive Art, Banks and Karcher; official partners are the Barbados Hotel & Tourism Association, Barbados Tourism Authority, Divi Southwinds Beach Resort, Geest Line and Virgin Atlantic Airways; associate sponsors are Stoute's Car Rental, Glacial Pure and Chefette.
SHELL V-POWER KING OF THE HILL 2010 - Result
Key to nationalities (competitor from Barbados unless shown):
ENG - England; NED - The Netherlands; IRL - The Republic of Ireland; JAM - Jamaica; KEN - Kenya; NIR - Northern Ireland; NZ - New Zealand; SCO - Scotland; TDAD - Trinidad & Tobago; WAL - Wales
Overall
1st Paul Bourne/Stuart Maloney (M8-WRC Banks/Chefette/LIME/Virgin Atlantic Ford Focus WRC 07), 2m 00.16s 2nd John Powell - TDAD/Craig Thorley - ENG (M8-WRC Shell Helix Subaru Impreza WRC S12), 2m 03.91s 3rd Paul Bird - ENG/Kirsty Riddick - SCO (M8-WRC supercasino.com/Vent-Axia Ford Focus WRC 08), 2m 04.82s 4th Roger Hill/Graham Gittens (M8-WRC Esso/Nassco/MotorMac Toyota Corolla WRC), 2m 05.31s 5th Ian Warren/Robert Warren (SM10 Automotive Art/Shell V-Power/Simpson Motors Suzuki Swift), 2m 08.69s 6th Sean Gill/Michael Cummins (M8-WRC Simpson Motors/Shell V-Power/Automotive Art Mitsubishi WRC), 2m 09.43s 7th Barry Gale/Cherie Edghill (P4 redlinefuels.com/Autolink/Maxi Malta/Rockstar Energy Drink/Metal Craft Works/Weetabix/ Bella Beauty Supply Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX), 2m 10.73s 8th Josh Read/Mark Jordan (SM9 Automotive Art/Baram Services Toyota Starlet), 2m 11.52s 9th Rob Swann - ENG/Darren Garrod - WAL (P4 Automate CGI/Waves Hotel and Spa/Revolution Wheels/R A Swann Ltd Subaru Impreza N14), 2m 12.02s 10th Graeme Finlayson - SCO/Darnley Rayside (M8-A www.racedandrallied.com Mitsubishi Lancer Evo III RS), 2m 12.66s etc
P3: 1st Sean T Field/Trai Field (Field Insurance Brokers/Castrol/Ackee Tree/AM Realty Services/Landscapes in Harmony Peugeot 306), 2m 30.52s - 54th o/a
P2: 1st Fabien Clarke/Arlington Hoyte (Barbados Business Listings/Crimson Jade/RCR Tours/Bovell Auto Repair/Big P Customs Brokers/De Fx-Bar Suzuki Ignis Sport), 2m 50.24s - 72nd o/a; 2nd Howard Paterson - ENG/Ruth Paterson - ENG (Rallydrive International Driver Tuition Skoda Fabia), 2m 53.57s
More Rally Barbados video is available on the Klutch website.
GILL TO MAKE WRC DEBUT IN SOL RALLY BARBADOS
Multiple Barbados Rally Club Champion Sean Gill will drive an ex-works World Rally Car in competition for the first time this Sunday (May 23) in Shell V-Power King of the Hill, the final shakedown for the following weekend's Sol Rally Barbados 2010, which marks the 20th Anniversary of the inaugural running of the Club's International All-Stage Rally.
Alongside long-term co-driver Michael Cummins, he will drive an ex-Gigi Galli Mitsubishi WRC, due to arrive at Grantley Adams International Airport this afternoon (Friday, May 21); although the Shell V-Power/Automotive Art Suzuki SX4 WRC cannot now ready in time for this year's events, Simpson Motors is delighted with progress on that project.
The company's Brent Murphy said: "We are pleased with our initial testing and, in the coming weeks, Sean will be doing further tests with this exciting car." His thoughts were echoed by Gill: "I am really thrilled about having the opportunity to drive a car of this calibre and my first experience with the car did not disappoint. I know it will be worth the wait!" Footage of Gill testing the SX4 has been posted today on the official Sol RB2010 web site, www.rallybarbados.bb.
The Lancer is run by MML Sports, which evolved from Ralliart Europe, the company that delivered four world rally titles for Tommi Makinen and one manufacturer's title for Mitsubishi. The flamboyant Gigi Galli was the first driver of the car heading for Barbados - he finished fifth on chassis 15's debut in Rallye Deutschland 2005; later in the season, he was lying fourth in Rallye Catalunya, having taken two consecutive stage wins, when he crashed into a bridge after the flying finish of the second of those stages.
The car was also driven by Gilles Panizzi on the 2005 Tour De Corse, one of his final appearances in a factory World Rally Car, but retired with electrical issues. As a customer car for MML, it won the Sarma Rally in Latvia earlier this year.
Twice the Barbados Rally Club's Driver's Champion - in 2000 and '03 - Gill won Class Championships five years out of six between '03 and '08 in Suzuki Ignis and Suzuki Swift models, so is looking forward to being reunited with the marque when the SX4 arrives.
Battles through the field
While Gill is battling at the head of the field come Sol Rally Barbados weekend, there will be many others equally as eager to do well in the remaining 12 classifications. In the Historics, former winner Ding Boston, co-driven this year by Hannah Byrd in the Oxford Universities Motorsport Foundation/Toyo/Recaro/Phillips Tyres/Huzier/Just Grillin'/VP Racing Fuels/Virgin Atlantic/Structural Systems/Ullyetts Machine Shop Service Riley 1.5 has to face one of his team's benefactors, Greg Cozier, with Jamie Marsh on the notes in his just-arrived Mahindra/Citgo/Hyundai Trucks Ford Escort RS2000.
In the less well-supported lower-capacity classes, brothers Sean and Adam Cox (Simpson Motors Suzuki Swift) are the most regular crew in M5, but may find Ireland's Glenn Campbell (CG Rally Prep/Campbell Motorsport Wiring/Motorcare/Motoglass/Burn Road Trade Sales/Graham Curry Photography Nissan Micra Kit Car), more of a challenge on his second trip to Barbados, with new co-driver Thomas Maguire; the experienced Wayne Manning/Willie Hinds (Black Bess Quarry/Citgo/Glassfibre Products Peugeot 205), had a good run in the Automotive Art Shakedown Stages and will be in the mix.
In the Production classes, Brits Howard and Ruth Paterson should be on the P2 pace in the Rallydrive International Driver Tuition Skoda Fabia - Howard back after nearly 20 years away from the island - although locals Fabien Clarke/Arlington Hoyte (Barbados Business Listings/Crimson Jade/RCR Tours/Bovell Auto Repair/Big P Customs Brokers/De Fx-Bar Suzuki Ignis Sport) will be doing their best to keep them back.
GIANT-KILLERS PREPARE FOR SOL RALLY BARBADOS
It is not just the four-wheel-drive cars that can record top 10 stage times in Sol Rally Barbados 2010 (May 29/30), which marks the 20th Anniversary of the inaugural running of the Barbados Rally Club's (BRC) International All-Stage Rally - there are some giant-killers, whose nimble cars are ideally-suited to the short, sharp stages.
In SuperModified 10, Ian and Robert Warren (Automotive Art/Shell V-Power/Simpson Motors Suzuki Swift) are the class act, although nothing is guaranteed, with opposition including Cliff Roett/Orry Hunte (Paulo's Churasco Do Brasil/Carters & Co/Lucky Horseshoe/Nassco/Lubriguard/Roett's Garage Toyota Starlet) and Daryl Clarke/Russell Brancker (Ellco Rentals/Mom's Pasta Products/Area 5 Auto Works/Paintless Dent Removal Mitsubishi Mirage).
The unknown quantity is the yet-to-be-seen All Terrain Plus/Makita/Star Products/Quik Start Auto Renault Clio of James Betts and Josh Delmas, while the increasingly high-tech Unknown Entity/Corbz Workz Ford Escort MkI of brothers Logan and Rhett Watson is another to watch. From overseas come Richard Lewis/Marieanne Gray in the Welsh Tsalta Motorsport Ford Escort and British Columbia-based Bajan Dwane Jackman and Canadian co-driver Michaela Guscott in the Blitzkrieg Autowerks/Coache Collision and Repairs/Proper Design Volkswagen Golf.
All bets are off in SM9, where giant-killing acts are the order of the day: last year's winners Josh Read/Mark Jordan (Automotive Art/Baram Services Toyota Starlet) and Jeremy Gonsalves/Natasha Farnum (All Terrain Plus/Makita/Star Products/Quik Start Auto Suzuki Swift GTi) were both well up the overall order in the Automotive Art Shakedown Stages, but the dark horse may well be '09 M8-A winners Neil Armstrong and Barry Ward (Pit Bull Energy Drink/Hankook/Gunk/Electric Avenue Starlet).
The overseas interest here focuses on the Highland Waste Services/Mad Fine Fashions/Graham Curry Photography Ford Anglia WRC of Scotland's Allan Mackay and Ulster co-driver 'Mad Mo' Downey' and the Track Batteries/Lucozade Energy/The Dispensary Starlet of Trinidad's Vishal Dhanraj and Richard Ramsingh.
In Modified 7, brothers Adrian and Jonathan Linton will wish to address last year's rare retirement in the Ravensden/Garbage Gobbler/Morris Straker Construction Vauxhall Astra GSi. Those out to stop them are led by Freddie Gale/Kyle Proverbs (Gale's Hatcheries/redlinefuels.com/Nassco Toyota Corolla RunX) and the rising stars of the Ellesmere Quarries-backed Chicken Pen Racing outfit, Kyle Catwell/Justin Harrison (Star Fish Design/Cutters of Barbados/Freekz Customz/John Hardman Engineering Volkswagen Golf GTI) and Ron Greaves/Stuart Leach (McCarthy's Garage/Williams Tool & Equipment Rentals Honda Civic Type-R).
While the experienced John Corbin and Owen Proverbs (Corbins Garage/Klark-Odio/Automotive Art Toyota Corolla) can always be relied on for a solid result, one unpredictable element of the class is the arrival of Chris Ullyett/Derek Ince (Ullyetts Machine Shop Service Ford Escort RS2000), which may shake things up.
M6 multiple champions Edward Corbin/Rodney Clarke currently lead the Virgin Atlantic BRC Overall Class Championship with a perfect record for the season so far in the Automotive Art/Klark-Odio/Corbins Garage/JVM Signage Daihatsu Charmant.
This class is more varied than before, however, with challengers including the consistent Jamal Brathwaite (AM Electrical/FG Wilson/Autoplus Motors/Meridian Windows/Chicken Pen Racing/Ellesmere Quarries/D2 Racing Suspension/Avon Products Mitsubishi Mirage RS), co-driven by sister Talia Mapp, and Dane - son of Roger - Skeete getting used to the ex-Ian Warren Williams Trading Inc Peugeot 206, along with co-driver Tyler Mayhew.
Three-time class-winner Scotland's Kenny Hall moves up to M6, with Dutch co-driver Fenny Wesselink in his recently-acquired ex-works Super 1600 Ford Puma, while Ireland's Peter Gallagher (Dublin Crystal/Peter Gallagher Design Peugeot 206) again has local co-driver Dario Hoyte. Turks & Caicos debutant Paul Horton (Sky Rally Sport/H Racing/Horizon Construction/HSE Investments Honda Civic) also has a local co-driver - Kristian Yearwood - while the 'entertainment officer' is Nigel Reece, with cousin Jonathan Reece in the Subzero Services/TGM Air Conditioners/Trident International Corporation/Ullyett's Machine Shop Service/Williams Industries Datsun 120Y.
Bird's Focus flies in for Scrutineering
The leading British contender in Sol Rally Barbados, former UK National Champion Paul Bird, has again flown his car to the island and, as last year, it becomes the most recent World Rally Car to reach the Caribbean; his supercasino.com/Vent-Axia-sponsored Ford Focus WRC 08 landed at Grantley Adams International Airport on Monday (May 17).
After his second consecutive victory on the Manx National Rally earlier this month, Bird said: "This is hopefully a good omen for Sol Rally Barbados, which I desperately want to win . . . so that's the next task later this month."
Bird's Focus will be among more than 90 cars that will assemble for Scrutineering at Simpsons Motors in Warrens on Saturday (May 22); while cars will be arriving from before 1.00pm, so the scrutineers can carry out their work in a secure area, it is mandatory for all cars to be present between 3.00pm and 6.00pm, during which time there will be driver interviews and a formal welcome offered to the overseas crews.
Sol Rally Barbados 2010 (May 29/30) and Shell V-Power King of the Hill (May 23) are organised by the Barbados Rally Club, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2007; title sponsor is the Sol Group. Marketing partners are Simpson Motors, LIME, Automotive Art, Banks and Karcher; official partners are the Barbados Hotel & Tourism Association, Barbados Tourism Authority, Divi Southwinds Beach Resort, Geest Line and Virgin Atlantic Airways; associate sponsors are Stoute's Car Rental, Glacial Pure and Chefette.
CLASS ACTION PROMISED IN SOL RALLY BARBADOS
Although the battle for outright victory in Sol Rally Barbados 2010 (May 29/30), which marks the 20th Anniversary of the inaugural running of the Barbados Rally Club's (BRC) International All-Stage Rally, may make the headlines, there will be action right through the 90-car field, with 12 more classes to be won or lost.
Despite only four entries, Modified 8-A has a good mix of crews, with drivers of four nationalities. Michael Worme and Brian Gibson defend home honour in the Cot Media Group/Dingolay/Speedline Performance Auto/Ullyetts Machine Shop Service/Slowboy Racing Subaru Impreza STi, hoping to improve on last year's second place.
While '09 winner Neil Armstrong has moved on, they will still be made to work hard, particularly by Barbados-based Scot Graeme Finlayson, one of the most enthusiastic overseas supporters of island rallying in recent years; he is co-driven by Bajan Darnley Rayside in the www.racedandrallied.com Mitsubishi Lancer Evo III RS he has previously shared with Martin Atwell.
The class is completed by St Vincent's Steve and Dominic Ollivierre (St Vincent Distillers/East Caribbean Metal Industries Ltd/Digicel/Empire Cigarettes Evo VIII), regular Barbados competitors, and Rob Whitehouse. Before moving to Europe, New Zealander Whitehouse lived in Barbados; his Lancia Delta Integrale is more Group N than Group A, so may not pose a strong challenge, but he and co-driver Yvonne Mehta, twice a podium finisher in the World Rally Championship as co-driver to her late husband, the legendary five-time Safari Rally winner Shekhar Mehta, will certainly be looking to enjoy the Sol Rally Barbados experience.
Group N - known as Production 4 in the island - should produce some fireworks, with another healthy mix of local, regional and international crews. There is already a stirring national championship battle going on between the Evo IXs of Barry Gale/Cherie Edghill (Autolink/Weetabix/redlinefuels.com/Bella Beauty Supply/Metal Craft Works) and Geoffrey Noel/Kreigg Yearwood (Globe Finance Inc/Mix 96.9/Sentry Insurance Brokers/Dewalt Tools/Automotive Art/Ezone), but they may well suspend hostilities to ensure the trophies stay at home!
They will be helped Dean Serrao, back in his Amalgamated Security Evo IX after his Impreza WRC S9 was destroyed by fire in Trinidad, and Terry Sealy/Rommel Coppin (Premier World Cargo/Speedline Performance Auto/Caribbean Alliance Insurance Impreza WRX STi).
Leading the overseas charge are Brits Rob Swann and Darren Garrod (Automate CGI/Waves Hotel and Spa/Revolution Wheels/R A Swann Ltd Impreza N14); they will not want to finish second again this year, especially as a first-place trophy would make a nice extra present for co-driver Garrod and fiancee Steph, who are getting married at host sponsor Waves Hotel and Spa on the west coast a few days before the event.
Fellow Brit Simon Wallis, a regular visitor, is another with something to celebrate . . . his 40th birthday, and he did it in style by treating himself to an Impreza N10, supported by Wallis Performance Ltd and co-driven by Louise Hay. Trinidad's David Coelho and James Harris (Total/Subway Evo IX) are first timers, so may need to settle in.
While there is no Group B in national rallies in the island, there is in Sol Rally Barbados, although competitors are not eligible for overall position. It provides a home for cars which won't make the weight in the SuperModified classes, also encourages the sort of creative engineering that Geoffrey Ullyett will be displaying with the debut of his new turbo-charged 2-litre Ullyett's Machine Shop Service Datsun, co-driven by Jason King.
In common with Stuart McChlery/Julian Goddard, whose Lubriguard/TeleBarbados Mark I Escort is one of the oldest rally cars on the island with a continuous competition history, Ullyett's aim is entertainment. Duane Johnson/Summer Lewis (Johnsons Autos Mitsubishi Lancer Turbo) complete the local entries.
Twice Group B winner, England's Andrew Costin-Hurley returns for his seventh Rally Barbados in the Earl's Performance Hoses Ford Puma, co-driven again by Shaun Mellett, while Holland's Frans Verbaas/Mascha Corvers are aiming for a Group win in the Verbaas Preparations/Koni/Holland Huis/Hoewijk Special Paint Austin Mini Cooper, which debuted in Sol RB09 in celebration of the Mini's 50th Anniversary.
Sol Rally Barbados 2010 (May 29/30) and Shell V-Power King of the Hill (May 23) are organised by the Barbados Rally Club, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2007; title sponsor is the Sol Group. Marketing partners are Simpson Motors, LIME, Automotive Art, Banks and Karcher; official partners are the Barbados Hotel & Tourism Association, Barbados Tourism Authority, Divi Southwinds Beach Resort, Geest Line and Virgin Atlantic Airways; associate sponsors are Stoute's Car Rental, Glacial Pure and Chefette.
MAYERS BROTHERS RETURN IN SOL RALLY BARBADOS
Rally Barbados 2005 winner Roger Mayers and his brother Barry will return to island rallying for the first time in nearly five years when they share a BMW M3 in Sol Rally Barbados 2010 (May 29/30), which marks the 20th Anniversary of the inaugural running of the Barbados Rally Club's (BRC) International All-Stage Rally.
They will compete in SuperModified 11 - with 16 entries, the event's best-supported class - in the car in which Jonathan Still recorded a hat-trick of class wins over the past three years; their return is sponsored by Terra Caribbean and the Delaware Dispensary, with support from Illusion Graphics, redlinefuels.com and Quality Tyre . . . and, says Roger: "The goal is to finish as top two-wheel-drive car."
Between them, the Mayers brothers claimed seven top 10 finishes in the island's premier event between 2000 and '05; in addition to his victory (with Max Ferri in a Ford Focus), Roger had finished second overall ('02, Ford Escort Cosworth) and enjoyed class wins in 2000 (MG Metro 6R4) and 1999 (Toyota Starlet). Younger brother Barry finished in the top 10 and claimed Modified Open or SM11 class wins four times in the Starlet, culminating in fourth overall in '05, the only two-wheel-drive car in the top 10.
Roger explained the background: "Barry and I were at a party and Stillo mentioned how he'd always dreamed of us driving his car. I said 'Do you want to rent it for Rally Barbados?' . . . and it went from there. Barry approached a lot of sponsors, and I'd lost all hope when we heard nothing. Then, at Barry's wedding, Kathy-Dawn Burke got wind of it and jumped straight on it with Terra Caribbean; with some help from Delaware Dispensary, who support us at Bushy Park, and three additional sponsors, here we are!"
Mayers admits to a degree of apprehension: "I'm not worried about the speed, but there is certainly some rustiness, and it is a very foreign car. But once I put on the helmet and dump the clutch for the first run at King of the Hill, all that will disappear."
When Barry returns from honeymoon, the brothers will fine-tune their plan of action, but Roger affirms: "The goal is to finish as top two-wheel-drive car. Its not going to be easy, the competition is fierce with people like Ian Warren, Josh Read, Mark Hamilton, but that is certainly the goal."
And Mayers is right about the competition, particularly in SM11, which will have a new winner this year, after Still's retirement from motor sport; from an island perspective, Mark Hamilton/Clive Howell (PowerMaster Batteries/Consolidated Finance/Valvoline Oil/Kumho Tires Ford Escort MkII) and Nick Gill/Sue Rogers (SDRR Hydraulics & Industrial Spares Inc/Hilti Tools Mazda 3) will certainly be in the thick of the action.
The BMW entry includes returnee (and former Group N winner) Brian Gill, co-driven in the Aqua Pur/Electric Avenue M3 by Avinash Chatrani, and Clan Cumberbatch (father St Elmo, sons Sammy and Owen): with co-driver Kelly-Ann Sandiford, Owen (Combo Auto Parts and Service M3), has the best record of the three so far this year, but both his brother (F Taylor Insurance/Williams Industries/AutoLink M3) and father (Carib Supply/F Taylor Insurance E36) have more experience, while Justin Campbell/Jermin Pope (C & C Autoservices/Cumberbatch Nurseries/Target Design Studio M3) will be in the mix.
The overseas challenge includes ex-pat Brit Harold Morley and local co-driver Geoff Goddard in the NET2VU Porsche GT3, while Martin Stockdale aims to mark his 10th rally in Barbados with a good result, co-driven in the Divi Southwinds Beach Resort/Drive-a-Matic Car Rentals BMW M3 Compact by Mark Swallow. Welsh crew Gary Thomas/Phil Ralphs (Tsalta Motorsport/Cam Sport Ford Escort G3) will be targetting the local Escorts of Calvin Briggs (Ultra Lubricants) and Graham Manning. Ireland's Martin and Janet Taylor (Dublin Crystal BMW 325), Trinidad's Franklyn Seegobin/Graveney Dindial (Daiman Publishers Ltd Toyota Corolla) and Rezan Mohammed/Arshad Mondro (Shell Helix Motor Oil Mitsubishi Mirage) complete a class with a truly international flavour.
ANNIVERSARY SHAKE-UP FOR SOL RALLY BARBADOS
The Shell V-Power SuperSpecial at Simpson Motors confirmed today (Wednesday) is the highlight of a major shake-up of the route for Sol Rally Barbados 2010 (May 29/30), which marks the 20th Anniversary of the inaugural running of the Barbados Rally Club's (BRC) International All-Stage Rally.
All but one of the event's special stage venues has undergone some significant modification, while the restructured route abounds with changes, which will go some way to levelling the playing field for local and overseas competitors. Following its use for Shell V-Power King of the Hill the previous weekend, Sailor Gully is replaced on Saturday by Malvern, while Stewarts Hill takes over the Malvern slots on Sunday.
But it is the Shell V-Power SuperSpecial at Simpson Motors on the Sunday afternoon that will set rally fans talking islandwide; the one-kilometre course will run south to north in front of the main showroom, then wind around the complex behind the ITC building in Warrens to finish behind the north showroom. Arrangements for traffic, spectator parking and viewing areas will be announced closer to the time.
Also, for the first time, the SuperSpecial will be included in the results; in previous years, it has only been necessary for competitors to start the SuperSpecial to be eligible for an overall finish, but this year's two runs will be included in the timing calculations.
During last month's media briefing, Sol Rally Barbados Chairman Barry Gale told reporters: "Each year, we look carefully at the event to see where it can be tweaked to meet our permanent aim of making it 'the best Rally Barbados' yet! And I think the new SuperSpecial will bring our 20th Anniversary celebrations to a rousing finale.
"But we are also very aware of the social partnership and our responsibilities as corporate citizens; the other changes made continue the work we started last year to make the route as compact as possible. This has multiple benefits, as it means less disruption for residents island-wide, but also offers a big plus for spectators - if you take Automotive Art Canefield as an example, around half an hour after the last car has been through on the first run, the Zero car should be on the stage preparing for the second run. It also means less hanging around for competitors, so everyone benefits."
On Saturday, the route reverts to 12 stages from 14 in 2009, with six each in two loops before and after lunch; the rally starts at Andrews Factory in St Joseph, which is also the service area for the day. Three uphill runs of what has become the event's signature stage, Automotive Art Canefield, will alternate with LIME Malvern West in the morning; the directions will be switched for three runs at each venue in the afternoon.
From the restart on Sunday from Bushy Park, the morning loop of six stages will alternate between Stewarts Hill North and Karcher Kendal South; the directions will be switched for two runs at each venue in the afternoon, before competitors head for the Shell V-Power SuperSpecial at Simpson Motors.
SOL RALLY BARBADOS 2010
Special Stage Schedule
Saturday, May 29
0900 Start - Andrews Factory
0920 SS1 - Automotive Art Canefield North 1 (5.80km)
1000 SS2 - LIME Malvern West 1 (6.20km)
1040 SS3 - Automotive Art Canefield North 2 (5.80km)
1120 SS4 - LIME Malvern West 2 (6.20km)
1200 SS5 - Automotive Art Canefield North 3 (5.80km)
1240 SS6 - LIME Malvern West 3 (6.20km)
Service and lunch halt - Andrews Factory Total stage distance, leg 1 - 36.00km
1420 SS7 - Automotive Art Canefield South 1 (5.80km)
1440 SS8 - LIME Malvern East 1 (6.20km)
1540 SS9 - Automotive Art Canefield South 2 (5.80km)
1600 SS10 - LIME Malvern East 2 (6.20km)
1700 SS11 - Automotive Art Canefield South 3 (5.80km)
The response from local, regional and international competitors over the past five months to Sol Rally Barbados 2010 has made it clear that the Barbados Rally Club (BRC) was not alone in wanting to mark the 20th Anniversary of the inaugural running of its International All-Stage Rally in style.
In all, 108 entries were received on-line between December and the April closing date - 20 per cent over-subscribed - although the continuing pressures of recession have caused some withdrawals, among them four from Europe and two from the wider Caribbean; even so, the event looks set to start the maximum of 90 cars, including current or former Champions from Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad and the UK.
A shift in the calendar for the Intercontinental Rally Challenge means the winner for the past two years, Ireland's Kris Meeke, can't make it, but the runner-up on both occasions, 2005 UK National Champion Paul Bird, can . . . and victory on the Manx National Rally last weekend (May 7/8) in his Ford Focus WRC 08 has given his hopes a timely boost.
After his second consecutive win on the island, he said: "The Manx has a special place in my heart, so it's wonderful to come here and win again; this is very special as I've not had the best of times just recently. This is hopefully a good omen for Sol Rally Barbados, which I desperately want to win . . . so that's the next task later this month. For now, I'm taking the team out for a few beers as they've done a fantastic job as always."
Ten-time winner, local ace Roger Skeete, heads the entry list and, while the elusive target of 10 ex-factory World Rally Cars has once again been narrowly missed, this year's crop of cars is newer, and more evenly matched. Skeete failed to finish last year, but not before his ex-Petter Solberg 2006 Subaru Impreza WRC S12 had proved its pace . . . and he's won two events already this year. Also S12-mounted is Trinidad-based Jamaican John Powell, who finished second in '05 and '07 in Toyota Corolla WRCs. One of those Corollas is now in the hands of local ace Roger Hill, whose record on the island's premier event includes 13 top 10 finishes.
In addition to 'Birdy's current Focus, the '07 car in which he chased Meeke last year is now campaigned by Bajan Paul Bourne, winner of RB03 and '07 in Impreza WRCs. The earlier cars of Jamaicans Gary Gregg and Jeff Panton, both previous winners in the island, bring the Focus total to four. Gregg's '05 car replaced the ex-Carlos Sainz Focus in which he became the only driver so far to win Rally Barbados and Rally Jamaica in the same year (2006), while Panton's ex-Colin McRae example dates from 2000.
Sol Rally Barbados Chairman Barry Gale said: "It is wonderful to see such a quality entry at the sharp end - there are no fewer than six cars capable of winning this event outright. When you take into account an unwanted spin or a start-line stall, it is anyone's guess how the podium will look come Monday, May 31st. We definitely look set to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the Barbados Rally Club's premier event in style."
As in 2009, the overseas entries spread right through the field - only two of the 13 classes will be without a battle between local drivers and regional or international visitors - and include two notable drivers from the UK: Martin Stockdale celebrates his 10th consecutive year as a competitor in Barbados, while Howard Paterson returns after a long break - he was the first European visitor to claim a result on the island's premier event, back in 1991, when he finished ninth.
Sol Rally Barbados 2010 provisional entry headline statistics:
93 crews entered, including reserves drivers or co-drivers from 14 nations, including Barbados 21 four-wheel-drive cars, including nine World Rally Cars, 35 drivers or co-drivers from Europe, 17 drivers or co-drivers from the wider Caribbean 17 female co-drivers cars from 19 manufacturers, Ford and Toyota equally the best-represented with 19, followed by Mitsubishi (13), BMW (8) and Subaru (6)
Sol Rally Barbados 2010 (May 29/30) and Shell V-Power King of the Hill (May 23) are organised by the Barbados Rally Club, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2007; title sponsor is the Sol Group. Marketing partners are Simpson Motors, LIME, Automotive Art, Banks and Karcher; official partners are the Barbados Hotel & Tourism Association, Barbados Tourism Authority, Divi Southwinds Beach Resort, Geest Line and Virgin Atlantic Airways; associate sponsors are Stoute's Car Rental, Glacial Pure, Chefette and Little Switzerland.
SOL RALLY BARBADOS WEB SITE RELAUNCHED
In line with many other elements of the Barbados Rally Club's 20th Anniversary running of its inaugural International All-Stage Rally, the official Sol Rally Barbados 2010 web site - www.rallybarbados.bb - has been refreshed. The new-look site went 'live' on Wednesday (May 5), a timely re-launch less than four weeks before the event itself . . . and just in time for the anticipated 'spike' in internet traffic.
Already enthusiastically described by fans in motor sport internet chat rooms as far afield as Britain and America as a "world-class site", it is entirely the work of local companies; the site has been completely redesigned by local graphics and marketing consultants 809 Design Associates, and will continue to be run by Caribbean New Media, which has been involved from the start.
The home page has been re-worked for ease of navigation, with some striking images of current and past competitors, also links to the event's sponsors and marketing partners; there are separate sections to deal with the interests of competitors and spectators - including pdf downloads of important documents, such as regulations and (when it becomes available) the official programme - plus background on the event, including previous results and recent international media coverage, and an extensive photo and video gallery.
During the two weekends of Shell V-Power King of the Hill (May 23) and Sol Rally Barbados 2010 (May 29/30), the site will be updated regularly with news reports and photographs, with links to the official results site, also podcasts of interviews and commentary.
As use of the internet has grown exponentially in recent years, so interest in the Sol Rally Barbados web site has blossomed; over the past two years, 79,000 visits from nearly 150 countries have resulted in 420,000 page views, with news and photo galleries the most popular pages. Between 2008 and 2009, visits grew by more than 35 per cent, with significant expansion in Ireland and the United States (both up by 50 per cent), Barbados and Canada (40 per cent) and the UK (30 per cent). While there is steady interest throughout the year, there is a spike around the time of the event itself, with up to 3,000 visits a day.
Sol Rally Barbados Chairman Barry Gale said: "I really like the work that our creative folks have done on the re-launch of the site. Our aim in Rally Barbados is always to try and keep evolving and improving the event, but it is so easy just to concentrate on the actual rally itself, without remembering the very important peripherals.
"It is elements like the web site that are so vital to the image and promotion of the event, especially for those thousands of people who are trying to follow from abroad, and that plays an important part in our commitment to the sports-tourism product of the island. Its great to know that the phrases Rally Barbados and Sol Rally Barbados are producing so much traffic on the internet search engines, as it shows that our event has developed the level of brand recognition that we've been working towards.
"The importance of the site has been underlined this year, our second with on-line entries; the immediacy with which we receive them means we can communicate more efficiently with our competitors - many of whom have not been here before - and deal with their various queries."
First-time local competitors for 2010 reminded of 'annual tech'
Barbados Rally Club officials have reminded first-time competitors for the 2010 season of the requirement to have completed 'annual tech' prior to Scrutineering for Sol RB2010. The process of annual tech is significantly lengthier than pre-event scrutineering, and often turns up issues that cannot be resolved quickly.
Chief Scrutineer Simon Gillmore says: "There will be an annual tech session starting at 10.00am on Sunday, May 16, at Workz Mechanical, behind Gale's Hatcheries in St Phillip. Competitors are reminded that many cars don't carry the correct decals indicating the location of kill switches and extinguishers. Also, it is important to make sure the kill switch is working.
"Competitors are also reminded that the top section - in red - of the scrutineering form must be filled in completely, including the bore and stroke of the engine. Any car with an incomplete form will not be scrutineered."
Sol Rally Barbados 2010 (May 29/30) and Shell V-Power King of the Hill (May 23) are organised by the Barbados Rally Club, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2007; title sponsor is the Sol Group. Marketing partners are Simpson Motors, LIME, Automotive Art, Banks and Karcher; official partners are the Barbados Hotel & Tourism Association, Barbados Tourism Authority, Divi Southwinds Beach Resort, Geest Line and Virgin Atlantic Airways; associate sponsors are Stoute's Car Rental, Glacial Pure, Chefette and Little Switzerland.
PAUL BIRD 'IN TRAINING' FOR SOL RALLY BARBADOS
Runner-up to Kris Meeke in Sol Rally Barbados for the past two years, Britain's Paul Bird is taking his third crack at the Caribbean's biggest annual International motor sport event very seriously - once again, his rally car will travel south by air, giving him extra time to brush up on his tarmac technique in readiness for Sol RB2010 on May 29/30.
Confirmation of Bird's entry brings to four the number of ex-works Ford Focus World Rally Cars listed for the 20th Anniversary running of the Barbados Rally Club's (BRC) International All-Stage Rally; the '07 car in which he finished second last year is now campaigned by Barbadian Paul Bourne, while Jamaicans Gary Gregg (Focus WRC 05) and Jeffrey Panton in his ex-Colin McRae example are also on the list - all three of the regional drivers are former winners.
While the rest of the European entries were on board the Geest Line freighter Klipper Stream sailing towards the Bridgetown Port in Barbados last week, 'Birdy' was preparing for his debut on the Cartell.ie Killarney Rally of the Lakes in Ireland at the weekend (May 1/2), an event also previously won by Meeke, in a Subaru Impreza WRC, in 2007.
With Scottish co-driver Kirsty Riddick, 2005 UK National Rally Champion Bird faced two days of tarmac stages - 14 at eight locations - in his Dom Buckley Motorsport-run supercasino.com/Vent-Axia Ford Focus WRC 08 . . . and it did not start well, as they lost more than 70 seconds on the opening stage thanks to problems with the anti-lag.
Bird fought back on stages two and three to start working his way back up the leader board, in part thanks to making an intermediate tyre choice, which worked well for him on the unfamiliar stages. As the on-event Patterson RallyNews bulletin reported: "This is Paul's first visit to the Killarney Lakes and he is certainly getting on the pace now. He staged a great comeback from outside the leader board to finish the day seventh overall, despite the tyres overheating on the final stage."
Apart from his problems on the first stage, Bird had been within the top seven stage times all day, with a best of third; things improved on Sunday, with a stage win on the second test of the day . . . Caragh Lake. RallyNews reported: "Paul Bird was fastest through the stage with a time of 6m 55.90s, with Alastair Fisher second, two seconds back. Bird and co-driver Kirsty Riddick were both laughing at the stage finish and Paul said: 'We can go home now, we've set a fastest time!'" Brian Patterson added: "What a stage to set it on as well, one of the best roads in the country."
That would be the only stage win of the weekend for the first-time visitors, but another five top five finishes during Sunday resulted in Bird and Riddick finishing fifth overall; also, at it was among those UK events in which the top three finishers overall are not eligible for class awards, they also went home with the class-winners' trophies.
Bird is not resting yet in his preparations for Sol Rally Barbados and is seeded number one for the coming weekend's Manx Telecom Rally (May 7/8), which he won last year in the '07 Focus WRC which now resides in Barbados; last year's win was an emotional one for Bird, who had enjoyed countless successes on the Isle of Man TT course in his other capacity as a motorcycle road-racing and Superbike team owner - these include the legendary Joey Dunlop winning his 26th and final TT on one of Bird's bikes in 2000 - but he had never won on the hallowed Manx lanes himself, despite coming close on numerous occasions.
And he's after another win this year, also perhaps looking for a good omen: prior to Birdy's win there in 2009, five of the previous nine events had been won by Ulster's Kenny McKinstry, twice a winner in Barbados (in 1993 & '96), so perhaps Bird is hoping for some of the world-famous "luck of the Irish" to rub off on him.
Sol Rally Barbados 2010 (May 29/30) and Shell V-Power King of the Hill (May 23) are organised by the Barbados Rally Club, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2007; title sponsor is the Sol Group. Marketing partners are Simpson Motors, LIME, Automotive Art, Banks and Karcher; official partners are the Barbados Hotel & Tourism Association, Barbados Tourism Authority, Divi Southwinds Beach Resort, Geest Line and Virgin Atlantic Airways; associate sponsors are Stoute's Car Rental and Little Switzerland.
SOL RALLY BARBADOS HIGHLIGHT OF CHAMPIONSHIP
By the end of May, the 2010 Barbados Rally Club (BRC) Virgin Atlantic Driver's and Class Championships will have passed their half-way point. With four rounds run to date, some patterns are already emerging . . . and, with three more to run off at Shell V-Power King of the Hill and Sol Rally Barbados - each day is a separate round - island competitors are preparing for the high-pressure highlight of their season.
In the Driver's Championship, based on overall results, early leader Paul Bourne (Ford Focus WRC07) saw his advantage cut from 15 to eight points after the Automotive Art Shakedown Stages, with Roger Hill (Toyota Corolla WRC) edging closer and well clear of John Powell (Subaru Impreza WRC S12); these are also the top three in the Class Championship in Modified 8-WRC.
Only Michael Worme (Impreza Sti) has so far appeared in M8-A, although Production 4 has been better supported, Barry Gale and Geoff Noel claiming two wins apiece in their Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IXs, although Noel's absence from the Shakedown Stages, awaiting parts, has allowed Gale to build up a 17-point advantage.
In the Overall Class Championship, Bourne is second on 61, Gale third on 60, within striking distance of the 64 points of early leader Edward Corbin (Daihatsu Charmant), who has the season's only 100 per cent hit rate so far, with four wins in Modified 6.
SuperModified 11: only Mark Hamilton (Ford Escort MkII) has contested all four rounds to lead by 27 points, which could have been considerably more, but for a first-corner puncture on the Shakedown Stages placing him fifth at the end of the day; Owen Cumberbatch's class win places him second (currently equal with the now-retired Jonathan Still), with Brian Gill fourth, both in BMW M3s
SM10: Ian Warren (Suzuki Swift) leads, currently the only driver to have contested more than one round, with Logan Watson (Ford Escort MkI) second
SM9: the only competitor in the first two rounds, Daryl Clarke (Mitsubishi Mirage), has advanced to SM10, so Josh Read's (Toyota Starlet) victory in the Shakedown Stages gives him the lead from Jeremy Gonsalves (Suzuki Swift GTi) Modified 7: Freddie Gale (Toyota Corolla RunX) has racked up the points with three wins and a second place, to lead from Kyle Catwell (Volkswagen Golf) and Greg Cozier (Ford Escort RS2000)
M6 & M5 merged: multiple M6 champion Corbin is comfortably ahead of M5 leader Sean Cox (Suzuki Swift), with Jamal Brathwaite (M6 Mitsubishi Mirage) third
P2 & P1 merged: after one event each, Fabien Clarke (P2 Suzuki Ignis Sport) has the upper hand over Miguel Toppin (P1 Toyota Starlet), Dane Skeete having switched to M6
Sol Rally Barbados 2010 (May 29/30) and Shell V-Power King of the Hill (May 23) are organised by the Barbados Rally Club, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2007; title sponsor is the Sol Group. Marketing partners are Simpson Motors, LIME, Automotive Art, Banks and Karcher; official partners are the Barbados Hotel & Tourism Association, Barbados Tourism Authority, Divi Southwinds Beach Resort, Geest Line and Virgin Atlantic Airways; associate sponsors are Stoute's Car Rental and Little Switzerland.
Virgin Atlantic BRC Driver's Championship Provisional positions after round 4:
1st Paul Bourne (M8-WRC Banks/Chefette/LIME/Virgin Atlantic Ford Focus WRC07), 59 points 2nd Roger Hill (M8-WRC Esso/Nassco/MotorMac Toyota Corolla WRC), 51pts 3rd John Powell - TDAD (M8-WRC Shell Helix Subaru Impreza WRC S12), 37pts 4th Barry Gale (P4 Autolink/Weetabix/redlinefuels.com/Bella Beauty Supply/Metal Craft Works Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX), 34pts 5th Dean Serrao (M8-WRC Subaru Impreza WRC S9 & P4 Amalgamated Security Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX), 29pts 6th Geoffrey Noel (P4 Globe Finance Inc/Mix 96.9/Sentry Insurance Brokers/Dewalt Tools/Automotive Art/Ezone Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX), 28pts 7th equal Roger Skeete (M8-WRC Da Costa Mannings Auto Centre/Michelin/Warrens Motors Subaru Impreza WRC S12) & Ian Warren (SM10 Automotive Art/Shell V-Power/Simpson Motors Suzuki Swift), 20pts 9th Mark Hamilton (SM11 PowerMaster Batteries/Consolidated Finance/Valvoline Oil/Kumho Tires Ford Escort MkII), 17pts 10th Harold Morley - ENG (P4 NET2VU Subaru Impreza N14), 12pts etc
Virgin Atlantic BRC Class Championship
Modified 8-WRC: 1st Bourne, 61pts; 2nd Hill, 51pts; 3rd Powell, 37pts; etc Modified 8-A: 1st Michael Worme (Cot Media Group/Dingolay/Speedline Performance Auto/Slowboy Racing Subaru Impreza STi), 16pts Production 4: 1st B Gale, 60pts; 2nd, Noel, 43pts; 3rd Morley, 20pts; etc SuperModified 11: 1st Hamilton, 47pts; 2nd equal Jonathan Still (Hitachi Power Tools/Ocean Spray/Philips Lighting/Castrol Racing Oils/Crane & Equipments BMW M3) & Owen Cumberbatch (BMW M3), 20pts; etc
SM10: 1st Warren, 33pts; 2nd Logan Watson (The Unknown Entity/Corbz Workz Ford Escort MkI), 16pts; 3rd Daryl Clarke (Ellco Rentals/Mum's Pasta Products/Area 5 Auto Works/Paintless Dent Removal Mitsubishi Mirage), 13pts
SM9: 1st Josh Read (Automotive Art/Baram Services Toyota Starlet), 20pts; 2nd Jeremy Gonsalves (All Terrain Plus/Makita/Star Products/Quik Start Auto Suzuki Swift GTi), 16pts; 3rd Allan Maynard (Marshal Trading/Lubriguard/El Tigre Catamaran Cruises Toyota Starlet), 13pts; etc
M7: 1st Freddie Gale (Gale's Hatcheries/VP Racing/Nassco Toyota Corolla RunX), 56pts; 2nd, Kyle Catwell (Mitsubishi Mirage RS), 22pts; 3rd Greg Cozier (Citgo Oils/Hyundai Trucks Ford Escort RS2000), 20pts; etc
P2 & P1 merged: 1st Fabien Clarke (P2 Barbados Business Listings/Crimson Jade/RCR Tours/Bovell Auto Repair/Big P Customs Brokers/De Fx-Bar Suzuki Ignis Sport), 16pts; 2nd Miguel Toppin (P1 Toyota Starlet), 13pts
SCOTSMAN'S SOL RALLY BARBADOS 2010 MARATHON
Scottish rally driver Kenny Hall completed a 26-hour marathon this week, the latest stage of his preparations for Sol Rally Barbados 2010 (May 29/30), which celebrates the 20th Anniversary of the inaugural running of the Barbados Rally Club's (BRC) International All-Stage Rally.
Hall left his home in Melrose in the Scottish borders at 3.30am on Monday (April 26) for the eight-hour, 410-mile drive to Portsmouth on the English south coast, towing the ex-works Super 1600 Ford Puma in which he is aiming for a fourth Class win when he contests the Caribbean's biggest annual International motor sport event for the seventh time next month.
Once in the port, Hall was joined by fellow-Puma driver Andrew Costin-Hurley, John Hardman and Martin Stockdale; while Hardman is not competing this year, Stockdale's record nine visits to Barbados help these four to a total of 26 appearances in the region's premier event, a resounding vote in favour of the event's - and the island's - appeal for overseas visitors.
Each year, a handful of the European competitors volunteer to assist in loading the overseas cars on to the Geest Line freighter which ships them across the Atlantic; Monday's group also included Stockdale's son, Thomas, and Costin-Hurley's co-driver Shaun Mellett and wife Sonia, who celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary at Sol Rally Barbados 2009.
Loading did not start until the evening, as Mellett explains: "We sprang into action around 6.45pm, moving the cars to the dockside crane. By the time all the cars were loaded, the sun was setting and the temperature had turned a bit chilly. We all had a long journey home to look forward to . . . some a lot longer than others."
And Hall's journey was the longest of them all, by some considerable margin! By the time he reached home, it was around 5.30am Tuesday, roughly 26 hours - and well over 800 miles - since he had left. In an e-mail received by the Sol RB2010 rally office before sunrise Tuesday Barbados time, sent before he collapsed into bed, Hall said: "I'm back, the cars are loaded and good to go. But I'm exhausted, and reckon a few competitors owe me a rum!"
Sol Rally Barbados Chairman Barry Gale said: "It is not just the other competitors that owe Kenny and all those other helpers a rum - as organisers, we do, too. Without the enthusiasm of our European friends - over the last 10 years especially - it is safe to say we would not enjoy the event we have today.
"The roots of Sol Rally Barbados are firmly planted in the participation of 'clubman' competitors, right from the early days of 30 or so local entrants up to the current mix of local, regional and international. That is why we decided to channel our resources in this 20th Anniversary year into rewarding them for their years of support, by further subsidising their entry fees - first-timers still get a subsidised rate, but those who have competed in the past get rates that are reduced by as much as half of the cost to the club to offer the package.
"And the sort of effort put in this week by Kenny, Martin, Andrew and the others is just remarkable. And it proves that our decision on how to approach this year's event was the right one, to support those who have supported us in the past . . . and continue to do so. I hope that I'm the first person to get to the bar and offer them all a glass of rum when they arrive!"
The Geest Line freighter Klipper Stream will take roughly 10 days to reach the Bridgetown Port in Barbados, where the cars will be collected and taken to a central storage facility by officials from the Barbados Rally Club.
Sol Rally Barbados 2010 (May 29/30) and Shell V-Power King of the Hill (May 23) are organised by the Barbados Rally Club, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2007; title sponsor is the Sol Group. Marketing partners are Simpson Motors, LIME, Automotive Art, Banks and Karcher; official partners are the Barbados Hotel & Tourism Association, Barbados Tourism Authority, Divi Southwinds Beach Resort, Geest Line and Virgin Atlantic Airways; associate sponsors are Stoute's Car Rental and Little Switzerland.
CELEBRATION TIME FOR SOL RALLY BARBADOS
Sol Rally Barbados 2010 (May 29/30) will mark the 20th Anniversary of the inaugural running of the Barbados Rally Club's (BRC) International All-Stage Rally with a fresh new look: all but one of the event's special stage venues has undergone some significant modification, while the restructured route abounds with changes over the two days.
An entry strong in quality and quantity brings together the cream of the island's home-grown talent to face nearly 30 overseas crews in the Caribbean's biggest annual International motor sport event; the healthy overseas entry, running counter to the world's economic challenges, is a glowing endorsement of the appeal of the island's sports-tourism product.
Sol RB2010 Chairman Barry Gale told a Media Conference at the Rally HQ hotel, the Divi Southwinds Beach Resort in Barbados today (April 26): "We will not be revealing full details for another two weeks or so, but I can confirm that there will be only two stage venues during each day; there is no loss in stage distance, in fact it is slightly increased, but we must be mindful of our responsibilities to those who live along the route and continue to do our very best to limit disruption.
"There will again be a total of 24 special stages, but with a new twist in the tail - although we are not yet ready to confirm the location, the Shell V-Power SuperSpecial on Sunday afternoon will play an even more important role in the outcome of the event than before, as times from the two runs will be included in the event results for the first time, as special stages 23 and 24."
Ten-time winner, local ace Roger Skeete, heads an entry list that includes all but one of the previous winners from around the region; he and fellow-countrymen Paul Bourne and Trevor Manning, plus Jamaicans Gary Gregg and Jeffrey Panton, will all do battle for the first time since 2007 - only Bajan Roger Mayers, who won in 2005, is missing, now devoting his energies to circuit racing.
As last year, the BRC's maximum of 90 entries has been exceeded, and there's another four days to go before the official closing date (April 30); the provisional entry list will be published on Monday, May 10. Competitors listed represent 12 countries outside Barbados - four more than in 2009 - with growth reflected regionally and internationally.
Sol Rally Barbados 2009 was responsible for just over 2,250 visitor nights during the off-season month of May, and an estimated injection of more than Bds $2,100,000 into the local economy, much of it in valuable foreign exchange. Further growth is projected this year, particularly from the wider Caribbean; the 10-strong entry is twice as many as last year, and the first time the number has reached double figures in recent history.
Not only has this success in tourist markets encouraged greater support in recent years from the Barbados Tourism Authority and the Barbados Hotel & Tourism Association, but has also helped fuel the partnership between the BRC and title sponsor, the Sol Group; the region's largest independent oil company confirmed in February that it was renewing its initial sponsorship deal for a second three-year period.
Retail Executive of Sol (Barbados) Ltd, Denise Mendes, said: "While the tremendous local and international media coverage and the thousands of fans who line the stages are important elements of how we assess the value of our sponsorship, the progress made by the Rally Club in developing closer links with Government and other supporting agencies in the island is a factor, too.
"Sol is proud of its contribution to the development of motor sport, especially the growth of Sol Rally Barbados into a key player in sports tourism, because that means we are also contributing to the development of the island as a whole; over the next five weeks or so, 'rally fever' will grip the island, as fans wait for confirmation of the entries and the stage venues, and then finally see the cars at Scrutineering. We are very happy to be a part of that celebration of motor sport."
Barbados Rally Club Chairman Geoffrey Noel added: "Everyone in the Club was delighted to hear that Sol wanted to renew for a further three years; this is the largest single sponsorship deal in the Club's 53-year history and has played a vital part in helping us towards our aim of creating a sustainable sports tourism product and thereby make a meaningful contribution to the economy of Barbados."
Sol Rally Barbados 2010 (May 29/30) and Shell V-Power King of the Hill (May 23) are organised by the Barbados Rally Club, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2007; title sponsor is the Sol Group. Marketing partners are Simpson Motors, Automotive Art, Banks Holdings and Karcher; official partners are the Barbados Hotel & Tourism Association, Barbados Tourism Authority, Divi Southwinds Beach Resort, Geest Line and Virgin Atlantic Airways; associate sponsors are Stoute's Car Rental and Little Switzerland.
SOL RALLY BARBADOS - What's new for 2010
Scrutineering: both the day and venue for Local & International Scrutineering have been changed; this important part of the build-up to Sol RB2010 will now be staged on Saturday, May 22, in the spacious grounds of Simpson Motors, Warrens, St Michael. Sol RB2010 Chairman Barry Gale explains: "Our final plans will be revealed shortly, but we're aiming to increase the activity at Scrutineering significantly, also to create a more formal segment in the early evening for an official welcome. In effect, that will replace the Ceremonial Start, which we introduced last year; while that innovation was a great success, there are those who felt it could be greatly improved if there were a couple of night-time special stages nearby . . . bearing in mind the tough economic climate, 2010 was definitely not the year to start investigating what could be a potentially costly innovation! Also, having Scrutineering on Saturday is generally a lot more convenient for the fans and will allow a potentially greater number of people to attend, so we can also hype them up for Shell V-Power King of the Hill on Sunday."
Shell V-Power King of the Hill: the venue for this vital 'shakedown' the previous weekend has again been changed, although it will once more run on Sunday. This year's venue will be the popular Sailor Gully stage in St Peter, which is not included in the route for Sol Rally Barbados for the first time in many years. Service will be at the Welchtown Plantation, St Peter, which will also be the venue for the evening Prizegiving
Sol Rally Barbados 2010 - route: in a major re-think of the route for the 20th Anniversary running of the BRC's International All-Stage Rally, all but one of the special stage venues has undergone some significant change. Full details will be confirmed when the Rally Schedule is published on May 12, but the route will be cover fewer stage venues (five in total), equaling 24 special stages - 12 on Saturday, 12 on Sunday, although the overall stage distance will be virtually the same
Sol Rally Barbados 2010 - Shell V-Power SuperSpecial: for the first time since its introduction, the Sunday SuperSpecial will be included in the results of Sol RB2010; in previous years, it has only been necessary for competitors to start the SuperSpecial in order to be included in the overall results, but this year's two runs - special stages 23 and 24 - will be included in the timing calculations
Sol Rally Barbados 2010 - Sunday Cup Opening Car: among other changes to the running of the event is the introduction of what is, in effect, a second Zero Car; this will run between the last of the crews still in overall contention and the first of the Sunday Cup competitors to help ensure that spectator control is maintained during the three-minute break
SOL RALLY BARBADOS - Programme of key events
Saturday, May 22 - 1.00pm to approx 8.00pm - Local & International Scrutineering Simpson Motors, Warrens, St Michael
Sunday, May 23 - 10.00am to approx 4.00pm - Shell V-Power King of the Hill round five of the Virgin Atlantic BRC Driver's and Class Championships Sailor Gully, St Peter, with one practice and three official timed runs for overseas competitors, a shake-down before Sol RB10 Prizegiving to follow at approx 5.30pm
Monday, May 24 - 12.00pm - Beach Cricket Challenge and Pig Roast The Boatyard, Bay Street, St Michael
Wednesday, May 26 - 6.30pm - Sol RB10 Briefing Meeting venue to be confirmed this function is for competitors, crews and rally officials only
Wednesday, May 26 - 7.00pm - Sol RB10 Welcome Party venue to be confirmed essentially a social event, with limited formalities; the Barbados Rally Club will introduce its key officials and sponsor Sol will welcome the overseas competitors
Saturday, May 29 - Sol Rally Barbados 2010 - day 1 round six of the Virgin Atlantic BRC Driver's and Class Championships start at 9.00am from Andrews Factory Yard, St Joseph, which is also the service area for the day 12 stages at two venues
Sunday, May 30 - Sol Rally Barbados 2010 - day 2 round seven of the Virgin Atlantic BRC Driver's and Class Championships restart at 07.30am - venue to be confirmed 10 stages at two venues Shell V-Power SuperSpecial (two stages) and Rally Finish - venue to be confirmed
Monday, May 31 - approx 3.30pm - Sol RB10 Prizegiving The Boatyard, Bay Street, St Michael
1992 Roger Skeete/Dave Crawford - ENG, Peugeot 205GTi, 24m 26s
1991 Roger Skeete/Roger Fields, Peugeot 205GTi, 15m 46s
1990 Roger Skeete/Charmaine Skeete, Peugeot 205GTi, 16m 08s
Key to nationalities (unless shown, competitor is from Barbados):ENG - England; JAM - Jamaica; NIR - Northern Ireland
THE SOL GROUP Company profile
The Sol Group is the Caribbean's largest independent oil company, operating in 15 countries across the Eastern Caribbean, Guyana, Suriname, Belize, Puerto Rico and Haiti. Sol supplies fuels, lubricants, bitumen and LPG through an extensive service station network, marine and commercial operations, as well as acting as an agent for Shell Aviation and Shell Marine products. Sol uses the Shell brand under licence across its service station network, and acts as the sole distributor of Shell's fuels and lubricants. This is fully backed by Shell's world-class technical expertise.
THE BARBADOS RALLY CLUB
Profile
The Barbados Rally Club was founded in 1957 following the successful running of the first June Rally; now called the June Safari, it boasts the longest continuous history of any motor sport event in the region. Always at the forefront of the sport's development in Barbados and the wider Caribbean, the Club was among the first to encourage regional, then international, competition. Sol Rally Barbados 2010 marks the 20th Anniversary of the Club's International All-Stage Rally which, from small beginnings in 1990 has developed into the Caribbean's biggest annual international motor sport event and a major contributor to the island's sports-tourism product.
SKEETE WINS AUTOMOTIVE ART SHAKEDOWN STAGES
Roger Skeete continued his winning ways on tarmac with a decisive victory in Sunday's (April 25) Automotive Art Shakedown Stages, which provided a dramatic preview for next month's Sol Rally Barbados. Among the stars of the day was Josh Read, an impressive fifth overall among five two-wheel-drive cars to finish in the top 10.
Co-driven in the Da Costa Mannings Auto Centre/Michelin/Warrens Motors Subaru Impreza WRC S12 by Louis Venezia, Skeete won by nearly 30 seconds; afterwards, he said: "The day was good, the car is working perfectly and I was not being overly aggressive - I was not aiming to be a hero."
After the day's first Dark Hole stage had been cancelled for safety reasons, Skeete was fastest by 1.5secs on the first Orange Hill, then went on to top the time sheets on all but one stage - the penultimate run through Orange Hill, where he was third.
The Trinidad-Jamaica pairing of John Powell and Michael March (Shell Helix Impreza WRC S12) were fastest, Powell among competitors affected by the European flight disruptions, missing the right springs for bumpy tarmac; a fifth-gear spin on the final Orange Hill stage of the morning had also cost time, and some damage to the car. Even so, he finished third, saying: "I think should be competitive for Rally Barbados as at least we were able to beat Roger on one stage."
Roger Hill and Graham Gittens (Esso/Nassco/MotorMac Toyota Corolla WRC) were the other crew to beat Skeete, and they went on to finish second, around 50secs up on Powell; Hill was another happy with his day's work: "We're still adjusting the suspension, and the car got better throughout the day as the set-up changed."
Although his day started well - in the top three on the first four stages - Paul Bourne (Banks/Chefette/LIME/Virgin Atlantic Ford Focus WRC07) dropped down the order in the afternoon; Bourne said "I'm talking it cool, slow and easy, nothing heroic", but the Focus developed problems with the launch control and what had looked like a secure third place for he and co-driver Allan Kinch two stages from home became sixth.
Ahead of him at close of play were the two highest-placed two-wheel-drive cars. Read and Mark Jordan (Automotive Art/Baram Services Toyota Starlet) had set the early pace, faster on the opening test than Ian and Robert Warren (Automotive Art/Shell V-Power/Simpson Motors Suzuki Swift), the driver admitting to using that first stage to regain his confidence after his accident in Trinidad.
Thereafter, they swapped times, Warren 'winning' five, Read 'four', Read fulfilling his ambition for the day of "mixing it with Cliff Roett and Ian Warren. I don't think I could have driven much harder." After early problems, Roett was not part on the battle.
Warren and Read respectively won SuperModified 10 and 9, with victory in SM11 going to Owen Cumberbatch and Kelly-Ann Sandiford, who finished ninth overall in their BMW M3; it was a mixed day for the Cumberbatch clan, as brother Sammy failed to finish, while their father St Elmo crashed heavily in Orange Hill in the afternoon - both driver and co-driver Dwayne Forde were uninjured.
Other two-wheel-drive crews who impressed included Jeremy Gonsalves and Natasha Farnum (All Terrain Plus/Makita/Star Products/Quik Start Auto Suzuki Swift GTi) - but for a 30-second penalty incurred at the start of the day, they would have finished eighth overall, with a number of top 10 stage times - brothers Logan and Rhett Watson, who did finish eighth in The Unknown Entity/Corbz Workz Ford Escort MkI, and Daryl Clarke and Russell Brancker, who rounded out the top 10 in the Ellco Rentals/Mum's Pasta Products/Area 5 Auto Works/Paintless Dent Removal Mitsubishi Mirage.
The Automotive Art Shakedown Stages (April 25), Shell V-Power King of the Hill (May 23) and Sol Rally Barbados (May 29/30) are organised by the Barbados Rally Club, which celebrated its 50th Anniversary in 2007; Sol RB2010 marks the 20th Anniversary of the inaugural running of the Club's International All-Stage Rally.
Automotive Art Shakedown Stages, April 25 Virgin Atlantic BRC Driver's & Class Championships, round 4 Provisional results - overall:
1st Roger Skeete/Louis Venezia (M8-WRC Da Costa Mannings Auto Centre/Michelin/Warrens Motors Subaru Impreza WRC S12), 18m 59.27s 2nd Roger Hill/Graham Gittens (M8-WRC Esso/Nassco/MotorMac Toyota Corolla WRC), 19m 29.15s 3rd John Powell - TDAD/Michael March - JAM (M8-WRC Shell Helix Subaru Impreza WRC S12), 20m 21.45s 4th Ian Warren/Robert Warren (SM10 Automotive Art/Shell V-Power/Simpson Motors Suzuki Swift), 20m 25.97s 5th Josh Read/Mark Jordan (SM9 Automotive Art/Baram Services Toyota Starlet), 20m 28.33s 6th Paul Bourne/Allan Kinch (M8-WRC Banks/Chefette/LIME/Virgin Atlantic Ford Focus WRC07), 20m 36.35s 7th Barry Gale/Cherie Edghill (P4 Autolink/Weetabix/redlinefuels.com/Bella Beauty Supply/Metal Craft Works Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX), 20m 46.99s 8th Logan Watson/Rhett Watson (SM10 The Unknown Entity/Corbz Workz Ford Escort MkI), 21m 23.44s 9th Owen Cumberbatch/Kelly-Ann Sandiford (SM11 BMW M3), 21m 28.71s 10th Daryl Clarke/Russell Brancker (SM10 Ellco Rentals/Mum's Pasta Products/Area 5 Auto Works/Paintless Dent Removal Mitsubishi Mirage), 21m 29.25s etc Modified 8-WRC 1st Skeete/Venezia; 2nd Hill/Gittens; 3rd Powell/March; etc M8-A 1st Michael Worme/Jason King (Cot Media Group/Dingolay/Speedline Performance Auto/Slowboy Racing Subaru Impreza STi), 22m 47.37s Production 4 1st Gale/Edghill; 2nd Dean Serrao/James Betts (Amalgamated Security Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX) SuperModified 11 1st Cumberbatch/Sandiford; 2nd Brian Gill/Avinash Chatrani (Aqua Pur/Electric Avenue BMW M3), 21m 55.01s; 3rd Nick Gill/Sue Rogers (SM11 SDRR Hydraulic & Industrial Spares/Hilti Tools Mazda 3); etc SM10 1st Warren/Warren; 2nd Watson/Watson; 3rd Clarke/Brancker
SM9 1st Read/Jordan; 2nd Jeremy Gonsalves/Natasha Farnum (All Terrain Plus/Makita/Star Products/Quik Start Auto Suzuki Swift GTi), 21m 51.52s
P2 1st Fabien Clarke/Arlington Hoyte (Barbados Business Listings/Crimson Jade/RCR Tours/Bovell Auto Repair/Big P Customs Brokers/De Fx-Bar Suzuki Ignis Sport), 47m 32.55s
CREWS SHAKE DOWN FOR SOL RALLY BARBADOS 2010
Twenty of the 47 crews confirmed at last night's (Thursday) Briefing Meeting for the Automotive Art Shakedown Stages on Sunday (April 25) will be making their competition debuts for the 2010 season, many using the first tarmac rally of the year as part of their preparations for next month's Shell V-Power King of the Hill and Sol Rally Barbados.
Rally fans wanting to catch up with the latest news are encouraged to attend Scrutineering tomorrow (Saturday) between 1.00pm and 5.00pm, at Automotive Art's Wildey premises; competitors are required to arrive there no later than 2.30pm and food and drink will be on sale, creating a relaxed atmosphere for fans to mix with competitors and inspect new or revised machinery.
Sunday's event is the fourth round of the Barbados Rally Club (BRC) Virgin Atlantic Driver's and Class Championships, so drivers absent from earlier events will be keen to make their mark early. The event will start at 8.00am from Automotive Art, Welches, St Michael, with the finish at approximately 3.30pm at Black Bess Quarry in St Peter.
There are 10 stages: in the morning, two northbound runs through the four-kilometre Dark Hole, alternating with three runs southbound through Orange Hill (3.6kms); after a lunch halt at the Greenland Agricultural Station, St Andrew, service area, the directions will be reversed for a further two runs through Dark Hole and three through Orange Hill.
While the disruption to European airspace caused by the volcano in Iceland means there are one or two competitors awaiting parts from the UK, all crews entered are determined to turn out for this vital shakedown. Roger Skeete (Subaru Impreza WRC S12) is seeded at number one, following his winning 2010 debut in the MCBI speed event two weeks ago, ahead of Paul Bourne, who won the season's opening gravel events in his Ford Focus WRC07, but is yet to see tarmac action in the island this year.
One of only a handful of drivers in the entry to have competed on both gravel and tarmac this year, Roger Hill (Toyota Corolla WRC) is seeded third, with Trinidad-based Jamaican John Powell (Impreza WRC S12) completing the Modified 8-WRC entry.
Behind them, however, is where the newcomers begin: in M8-A, Graeme Finlayson is wheeling out his Mitsubishi Lancer Evo III for the first time this year, facing Michal Worme's Impreza Sti; in Production 4, in the absence of Geoff Noel - one of those affected by parts delivery - Barry Gale and Dean Serrao will do battle in their Evo IXs, Serrao returning to Group N after the loss of his ex-Bourne Impreza WRC S9 in Trinidad.
A strong SuperModified 11 field promises fireworks, with old rivals Nick Gill (Mazda 3) and Mark Hamilton (Ford Escort MkII) the likely front-runners, chased by the Cumberbatch clan, father St Elmo and sons Sammy and Owen in a trio of BMWs, Harold Morley (Porsche GT3) and Andrew Jones returning in his heavily re-worked Ford Escort.
In SM10, Ian Warren (Suzuki Swift) sees tarmac action for the first time this year, while Cliff Roett will be looking for some success in his Toyota Starlet in his first event for the season away from Bushy Park. Fans of SM9 front-runner Josh Read - including event sponsor Automotive Art - will be hoping for more giant-killing acts, while others that will attract interest include Dane Skeete, making his debut in the ex-Ian Warren Peugeot 206, and Paul Horton (Honda Civic) from the Turks & Caicos, both in M6.
The Automotive Art Shakedown Stages (April 25), Shell V-Power King of the Hill (May 23) and Sol Rally Barbados (May 29/30) are organised by the Barbados Rally Club, which celebrated its 50th Anniversary in 2007; Sol RB2010 marks the 20th Anniversary of the inaugural running of the Club's International All-Stage Rally.
Automotive Art Shakedown Stages, April 25 Virgin Atlantic BRC Driver's & Class Championships, round 4 Provisional running order:
1 Roger Skeete/Louis Venezia (M8-WRC Da Costa Mannings Auto Centre/Michelin/Warrens Motors Subaru Impreza WRC S12
2 Paul Bourne/Stuart Maloney (M8-WRC Banks/Chefette/LIME/Virgin Atlantic Ford Focus WRC07)
3 Roger Hill/Graham Gittens (M8-WRC Esso/Nassco/MotorMac Toyota Corolla WRC)
4 John Powell - TDAD/Michael March - JAM (M8-WRC Shell Helix Subaru Impreza WRC S12)
5 Graeme Finlayson - SCO/Darnley Rayside (M8-A www.racedandrallied.com Mitsubishi Lancer Evo III RS)
6 Michael Worme/Jason King (M8-A Cot Media Group/Dingolay/Speedline Performance Auto/Slowboy Racing Subaru Impreza STi)
7 Barry Gale/Cherie Edghill (P4 Autolink/Weetabix/redlinefuels.com/Bella Beauty Supply/Metal Craft Works Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX)
8 Dean Serrao/James Betts (P4 Amalgamated Security Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX)
9 Ian Warren/Robert Warren (SM10 Automotive Art/Shell V-Power/Simpson Motors Suzuki Swift) 10 Cliff Roett/Orry Hunte (SM10 Paulo's Churasco Do Brasil/Carters & Co/Lucky Horseshoe/Nassco/Lubriguard/Roett's Garage Toyota Starlet)
12 Mark Hamilton/Clive Howell (SM11 PowerMaster Batteries/Consolidated Finance/Valvoline Oil/Kumho Tires Ford Escort MkII)
14 Josh Read/Mark Jordan (SM9 Automotive Art/Baram Services Toyota Starlet)
15 Sammy Cumberbatch/Nicholas Yarde (SM11 BMW M3)
16 Owen Cumberbatch/Kelly-Ann Sandiford (SM11 BMW M3)
17 Terry Sealy/Rommel Coppin (P4 Premier World Cargo/Speedline Performance Auto/Caribbean Alliance Insurance Subaru Impreza WRX STi)
18 St Elmo Cumberbatch/Dwayne Forde (SM11 Carib Supply/F Taylor Insurance BMW E36)
19 Brian Gill/Avinash Chatrni (SM11 Aqua Pur/Electric Avenue BMW M3) 20 Harold Morley - ENG/Geoff Goddard (SM11 NET2VU Porsche RSR GT3 Rally)
21 Andrew Jones/Ryan Farmer (SM11 Quix Lime/A P Jones Pharmacy Ford Escort MkII)
22 Duane Johnson/Summer Lewis (SM11 Johnsons Autos Mitsubishi Lancer Turbo)
23 Calvin Briggs/Pedro Thomas (SM11 Ford Escort MkII)
24 Logan Watson/Rhett Watson (SM10 The Unknown Entity/Corbz Workz Ford Escort MkI)
25 Daryl Clarke/Russell Brancker (SM10 Ellco Rentals/Mum's Pasta Products/Area 5 Auto Works/Paintless Dent Removal Mitsubishi Mirage)
26 Stuart McChlery/Julian Goddard (SM10 Lubriguard/TeleBarbados Ford Escort MkI)
27 Neil Corbin/Joshua Delmas (SM9 Nassco/Jason Jones/Auto Solutions Toyota Starlet)
28 Carlos Edwards/Brian Gibson (SM9 Global Business Centre/Ellco Rentals Toyota Starlet)
29 Jeremy Gonsalves/Natasha Farnum (SM9 All Terrain Plus/Makita/Star Products/Quik Start Auto Suzuki Swift GTi) 30 Allan Maynard/ Jeremy Croney (SM9 Marshal Trading/Lubriguard/El Tigre Catamaran Cruises Toyota Starlet)
44 Paul Inniss/Kerry Downes (SM9 Downes Auto Body Repair/PalMart Inc/King Kuts Barber Shop/POC Trucking Toyota Starlet)
45 Marc-Lee Bascombe/Jan-yves Hinds (SM9 Hot Legendary Fishcakes Toyota Starlet)
46 Sean T Field/Trai Field (P3 Peugeot 306)
47 Fabien Clarke/Arlington Hoyte (P2 Barbados Business Listings/Crimson Jade/RCR Tours/Bovell Auto Repair/Big P Customs Brokers/De Fx-Bar Suzuki Ignis Sport)
48 Miguel Toppin/Arron Fernandes (P1 Toyota Starlet)
FOUR ISLANDS SEND CARS FOR SOL RALLY BARBADOS
Island rally fans will enjoy their first chance to see one of the new overseas entries for Sol Rally Barbados 2010 in action this coming weekend, when Paul Horton from Turks & Caicos joins local crews for the Automotive Art Shakedown Stages on Sunday (April 25).
His entry for Sol RB 2010 (May 29/30), which marks the 20th Anniversary of the inaugural running of the Barbados Rally Club's (BRC) International All-Stage Rally, brings to four for the first time in more than 10 years the number of other regional territories represented, as Turks & Caicos joins Jamaica, St Vincent & The Grenadines and Trinidad & Tobago.
Horton is no stranger to rallying overseas, having competed successfully for the past two years in Targa Newfoundland in North America; in 2008, he won his class in the Honda Civic in which he'll be competing in Barbados - the car, which is prepared by Sky Rally Sport and backed by H Racing, Horizon Construction and SHEK Investments, arrived at the Bridgetown Port last week. In 2009, he moved up the order, finishing fifth overall - and again a class-winner - in a 1968 Mk1 Ford Escort.
Targa Newfoundland is unique in North American motor sport, with a route of 2200-plus kilometres - that's around 1,400 miles - on the paved, open roads of eastern and central Newfoundland. The timed stages represented around 20 per cent of the distance, but the event is not all about the competition.
As the official web site states: "Yes, we have winners, but our prize isn't money - its bragging rights and personal fulfilment. To that end, completing or just participating in Targa Newfoundland is reward enough and beyond anything you have ever experienced. Our return competitor rate of 55 per cent attests to this!"
And Horton agrees with this wholeheartedly. Asked what he would list as his major rallying achievements, he said: "Finishing Targa Newfoundland two years in a row, and in different cars. It lasts five days, covers something like 2000 kilometres of transit to link up about 500 kilometres of special stages . . . and I'm definitely going back for another go this year!"
British-born Horton started rallying in a small way the early 1980s, when he was serving in the British Army in Germany; after a long break, he took the sport up again in 2007, and aims to continue in regional and North American events.
Sol Rally Barbados link with Targa Newfoundland reinforced
The link between Sol Rally Barbados and Targa Newfoundland initiated last year is being reinforced in 2010. While Sol RB 2010 Chairman Barry Gale travelled to the North American event last year as a Steward, each event offered a reciprocal deal whereby the 2009 winner would enjoy free entry to the next running of the other event.
Gale says: "Targa Newfoundland offered a prize last year to the overall winners of Sol RB09, and we offered a reciprocal prize to the winners of Targa Newfoundland; so far neither crew has been able to take up the prize, but we are keen to work towards further developing the relationship."
This year, Targa Newfoundland President Robert Giannou and his partner Alexandra will be guests of Sol RB2010; they will arrive in time for Scrutineering, so will enjoy the action at Shell V-Power King of the Hill as well Sol RB2010 itself, and will remain for the Prizegiving.
With increased interest in his event being shown by crews from around the Caribbean, Giannou introduced an additional competition at Targa Newfoundland last year, the Atlantic Rum Run Challenge. As Gale explains: "Robert counts Newfoundland as an island, so each island visitor brought a sample of their finest local rum to be put into a pot from which the highest-placed islander would taste them all. Newfoundland has a monster of a rum called Screech - rather aptly named, once you've tasted it, to be honest - but Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago and the Turks & Caicos all have fine rums, too, not forgetting St Vincent and its brand Sunset!
"It was very interesting at the awards ceremony to watch a gathering of people drinking the rum prizes neat out of a glass. Mount Gay Extra Old was by far the favourite!" Ironically, Paul Horton was the inaugural winner of the Atlantic Rum Run Challenge in Newfoundland last September.
FAMOUS NAME MEHTA FOR SOL RALLY
Sol Rally Barbados 2010 (May 29/30), which marks the 20th Anniversary of the inaugural running of the Barbados Rally Club's (BRC) International All-Stage Rally, is heading for a record in the number of women entered - the total is now close to 20, with one of the World Rally Championship's most successful female competitors, Yvonne Mehta, bringing an internationally-recognised name to the event.
Yvonne travels to Barbados to co-drive for New Zealander Rob Whitehouse, who previously lived in the island, in his Lancia Delta Integrale; she was twice a podium finisher in the WRC - third in the Acropolis in 1978, second in Argentina in 1981 - among 13 top 10 WRC finishes as co-driver to her late husband, the legendary five-time Safari Rally winner and former President of the FIA Rallies Commission Shekhar Mehta.
The Lancia, an Abarth works-specification Group N car, was built in 1989; it was campaigned for just one season in the UK by Yorkshireman Pete Slights, who had won the Esso Metro Superchallenge the previous year in his MG Metro 6R4. Slights, who visited Barbados in 2001 with Ireland's Dennis Biggerstaff, whose 6R4 he prepared, was co-driven in the Lancia by another name familiar to island motor sport fans, Champion - in this instance Joyce, mother of regular island competitor Ryan.
Thereafter, the Lancia was stored and remained unused until it was re-commissioned in 2008; it is now prepared for Whitehouse by Sweep Motorsport, based in the British Midlands town of Nuneaton.
Whitehouse started competing in his native New Zealand in 1980, racing in Group A touring cars, historics and Formula Ford. After a 15-year retirement, he took up rallying in 2005, mostly in classic and historic events in Europe, where he now lives.
Co-driver Mehta's interest in motor sport dates back to her days as a kart racer in the UK, but her professional co-driving status began almost by accident; having helped Shekhar prepare for Kenya's gruelling Safari Rally as the recce co-driver, a chance offer of a works drive in Portugal in 1974 started the driver/co-driver partnership. She says: "We came seventh, and thereafter did every event together (except the Safari) and continued to be a team for many, many years without having one cross word."
In addition to the top three finishes, their WRC results included a further 11 top 10s, just missing out on podiums with fourth places in Argentina (1980, '83 & 85), the Acropolis (1982 & '85) and New Zealand (1983); outside the WRC, they won the Cyprus Rally, Indonesia Rally and Malaysia Rally, also the Middle East Rally Championship.
Mehta says: "I am really looking forward to coming to Barbados to do your rally. I hung up my helmet in 1991 after my son Vijay was born, but I was enticed back to co-drive a few years ago in historic events, initially by Tony Fall, then Steve Rockingham . . . and I am eternally grateful to them both. I haven't sat with Rob before, but I am looking forward to the trip very much."
More details confirmed for Automotive Art Shakedown Stages
The Barbados Rally Club (BRC) has confirmed further details about the Automotive Art Shakedown Stages, which will be staged on Sunday, April 25. Some dates and times differ from information previously circulated:
Scrutineering will now be staged on Saturday (April 24) between 1.00pm and 5.00pm, at Automotive Art's Wildey premises; competitors are required to arrive no later than 2.30pm. Food and drink will be on sale, and spectators are encouraged to attend the Briefing Meeting will be held on Thursday (April 22) at 7.00pm, at the Barbados Clay Target Shooting Association Clubhouse at Searles, Christ Church the Sunday (April 25) start time has been revised to 8.00am from Automotive Art's Welches, St Michael, premises, with the finish slated for approximately 4.30pm at Black Bess Quarry in St Peter the service area will be Greenland Agricultural Station, St Andrew.
JACKMAN RETURNS FOR SOL RALLY BARBADOS
Nearly 10 years since he last competed on home soil, Bajan Dwane Jackman is returning from Canada for Sol Rally Barbados 2010 (May 29/30), which marks the 20th Anniversary of the inaugural running of the Barbados Rally Club's (BRC) International All-Stage Rally. And he'll be driving what he thinks should be "quite the package" for the Caribbean's biggest annual international motor sport event.
With co-driver Michaela Guscott, he is entered in a Mark II Volkswagen Golf, which has recently undergone a major rebuild by Jackman Racing and Blitzkreig AutoWerks, a competition and performance car specialist based - as are Jackman and Guscott - in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Jackman first competed as a co-driver, in a Ford Escort initially driven by Christopher Choat and later by Tony Pile, with whom he finished second in Modified 7 in the BRC's International All-Stage Rally in 2001 . . . sandwiched between winners John Corbin/Rodney Clarke (Toyota Corolla) and Adrian and Jonathan Linton (Vauxhall Astra).
He also tried his hand at driving, including outings at Bushy Park and the Vaucluse Raceway, before moving to Canada in 2001; he revived his rallying interests in 2007 - on his debut in the Pacific Forest Rally, he finished third in class, 14th overall, despite an early front suspension failure that had dropped him down the order.
The following season, competing in the Western Canada Rally Championship, despite rolling the Golf in the 2008 Mountain Trials, he still managed to the event finish highest-placed Novice; this was the first of a number of difficult rallies, however, after which he decided to rethink the spec of the Golf and regroup.
Jackman says: "With new support from Blitzkreig Autowerks, the Jackman Racing Golf has been reborn better than ever, as a full kit car. It is powered by a 2-litre 16-valve engine, pushing 160bhp to the front wheels, with full MoTeC engine management system and throttle bodies; it has also undergone suspension and brake modifications, lightening with composite materials.
"I'm also grateful to Bonaventure Fisheries for their exceptional backing, and to Coache Collision and Proper Design, whose bodywork, paint and design expertise have given the Golf a completely new look; I think the revamped car should be quite the package for Rally Barbados."
Entries open for Automotive Art Shakedown Stages
The countdown to Sol Rally Barbados 2010, the Caribbean's biggest annual international motor sport event, steps up a gear in just under two weeks' time (Sunday, April 25) when the Barbados Rally Club (BRC) stages the Automotive Art Shakedown Stages, entries for which are now open.
Slated for a 9.00am start from Automotive Art's premises at Welches, St Michael, following scrutineering from 7.30am, the event will be contested over 12 stages; Black Bess Quarry in St Peter will be the base for service between each loop of two stages, also the venue for the lunch halt, the finish - approximately 4.00pm - and a post-event social for competitors, marshals, officials and spectators.
Entries are now open at Motorsport Services, Haggatt Hall, St Michael, and will close at 4.00pm on Friday (April 16); the entry list will be confirmed and the running order published at the Briefing Meeting, which starts at 7.00pm on Thursday, April 22 - the venue for the Briefing Meeting is yet to be confirmed.
Round four of the BRC Virgin Atlantic Driver's and Class Championships, the Automotive Art Shakedown Stages is a key element in the build-up to Sol RB10 for a number of reasons:
it is the first chance for the year for competitors to enjoy a full day's sport on tarmac first-time competitors intending to compete in Sol RB10 must enter this event in order to be eligible, so a number crews may be contesting a BRC event for the very first time it provides an opportunity for the organising team to check out all systems
Sol Rally Barbados Chairman Barry Gale said: "This is an important event for all of those involved in running Sol Rally Barbados - in every aspect, it is a dry run for our premier event, because it allows the officials to practice, and therefore fully understand, their roles for Sol RB10. I am expecting a solid entry of around 50 cars, much as we had last year, so I think competitor and spectator alike will have an excellent day out."
HALL IN EX-WORKS PUMA FOR SOL RALLY BARBADOS
Regular visitor Kenny Hall drove Zero Car on Saturday's (April 3) Charterhall Stages in his native Scotland to shake down the ex-works Ford Puma in which he is aiming for a fourth Class win when he contests Sol Rally Barbados 2010 (May 29/30), which celebrates the 20th Anniversary of the inaugural running of the Barbados Rally Club's (BRC) International All-Stage Rally.
The popular Scot describes his first new rally car for more than 10 years as "very, very different" from his Suzuki-engined Opel Corsa; built in 2002, it was first campaigned in the Junior WRC by future British Rally Champion Guy Wilks and Zimbabwe's Conrad Rautenbach, then in Scotland by Barry Clark and Ireland by Brian O'Mahony.
Hall has missed the BRC's premier event only once since 2002, and has been a regular visitor to the island for family holidays with wife Fiona and sons Alex and Jonny, proof positive of the value of rallying within the increasingly-important sports-tourism mix. He has won Modified 5 three times in Rally Barbados, with co-drivers Colin Smith (2004) then Holland's Fenny Wesselink (2007 &'09), the duo also winning the award for highest-placed crew including a female in 2007.
The Puma is built to the original S1600 regs, which required a 1600cc normally-aspirated engine, with restrictor, developing around 210bhp, and driving through the front wheels only; it has roller throttle bodies and a Hewland six-speed, flat-shift sequential gearbox . . . which Hall found something of a challenge on Saturday: "The car is good, but very, very different! Everything's in the wrong place, you don't use the clutch, don't take your foot off the throttle when you're changing gear, pull for up, push for down . . . and the handbrake's next to gear lever.
"It was okay, though, with just a minor bump on the front, thanks to pulling the gear lever and going up a gear, rather than snatching the hand brake for a tight hairpin through tyres. As the day went on, I realised that it was not the same as the Corsa - I can't even see the wings, the car's so wide . . . so, the next test will be King of the Hill. I can't wait to see how it goes on the dry stuff. It certainly took the wet well - we were hanging on flat in sixth on some long sweeping curves at Charterhall."
Local competitors urged to finalise their plans
With less than four weeks to go before entries close for the Caribbean's biggest annual international motor sport event, organisers of Sol Rally Barbados 2010 are urging island competitors to complete their arrangements.
Rally Chairman Barry Gale said: "It is very important that local competitors do not lose touch with the time line. Entries have been coming in since before Christmas, but of course these have all been on-line entries - some people might even have forgotten that they entered . . . or, even worse, think they have, but never got round to it!"
Friday, April 30 is the closing date for entries, and also the final date by which local competitors must pay their entry fees. The previous Sunday (April 25), however, is the Shakedown Stages, which may also have a significance for novice or returning competitors, as Gale explains: "In recent years, we have developed careful guidelines to ensure a certain level of experience before a competitor starts Rally Barbados."
The Additional Supplementary Regulations for the event state quite clearly:
+ novice competitors must have taken part in at least one Special Stage
+ Rally in 2010 prior to this event. No entry will be accepted where Sol
+ Rally Barbados 2010 will be the competitor's first event experienced
+ competitors who have not participated in a rally within the last five
+ years must notify the committee of their intent to compete - depending
+ on prior experience levels, participation in one Rally before RB10 may
+ be required
"Since we instituted the on-line entry system, keeping control of these issues has become much simpler," adds Gale. "Every on-line entry received is automatically forwarded to a number of people, including Jeanne Crawford, our Rally Office Manager, and me. Between us, we recognise most names, so have been able to alert people if they fall into one of these categories."
As a final warning, however, Gale added: "There are still nearly 10 drivers who entered last year, but are not yet on this year's list. I would urge everyone who wants to be there to make sure they have entered, so they won't be disappointed."
WALLIS TO MARK 40TH AT SOL RALLY BARBADOS
Sol Rally Barbados 2010 (May 29/30) not only marks the 20th Anniversary of the inaugural running of the Barbados Rally Club's (BRC) International All-Stage Rally, but also provides British regular Simon Wallis - he's competed on the island for six of the past seven years - with an ideal way of celebrating his 40th birthday.
While the struggle for overall supremacy on the Caribbean's biggest annual international motor sport event will be the focus for many, it is becoming clear that the battle for Group N is also shaping up to be an interesting one. Of the 26 entries so far received on-line for the BRC's four-wheel-drive classes - Modified 8-WRC, M8-A and Production 4 (Group N) - more than half are from overseas.
During the first three rounds of the Virgin Atlantic BRC Drivers' and Class Championships, an intense local struggle has already developed in Group N between reigning Champion Geoff Noel and former Champion Barry Gale, swapping times back and forth and rarely separated by more than a few tenths in their Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IXs; but that is where a number of the visitors will do battle, including Wallis and fellow British crew Rob Swann and Darren Garrod, whose entry was confirmed in January.
In his six previous visits, Wallis has competed in front-wheel-drive hatchbacks, either Vauxhall Astra - he finished class second once, third twice, and in a different Astra each year - or Peugeot 205; for Sol Rally Barbados 2010, however, he steps up to four-wheel-drive in a 2004 Subaru Impreza N10, backed by software consultancy firm Wallis Performance Ltd and DialPrefix, and co-driven by Louise Hay.
Wallis says: "The car was driven by Chris Firth to eighth in the British Rally Championship last year and I bought it as a 40th birthday present for myself, with an eye to bringing it to Barbados. This is my seventh Rally Barbados in eight years - I was disappointed to miss RB09 due to work commitments, and I will be careful not to let that happen again."
Having started rallying in 1995 in a Skoda Favorit in the UK's one-make Skoda Trophy, he acquired the first of many Vauxhall Astras, in which he won the 2002 Toshiba Irish Tarmac Championship; while he is looking forward to his outing in Barbados, he has bad memories of his first relationship with a Subaru: "If you were to ask about major disasters, I'd have to say Wales Rally GB 2008, the really snowy one; it was my first rally in a Subaru (a GC8) and each day was cut very short by turbo fires."
As far as Sol RB10 in concerned, Wallis is not gunning for the local stars: "As with all my previous visits, I'm looking forward to simply doing the best I can, and enjoying it in the process. The car is still on a 32mm turbo restrictor, so we will be giving away a bit of power to other Group N cars who have moved on to 33mm, but two days on the island's roads is a long time and I'm looking forward to the challenge."
Unexpected results for Bajan crews in Rally Trinidad
A number of the Group N crews Wallis will face at the end of May will come from Trinidad, which hosted overseas visitors from Barbados and the UK - in the form of triple British Rally Champion Mark Higgins - last weekend for the twin-island state's premier event, Rally Trinidad, organised by the Trinidad and Tobago Rally Club (TTRC).
Not everything went to plan for the Bajan crews - early casualties included Rally Trinidad 2008 winner Paul Bourne (Banks/Chefette/LIME/Virgin Atlantic Ford Focus WRC07), who hit mechanical problems on Saturday morning; even worse befell Dean Serrao, campaigning Bourne's former Subaru Impreza WRC S9 outside Barbados for the first time, when it was engulfed by fire on the opening stage - both Serrao and co-driver Michael Worme were uninjured, but the car was totally destroyed.
Despite early setbacks, Neil Armstrong was declared fourth in his Group A Evo VI, while Mark Hamilton (Valvoline Oil/PowerMaster Batteries/Kumho Batteries/Consolidated Finance Ford Escort MkII) finished one position behind him, class-winner and highest-placed two-wheel-drive car - he had inherited that honour once Ian Warren had run off in the Automotive Art/Shell V-Power/Simpson Motors Suzuki Swift. Ryan Wood (Toyota Starlet) was also a class-winner, with 3W's team-mate Stuart White third in class.
Trinidad-based Jamaican John Powell (Shell Helix Subaru Impreza WRC S12) prevailed overall, adding to his victories of 2005 & '06, achieved in a Toyota Corolla WRC, with Higgins and co-driver Nicky Grist second and winners of Group N.
REGIONAL SUPPORT UP FOR SOL RALLY BARBADOS
Regional support for Sol Rally Barbados 2010 (May 29/30), which celebrates the 20th Anniversary of the inaugural running of the Barbados Rally Club's (BRC) International All-Stage Rally, is on the rise, with the prospect of a record entry for the last two decades from the wider Caribbean.
With five weeks to go until closing date on April 30, there are already 10 on-line entries from four other territories - twice as many as last year, and the first time the number has reached double figures in recent history - with more promised once this weekend's Rally Trinidad (March 26-28) has been run.
And it is the twin-island state that has been a major driving force in this increased support; of those 10 entries, six crews are from Trinidad, all but one will be newcomers to the event . . . and they have helped drive the total of four-wheel-drive cars currently entered up to 26, approaching a record for Rally Barbados.
Officials of the Trinidad and Tobago Rally Club (TTRC) have been working tirelessly in recent years to return the island's rallying scene to its former healthy state . . . and their efforts are being rewarded; in addition to increased entries from other territories, the TTRC has attracted experienced organisers from both Barbados and Jamaica to help in the smooth running of their premier loose-surface event this weekend.
Following an encouraging 24-car local entry for the opening round of the TTRC Stages Championship at Preysal at the end of February, Rally Trinidad has attracted 40 crews - a record since the present format was introduced in 2004 - including triple British Rally Champion Mark Higgins, co-driven in a Group N Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX by Nicky Grist, who sat alongside the late Colin McRae for six seasons in the World Rally Championship.
Higgins is already a familiar face in Caribbean rallying, having visited Barbados on more than one occasion, and his time spent in both islands has included running 'master classes' for local competitors; indeed, the Chairman of Rally Barbados, Barry Gale, is campaigning his recently-acquired ex-Higgins Group N Evo IX this season.
The growing co-operation between the clubs in Barbados and Trinidad is encouraging increased inter-island travel and ever-greater competition between drivers; this weekend's RT10 includes no fewer than eight crews from Barbados, some of whom will enjoy a chance to measure themselves against competitors who will be making the trip north for Sol Rally Barbados at the end of May.
Currently the form driver in Barbados, and winner of Rally Trinidad in 2008, Paul Bourne leads the invasion in his Banks/Chefette/LIME/Virgin Atlantic Ford Focus WRC07, the car in which Britain's Paul Bird finished second to Kris Meeke in Sol RB09. With co-driver Stuart Maloney - no mean driver himself, and the 2008 Caribbean Motor Racing Champion - their main target is Trinidad-based Jamaican John Powell, who is doing his best to contest a full season in both Barbados and Trinidad . . . and started off well in the latter, with victory (in his Group N Evo IX) in the February opener at Preysal.
For this weekend, he and Nicholas Telfer are entered in his Shell Helix-backed Subaru Impreza WRC S12, hoping to repeat his victories of 2005 & '06, achieved in a Toyota Corolla WRC; Powell is included in the growing regional entry for Sol RB2010, an event he is yet to win - among five top 10 results, he has twice finished second, to Roger Mayers (Ford Focus) in 2005, then Bourne's Impreza S9 in '07 (by just 1.7secs), and would dearly like to add the title to his portfolio.
RT10 will also provide valuable seat time for Bajan Dean Serrao, who acquired Bourne's Impreza S9 at the beginning of the season, and owner of the Evo IX Higgins is driving in Trinidad; others running in the four-wheel-drive classes are Neil Armstrong in his Group A Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI and Barbados-based British ex-pat Harold Morley in his Group N NET2VU Impreza N14.
In the two-wheel-drive classes, the island will be represented by Ian Warren, who finished an impressive second overall and class-winner last year in the Automotive Art/Shell V-Power/Simpson Motors Suzuki Swift, BRC vice-chairman Mark Hamilton (Valvoline Oil/PowerMaster Batteries/Kumho Batteries/Consolidated Finance Ford Escort MkII), and 3W's team-mates Stuart White and Ryan Wood in their Toyota Starlets.
Sol Rally Barbados (May 29/30) and Shell V-Power King of the Hill (May 23) are organised by the Barbados Rally Club, which celebrated its 50th Anniversary in 2007; Sol RB2010 marks the 20th Anniversary of the inaugural running of the Club's International All-Stage Rally.
MEEKE DOUBTFUL FOR SOL RALLY BARBADOS
Fresh from victory in last weekend's Rally Internacional de Curitiba in Brazil, Ulstermen Kris Meeke and Paul Nagle have cast serious doubts on their chances of returning to attempt a hat-trick of wins on Sol Rally Barbados (May 29/30), which celebrates the 20th Anniversary of the inaugural running of the Barbados Rally Club's (BRC) International All-Stage Rally.
Nagle told the recently-launched web site maxrally.com that they will almost certainly be unable to make it, because of the close proximity of the recce for Rally d'Italia-Sardegna, the fourth round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC), which takes place the following weekend (June 4-6).
He told reporter Charlie Contadeli: "There's just no way we could do the rally and be ready for the start of the recce in Sardinia, because they're just one week apart. It's not great, because it's a great event, but Kris and I know our priority is the IRC."
Meeke's victory in the Kronos Racing-run Peugeot UK-backed 207 Super 2000 was his second in the two-day gravel rally in Brazil, and his fifth in the IRC, marking a new IRC record. With two of the 12 rounds run, reigning IRC Champion Meeke is equal third with Ford's Mikko Hirvonen in the standings, trailing Skoda drivers Guy Wilks and current leader Juho Hanninen by one and four points respectively; Peugeot lies seven points behind Skoda in the manufacturer standings.
Meeke and Nagle have won Sol Rally Barbados for the past two years, first in a Toyota Corolla WRC, then last year in a Subaru Impreza WRC S9; British crew Paul Bird and Ian Windress finished second (Impreza S9 in 2008, Ford Focus WRC 07 in 2009) on both occasions, with third place occupied by Jamaica's Gary Gregg and Hugh Hutchinson (Focus WRC02) in 2008 and by local crew Paul Bourne and Stuart Maloney (Impreza WRC S9) last year.
Sol Rally Barbados Chairman Barry Gale said: "Naturally, it will be disappointing not to see Kris and Paul competing this year, particularly as they have been such a hit with our fans and fellow competitors alike, but changes to the IRC calendar mean their next event is two weeks' closer to ours than it was last year.
"And, on behalf of everyone here, I must say 'congratulations' to Kris and Paul on their second win in Brazil. Caribbean fans have a habit of 'adopting' the overseas competitors who come all this way to entertain us, such as Kris and Mark Higgins, and we follow their exploits around the world with great interest."
Perez picks up win after Bird picks up punctures
Rally Barbados regular Steve Perez won the Malcolm Wilson Rally, based in Cockermouth in the north of England on Saturday (March 6), despite losing a minute on the second stage of the day, when he slid off in treacherously icy conditions; with regular Welsh co-driver, Paul Spooner, alongside in the Kick Energy Ford Focus WRC07, his winning margin was 17 seconds.
His second consecutive victory on the event came at the expense of Paul Bird's ambitions to claim a record-breaking fourth win on what is his home event. With Scottish co-driver Kirsty Riddick, Bird built up a 22-second lead after four stages in the Rockstar Energy/Vent-Axia/supercasino.com Focus WRC08, as they headed for two tough stages in Grizedale Forest.
In Grizedale North, Bird extend his lead to 41 seconds but, on the penultimate test in Grizedale South, the pair suffered a puncture very early on in the 10-mile stage; not long after, a second puncture proved terminal, and the 2005 National Champion had to limp out of the stage and into retirement.
By then, Perez had battled his way back up to third, which became second following Bird's demise; courtesy of three stage wins in the final four tests, he beat Jonathan Greer and Jonny Hart, also in a Focus, by 17 seconds.
Sol Rally Barbados (May 29/30) and Shell V-Power King of the Hill (May 23) are organised by the Barbados Rally Club, which celebrated its 50th Anniversary in 2007; Sol RB2010 marks the 20th Anniversary of the inaugural running of the Club's International All-Stage Rally.
ANGLIA BOOSTS WRC ENTRY FOR SOL RALLY BARBADOS
Following a steady rise in the number of World Rally Cars contesting the Barbados Rally Club's (BRC) blue riband event, the on-line entries for Sol Rally Barbados (May 29/30) suggest the total will reach record levels again for the 2010 event, which celebrates the 20th Anniversary of the inaugural running of the Club's International All-Stage Rally.
And, alongside the usual suspects - Ford Focus WRC, Subaru Impreza WRC and Toyota Corolla WRC for instance - there's a Ford Anglia WRC. In this instance, however, the initials WRC stand for Well-Run Car; the car's owner, Scottish scrap dealer Allan Mackay, and Northern Irish co-driver 'MadMo' Downey are among seven first-time overseas entries so far received.
This is no ordinary Anglia - dating from 1959, it is the same age as its owner. Fifty-year-old Mackay explains: "I have owned this car since I was 14, and I have another 14 Anglias, along with a Group A Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI."
Built by Mackay Motorsport and now prepared by Northern Ireland company Mark Greer Motorsport, the Anglia is powered by a 1.6-litre eight-valve all-steel engine, developing 185bhp; the upgrades include throttle bodies, six-speed sequential gearbox, fully-floating axle, all-round Proflex suspension and power steering.
Having started in motor sport in 1977, using the Anglia for both circuit racing and rallying, Mackay went on to win the 1989 Scottish Tarmac Championship; more recently, he and co-driver Downey have won their class in the Northern Ireland Rally Championship in 2006 & '07, although a major accident on the 2006 Easter Stages, when they rolled the Evo VI, is an event they will not soon forget.
Downey says: "I first sat with Allan on the Mourne Stages, a Northern Ireland Championship round, in 2005. I had only met him the day before, but we've been great friends ever since. For the last couple of years, we have done Double Zero car on the Snowman Rally in two feet of snow, so we're looking forward to the sunshine."
Bird and Perez miss out again on UK Championship opener
Rally Barbados regulars Steve Perez and Paul Bird, both former UK National Rally Champions - Perez in 2004, 'Birdy' in '05 - once again missed out on victory in Rallye Sunseeker, opening round of the MSA Gravel Rally Championship, run in and around Bournemouth and Poole on England's south coast at the weekend (February 26/27).
Fastest on the opening stage, Perez and co-driver Paul Spooner went on to finish third in the Kick Energy Ford Focus WRC07, after a second-place finish looked certain until a spin on the final stage: "I threw it all away on the last stage! We had a minor spin but I accidentally caught the master switch and, by the time we'd realised what had happened, we'd lost a lot of time. It was our only problem all day long. The car has been great as always, and we had a relatively comfortable second place until that happened."
Four-time National Champion and local driver Marcus Dodd extended his record sequence of victories on the event to seven in his Hyundai Accent WRC, while Andy Burton took advantage of the VK Energy driver's spin on the final stage to snatch second place in his popular Peugeot-Cosworth.
While Perez spun on the final stage of the day, the problems started much earlier for Bird, who had attended his mother Isabel's funeral only days before the event; with Scottish co-driver Kirsty Riddick - she was suffering suspected glandular fever - he spun the Rockstar Energy/www.supercasino.com/Vent-Axia Ford Focus WRC08 on the day's first stage, the time lost compounded two stages later with a further minute's delay after going off the road. The Kawasaki World Superbike team boss managed to claw back some time, but had to settle for fifth place overall.
Bird said: "It's been a tough week, and I wondered if I should do the event . . . but I'm glad I did. I couldn't concentrate properly, but that's not an excuse. I just made too many mistakes early on and, from that point, we were playing catch up. Kirsty's not been too well today and that's not helped our cause."
The friends and rivals will face off once again on next weekend's Malcolm Wilson Rally, where Bird is chasing an historic fourth win on his home event.
Sol Rally Barbados (May 29/30) and Shell V-Power King of the Hill (May 23) are organised by the Barbados Rally Club, which celebrated its 50th Anniversary in 2007; Sol RB2010 marks the 20th Anniversary of the inaugural running of the Club's International All-Stage Rally.
EX-PEUGEOT UK 106 MAXI FOR SOL RALLY BARBADOS
With seven first-time overseas crews among the on-line entries for Sol Rally Barbados 2010 (May 29/30), and enquiries still being received by the organising Barbados Rally Club (BRC), this year's event looks set to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the inaugural running of the Club's International All-Stage Rally in style.
Among the newcomers are English crew Graham Butler and Darren Lakeland, who promise to take the fight to the popular local Modified 6 class in their ex-works Peugeot 106 Maxi, backed by Evolution Sports Supplements, Veloce Wheels and Containers to Go; the competition will include reigning BRC Modified 6 Champions Edward Corbin and Rodney Clarke (Automotive Art/Klark-Odio/Corbins Garage Daihatsu Charmant) and another overseas entry already confirmed, Ireland's Peter Gallagher, co-driven in his Dublin Crystal/Peter Gallagher Design Peugeot 206 by Bajan Dario Hoyte.
Peugeot UK driver Justin Dale won the British Super 1600 Championship in 1999 and 2001 - including a sensational third overall on the Manx International - in this car, which Butler bought three years ago. Butler says: "The car punches well above its weight in terms of results; it's specifically a tarmac car, developed by Peugeot UK to deal with the gravel stages in the UK and the bumpy tarmac of Ireland.
"It's quite a potent package - 228bhp, weighs about 800kgs and, with its wide body and track, it handles and stops exceptionally well. I'm hoping it will be well-suited to Barbados and that I'll be on the pace in the Class. We're really looking forward to some sun, sand, rallying, a little beer . . . and, of course, some great company."
Butler started rallying in a self-prepared Vauxhall Viva GT, before moving on to a series of Fords, the first a Pinto-engined MkII Escort; after four rallies, the car was sold and six years passed before he got behind the wheel of a three-door Group A Sierra Cosworth. After three events - in the last of which he finished third overall - he had the car re-shelled into a Sapphire by RED (Rally Engineering Developments, which now prepares the Peugeot), also upgrading to four-wheel drive.
He finished fourth overall and Class Champion in the ANWCC Stage Rally Championship, with a worst result of third, in 1995 - in the same year, he claimed his first overall win, on the Promenade Stages Rally; travelling further afield, he tackled Rallye Dieppe in France (10th overall) and set a number of top 10 times on his first visit to the Tour of Flanders in Belgium.
After a brief flirtation with an Escort Cosworth in 1997 - ninth overall on his first UK National - Butler returned to his roots, with a Group N Vauxhall Astra in the 1999 British Rally Championship. He started well, second in Class on the Rally of Wales, but a big accident on the Pirelli International Rally - he hit a log pile head on and shortened the car by a foot - brought the season to an abrupt end.
He reverted to a Group A Sapphire Cosworth, finishing in the top three on every event, then a Group A Escort Cosworth; he won two more rallies in 2001, then contested the 2002 Ford Puma Championship, before retiring from the sport to concentrate on his business . . . until buying the Peugeot.
Barbados Rally Club season kicks off
While Sol Rally Barbados is the BRC's blue riband event, it is still a long way off - island motor sport fans starved of action for the past three months, however, do not have much longer to wait as the Club's 2010 season starts on Saturday (February 27) with the BRC Spring Gravel Sprint at Searles, Christ Church.
A double-header, the event forms the first two rounds of the Virgin Atlantic BRC Driver's Championship and the Virgin Atlantic BRC Class Championship, with round three coming just two weekends later - the BRC Spring Gravel Rally (Sunday, March 13).
As in 2009, the Driver's Championship will be based on overall results in the 10 qualifying rounds; the Class Championship will be based on class results, with individual Class Champions and an Overall Class Champion; the full calendar is as follows:
Qualifying rounds:
Rounds 1 & 2 - February 27 - BRC Spring Gravel Sprint Round 3 - March 14 - BRC Spring Gravel Rally Round 4 - April 25 - BRC Shakedown Stages Round 5 - May 23 - Shell V-Power King of the Hill Rounds 6 & 7 - May 29/30 - Sol Rally Barbados Round 8 - July 24 - BRC Summer Nights Tarmac Rally Rounds 9 - September 11 - MCBI Tarmac Rally Round 10 - October 31 - BRC Winter Rally
SOL RENEWS RALLY BARBADOS SPONSORSHIP
Jamaica's Panton joins list of previous winners
While rally crews the world over seem determined to help the Barbados Rally Club (BRC) celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the inaugural running of its International All-Stage Rally, the Club has received another vote of confidence, with confirmation of a renewed three-year title sponsorship deal with Sol Barbados Ltd.
Entries so far received, which hover around the maximum of 90, include not only the biggest-ever local entry for the BRC's blue riband event, but 28 from overseas, a massively-encouraging total in the current economic climate . . . and one which is expected to rise yet further. Rally Chairman Barry Gale has a simple message: "Even though we're already around our limit of 90, interested competitors should continue to enter on-line, as we are a long way from our closing date.
"Initially, all entries after the 90 will go on to our stand-by list, but the regulations state very clearly that there is an order of accepting entries, which comes in to play at the end of April. We have developed this carefully to give Sol Rally Barbados a structure within which we can balance the interests of our international, regional and local competitors, all of whom are equally important to the success of the event.
"There are allocations for each group - and, within those allocations, there are currently still international and regional places available. Of the total of 40, we still have only 28 places filled, so I would encourage any 'floating voters' out there to go on-line and make their mark as soon as possible."
The news of Sol's decision to renew its three-year contract was confirmed by outgoing BRC Chairman Mark Hamilton during the Club's AGM at the Barbados Clay Target Shooting Association's (BCTSA) Club House at Searles, Christ Church, last evening (Tuesday, February 16).
Gale added: "The outstanding level of interest from competitors both at home and overseas, especially in such difficult times, is a big vote of confidence in the changes we have been able to make to the event since the beginning of our current three-year sponsorship arrangement with Sol.
"The fact that Sol's management have agreed to renew its backing for a further three years means that the Barbados Rally Club can continue to evolve the Caribbean's biggest annual motor sport event to face the increasing challenges of the economic climate."
Jamaica's Panton joins list of previous winners
Jamaica will be presenting a strong challenge in Sol Rally Barbados 2010, with confirmation that Jeffrey Panton, the first driver from the region to win in the island, has entered, joining fellow-countryman Gary Gregg - another former winner - in an effort to take the trophy north once again.
Panton is entered with regular co-driver Mike Fennell Jnr, with whom he finished seventh last year. One of his country's most successful drivers - he has won Rally Jamaica six times in the event's 19-year history, most recently in 2008 - he now campaigns an ex-works Ford Focus WRC, in which Colin McRae won the Cyprus Rally in 2001 and the Acropolis in 2002.
Panton was the first Jamaican driver to finish on the podium in Barbados, claiming second place in his first Toyota Celica GT4 in 1994 (co-driven by Rene McDaniel) and again in 1996 (co-driven by Rudi Meikle); his victory in 1998, by then with John de Mercado as co-driver, was the first for a regional driver.
Jamaica had to wait until 2006 before winning again, thanks this time to Gregg and Hugh Hutchinson in the ex-Carlos Sainz Focus, a sister car to Panton's, which they campaigned until last year's purchase of a newer-model Focus.
Sol Rally Barbados (May 29/30) and Shell V-Power King of the Hill (May 23) are organised by the Barbados Rally Club, which celebrated its 50th Anniversary in 2007; Sol RB2010 marks the 20th Anniversary of the inaugural running of the Club's International All-Stage Rally.
FORMER WINNER MANNING FOR SOL RALLY BARBADOS
Entry half-full three months before closing date
Local crowd favourite Trevor Manning is among the latest batch of on-line entries for Sol Rally Barbados 2010 (May 29/30), which marks the 20th Anniversary of the inaugural running of the Barbados Rally Club's (BRC) International All-Stage Rally; his entry brings to three the number of previous winners now entered, joining fellow-countryman Roger Skeete and Jamaica's Gary Gregg.
Meanwhile, with the capacity entry of 90 nearly half-full - a spectacular 50 per cent increase on the status of the event by the same date last year - and nearly three months to go before the closing date on April 30, Rally Chairman Barry Gale is advising anyone who wishes to enter to go on-line "very, very soon!"
Local crowd favourite Manning won the BRC's blue riband event in 1999, co-driven in his Mitsubishi Lancer Evo V by Mike Ward; it was his first season in the car, following a joint third place (with Jamaica's Doug Gore) the previous year in an Evo III and a class win in 1996 in the Lancer Turbo formerly campaigned by his father. In the subsequent two years, he finished second - in 2001, just 16/100ths of a second behind Skeete - then lost an almost certain win in 2002 to a mechanical failure.
One of only four drivers to have contested all 20 events so far - along with Paul Bourne, Roger Hill and Skeete - Manning has claimed 11 top 10 finishes, six on the podium, and was leading RB07 after three stages (consistently second quickest), before retiring with turbo failure. He is entered for Sol Rally Barbados 2010 in the ex-Roger Skeete Ford Escort WRC, which he acquired early last year.
Manning is a third-generation competitor, following grandfather Harold, who won the first organised motor sport event in the island in 1934, and father Roger, who was a force to reckon with in the 1980s, when his co-driver was David Edwards, father to Manning Junior's current co-driver Derek; his elder brother Wayne and cousin Graham are also part of the island's motor sport fraternity.
Entry half-full three months before closing date
With nearly three months to go before the closing date on April 30, on-line entries for Sol Rally Barbados 2010 are approaching 50, more than half-way to the event's maximum entry of 90 starters . . . and a spectacular 50 per cent increase on the status of the event by the same date last year.
Of the 48 entries so far received, exactly one-third are from overseas, the 16 entered including four newcomers to the event. Last year, just 32 entries had been received by February 3, eight of them from overseas, all of whom were return visitors.
Rally Chairman Barry Gale says: "While I think I should avoid sounding like the record's stuck, I'm totally overwhelmed by the support our event is continuing to enjoy - and particularly from overseas - in what are financially very troubled times world-wide. Obviously, the Barbados Rally Club, its marketing partners and its hundreds of volunteer marshals and officials are getting something right!
"But this is also a good time to issue a word of warning . . . in this part of the world, we often don't get round to doing things in a very timely manner. The number of places left for Sol Rally Barbados 2010 is almost exactly the same as the number of local crews who competed last year, but have yet to enter for this year's event. I recommend that anyone who wishes to enter, either from Barbados or overseas, goes on-line to www.rallybarbados.bb to do so very, very soon!"
Sol Rally Barbados (May 29/30) and Shell V-Power King of the Hill (May 23) are organised by the Barbados Rally Club, which celebrated its 50th Anniversary in 2007; Sol RB2010 marks the 20th Anniversary of the inaugural running of the Club's International All-Stage Rally.
IRISH TRIO RETURN FOR SOL RALLY BARBADOS
Airline and hotel deals confirmed for overseas visitors
Ireland will be well represented when Sol Rally Barbados 2010 (May 29/30) marks the 20th Anniversary of the inaugural running of the Barbados Rally Club's (BRC) International All-Stage Rally; among the 15 overseas entries already received on-line are three Irish drivers returning to join in the celebrations.
While Glenn Campbell is making only his second trip to the island, for Peter Gallagher and Martin Taylor, 2010 will mark their fifth participation in Rally Barbados, although it will present a different challenge, as each is bringing a new car.
On his previous four visits, Taylor has campaigned his Dublin Crystal-sponsored Proton Satria, twice each in Modified 6 and Production 2; in 2003 & '04, Gallagher was his co-driver, replaced by Taylor's wife Janet for their visits in '07 & '08, once Gallagher decided to switch to the driver's side of the car. Taylor's 100 per cent overall finishing record includes a class win in P2 ('04), with 33rd ('03) his best overall result.
Dublin-based Gallagher also has a 100 per cent overall finishing record and a class win to his credit - P3 in '08 - when he finished 33rd overall in his ex-works Dublin Crystal/Peter Gallagher Design Peugeot 306 S16; on both his visits as a driver, he has been joined on Rally Barbados by local co-driver Dario Hoyte, who is listed to sit alongside Gallagher again in 2010 . . . but this time it will be in a Peugeot 206 in M6.
Taylor's change of machine is rather more drastic, as he is switching from front- to rear-wheel drive: between entering on-line in mid-December and an e-mail to the Rally Office last week, Taylor has acquired a BMW 325i, previously used in the increasingly-popular BMW Challenge rally series in the UK. His change of car brings the number of BMWs already entered for Sol Rally Barbados to six - the Bavarian marque is currently second equal with Ford in the league table of makes entered, Toyota leading with nine.
Ulsterman Campbell's first visit was last year, the former Northern Ireland 2wd Champion making an immediate impression in his Nissan Micra; with co-driver Anthony Concannon, he finished second in Modified 5, as Scotland's Kenny Hall collected his third Group win. For his second visit, Campbell, who is yet to name a co-driver, will be sponsored by Campbell Motorsport Electrics, Dyno Tune, Burn Road Trade Sales, Motorcare, MotoGlass, Agnew Recovery and Graham Curry Photography.
Last weekend in Ireland, Campbell and fellow-Irishman Graham Curry collected the Class 3 Driver and Navigator Awards respectively at the Mid Antrim Motor Club's annual awards dinner; photographer Curry was another first-time visitor to Barbados in 2009 and has provided enthusiastic and valuable coverage in Irish magazines.
Airline and hotel deals confirmed for overseas visitors
Preferential travel and accommodation rates for Sol Rally Barbados 2010 are confirmed today in the updated Overseas Competitor Information document, now available as a pdf download from the Competitor section of the official web site (www.rallybarbados.bb).
Official Airline Partner Virgin Atlantic has set the adult fare at £438, including taxes, with child and infant fares also available; on the accommodation front, Official Hotel Partner, the Divi Southwinds Beach Resort, has confirmed room rates of US $120 (double-occupancy room) and US $170 (Penthouse, two bedrooms) plus taxes at 17 per cent, along with a 25 per cent discount on food & beverage.
Rally Chairman Barry Gale says: "The flight price is extremely favourable given the current climate, while the accommodation package offers excellent value, especially when you take into account the 25 per cent food & beverage discount, additional to the preferential room rate. Full details can be found under the appropriate headings in our information document, and I would urge visitors to check it out and start booking soon, so we and our Partners can accurately gauge the demand and adjust, if necessary."
Sol Rally Barbados (May 29/30) and Shell V-Power King of the Hill (May 23) are organised by the Barbados Rally Club, which celebrated its 50th Anniversary in 2007; Sol RB2010 marks the 20th Anniversary of the inaugural running of the Club's International All-Stage Rally.
STOCKDALE'S RECORD 10th ON SOL RALLY BARBADOS
Bird maintains winning ways on Jack Frost Stages
Crowd favourite Martin Stockdale will make Sol Rally Barbados 2010 (May 29/30) a double celebration - while it marks the 20th Anniversary of the inaugural running of the Barbados Rally Club's (BRC) International All-Stage Rally, it will also see the British BMW pilot's 10th consecutive assault on the event, a record among overseas drivers.
His flamboyant driving style has earned him deserved popularity among the island's thousands of motor sport fans - and the nick-name 'Mad-dale' - while his choice of powerful, rear-wheel-drive BMWs has made him many friends, including one of his closest, fellow BMW driver, Barbadian Jonathan Still.
Stockdale says: "The friends we have made and the relationships that have developed would make it almost unthinkable that we could miss out on our annual trip into unreality. Where else could we go to enjoy fantastic motor sport, coupled with the extremely enthusiastic and knowledgeable crowds in such beautiful surroundings - Northampton [a town in the English Midlands] just isn't the same.
"Our visits are made even more pleasurable by sharing the company of like-minded people, not only from Barbados, but also from the UK and Europe, friends we would not have met had it not been for Rally Barbados. I have said it before and I will say it again, if I did only one rally a year, then Rally Barbados would be it."
He returns with Mark Swallow, his co-driver since 2004, and the BMW M3 Compact he debuted last year. Once again, they have backing from Barbados businesses, the Divi Southwinds Beach Resort and Drive-a-Matic Car Rentals, of which Stockdale notes: "Without the generous and continued support from Alvin at Divi Southwinds and Aldo at Drive-a-Matic, we would certainly struggle to return, particularly in the current climate."
Stockdale has rarely climbed aboard the homebound Virgin Atlantic flight without some silverware in his luggage; three times a Group winner - in Modified Open in 2002, Group B in '03 & '05 - he rarely finishes outside the top three, with best overall results of seventh ('02) and 12th ('07).
Rally Chairman Barry Gale is delighted the popular Brit is returning: "Martin's name has become synonymous with Rally Barbados. During his first few visits, he quickly earned a reputation among spectators as one of the 'guys to watch' - they dubbed him Martin 'Mad-dale' Stockdale, in reference mainly to his driving style, but also thanks to the glorious sounds that emanated from his cars, especially that nearly five-litre fire-breathing dragon of a 3 Series. As I have said before, earning a nickname in Barbados means you have been totally accepted as 'one of us'. Over the last decade, Martin has been entertainer to the masses, captain to the visitors' beach cricket team, a valuable source of feedback to the organisers and, above all, a gentleman competitor. It is indeed a relief to see his name on the entry list!"
Bird maintains winning ways on Jack Frost Stages
Runner-up to Kris Meeke in Sol Rally Barbados for the past two years, former UK National Rally Champion Paul Bird proved that he's still a winner last Sunday (January 17), with his second consecutive victory on the annual Cartersport Jack Frost Stages; with co-driver Kirsty Riddick, 'Birdy' steered the supercasino.com/Vent-Axia/Kick Energy Ford Focus WRC08 to victory by more than two minutes.
The '07 Focus in which Bird finished second in Sol RB09, now campaigned by Barbadian Paul Bourne, has been replaced by the car which carried Argentina's Federico Villagra to career-best WRC fourth places in his home event and the Acropolis Rally in 2009. Bird and regular co-driver Ian Windress tackled Rallye Catalunya last year and plan a selective programme of WRC events in 2010.
Run at the Croft race circuit in the North of England, the same venue at which another Barbados regular, Kevin Procter, ploughed through the snow to victory in the Christmas Stages two weeks ago, Sunday's event enjoyed a marked improvement in the weather.
It wasn't all plain sailing for Bird, however, with a big overshoot on the day's opening stage, then a spin on stage three caused by a broken driveshaft; five stage wins from a possible eight, however, were enough. Chris Wise in the ex-Roger Mayers MG Metro 6R4 claimed two stage wins during an impressive fight-back from 77th to finish third, after an error on the opening stage had cost him well over two minutes - apart from stages one and three, there were never more than six seconds (in around six minutes) between the 24-year-old Metro and Bird's Focus.
Sol Rally Barbados (May 29/30) and Shell V-Power King of the Hill (May 23) are organised by the Barbados Rally Club, which celebrated its 50th Anniversary in 2007; Sol RB2010 marks the 20th Anniversary of the inaugural running of the Club's International All-Stage Rally.
FORMER WINNER GREGG FOR SOL RALLY BARBADOS
ASRs posted on-line as entry list reaches 30
Jamaica's Gary Gregg is the second previous winner to sign up for Sol Rally Barbados 2010 (May 29/30), which celebrates the 20th Anniversary of the inaugural running of the Barbados Rally Club's (BRC) International All-Stage Rally; he is one of 12 overseas entries among the total of 30 already received on-line, which also includes 10-time winner, local ace Roger Skeete.
Gregg and co-driver, fellow-Jamaican Hugh Hutchinson, won in 2006 in their ex-Carlos Sainz Ford Focus WRC02, then went on to become the first - and, so far, only - crew to win Rally Barbados and Rally Jamaica in the same year. After going on to win RJ07 in the older car, Gregg debuted his recently-acquired BD Gregg & Bros/NG Racing Ford Focus WRC05 on RJ09 last month, claiming his third win in four years on his home event.
In addition to their victory, Gregg and Hutchinson have twice finished on the podium in Barbados in the Focus - third in 2005 and 2008 - with fourth place in their previous Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI (2003) also to their credit; the following year, that car was destroyed in a major accident on the Saturday morning, while they also recorded a DNF in 2007 when the Focus failed to restart on Sunday morning with suspension damage.
Gregg has won more than 20 motor sport titles in his home country in recent years, in a wide variety of machinery, although much of his early rallying was done in Barbados, where he also learned to drive. Absent from Sol Rally Barbados last year, Gregg's return will be welcomed by his many fans in the island.
The total of on-line entries is already at 30, three weeks earlier than that mark was reached in 2009. Once again, the entry level is capped at 90 starters, and Rally Chairman Barry Gale is cautiously optimistic that a close-to-capacity entry might be achieved: "To be honest, if you had suggested we'd have 30 entries by the second week of January, I'd probably have laughed in your face! Bearing in mind the financial climate is making things tough for everyone, this is a tremendous endorsement of our event and very encouraging for the Club, as we continue our discussions with sponsors.
"As things stand, we already have 12 overseas entries, including three new names; if the percentages of the total continue along those lines, then we'll have a well-balanced mix of local, regional and international crews that will be very close to what we have enjoyed in the past."
Additional Supplementary Regulations posted on Sol RB2010 web site
With overseas enquiries on the increase now the Christmas and New Year holiday period has ended, the Additional Supplementary Regulations for Sol Rally Barbados 2010 have been posted as a pdf download in the Competitors section of the official web site (www.rallybarbados.bb).
Key changes to the event format that will be noticed immediately are the switch of day and venue for Scrutineering - this will now take place at Simpson Motors on Saturday, May 22 - also the absence of the Ceremonial Start that was introduced last year. Barry Gale explained: "While the Ceremonial Start was a great success in hyping up the event for the weekend, there were many who felt it needed some changes; there are even those, including many of our overseas competitors, who feel it would be greatly improved if there could be a couple of night-time special stages nearby.
"Bearing in mind the tough economic climate, 2010 was definitely not the year to start investigating what could be a potentially costly innovation, so we decided to step back for a year and give the whole idea very careful thought for 2011. One big element of the Friday night that played well with everyone, however, was the enthusiasm with which the Government, our sponsors and marketing partners joined in, officially welcoming all of our overseas visitors and emphasising the National importance of the event.
"Although our plans are not yet confirmed, we're aiming to increase the activity at Scrutineering significantly, by encouraging all of the stakeholders in the event to participate, also to create a more formal segment in the early evening for an official welcome. Having it on Saturday is also generally a lot more convenient for the fans and will allow a potentially greater number of people to attend, so we can also hype them up for Shell V-Power King of the Hill on Sunday."
Among other changes to the running of the event, which are highlighted in purple text in the ASRs, is the introduction of a 'Sunday Cup Opening Car'; this will run between the last of the crews still in overall contention and the first of the Sunday Cup competitors to help ensure that spectator control is maintained during the three-minute break.
Sol Rally Barbados (May 29/30) and Shell V-Power King of the Hill (May 23) are organised by the Barbados Rally Club, which celebrated its 50th Anniversary in 2007; Sol RB2010 marks the 20th Anniversary of the inaugural running of the Club's International All-Stage Rally.
SWANN UPPING ANTE FOR SOL RALLY BARBADOS
British Rally Championships regulars Rob Swann and Darren Garrod are returning to the Barbados Rally Club's (BRC) premier event, Sol Rally Barbados (May 28-30) with just one aim in mind . . . victory in Group N; fourth in 2008, they finished second last year, after an event-long battle with eventual winner, Bajan driver Geoff Noel, and Trinidad-based Jamaican John Powell.
Swann's Subaru Impreza N14 will be backed by Barbados roadside assistance business Automate CGI and west coast hotel Waves, in addition to his regular UK sponsor Revolution Wheels; it is among 10 overseas entries already received on-line, and will benefit from the incentives offered to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the inaugural running of the BRC's International All-Stage Rally.
Like many before him, who had first visited the Caribbean island to go rallying, Swann has become 'hooked' on Barbados in a very short space of time, and will return with his family in February for what will be his eighth visit in two years. He says: "When I received the e-mail just before Christmas saying entries were open, a smile came across my face. Rally Barbados is the best motor sport event of the year! I have made many friends over the last couple of years and I entered immediately, as it's so much fun. We are doing some British Championship rounds in 2010 and selected rallies for 'fun', but I think if I only did one rally a year it would be Barbados.
"We had such a great Group N battle last year and I really need to take the win this time round. The Subaru is currently having the new 2010 upgrades, such as 33mm restrictor, which will help the cause, and close the gap to the WRC guys slightly. Having now competed twice, I have a good feel for the stages, so we will be very competitive and its time for a win!"
On their first visit in 2008 with an Impreza N11, Swann and Garrod placed third overnight in Group N - Production 4, as the category is named in Barbados - but an early scare on Sunday morning resulted in them slipping to fourth. Last year, with the new N14 and better knowledge of the stages, they were in the hunt from the start.
They were second fastest on the opening stages, first to Powell then to Noel, each at the wheel of a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX, but a startline puncture on stage three cost them 15 seconds; even so, and boosted by a stage win on the third Sailor Gully, they were third at lunch. Powell lost 80 seconds - and the Group N lead - to a puncture in the afternoon and, with a total of 10 second-fastest times in the day, Swann was only three seconds behind Noel at bed-time.
Spurred on by the opposition, Noel claimed another five stage wins on Sunday; Powell's hopes of pulling back his deficit faded, while a puncture on the last Malvern, then rain on the last stage, finally did for Swann's committed charge.
Victory for Procter on Specsavers Christmas Stages
Rally Barbados regulars Kevin Procter and Dave Bellerby won Britain's first rally of 2010, the Specsavers Christmas Stages, last Saturday (January 2), a single-venue event run at the Croft motor racing circuit in North Yorkshire . . . but they had to make sure the event could run first!
Heavy snow across many parts of the UK has caused chaos over the past 10 days, including cancelled flights to and from Barbados, and Procter and Bellerby provided JCB diggers and snow-moving equipment, plus drivers, who worked with volunteers over the days before the event to clear the venue.
Procter kept the Procters Coaches Subaru Impreza WRC S7, popular with Barbados fans, ahead of the field throughout the seven stages, winning by a margin of exactly two minutes; the car he headed home was another well-known to fans in the island, the blue MG Metro 6R4 formerly campaigned by Roger Mayers, now in the hands of Chris Wise.
Wise will face an even stronger challenge in the next event at Croft, the Cartersport Jack Frost Stages (January 17) as Paul Bird, runner-up in Sol Rally Barbados for the past two years, will be defending his 2008 title; for this event, he will be co-driven in his Ford Focus WRC08 by Scotland's Kirsty Riddick.
Sol Rally Barbados (May 28-30) and Shell V-Power King of the Hill (May 23) are organised by the Barbados Rally Club, which celebrated its 50th Anniversary in 2007; Sol RB10 marks the 20th Anniversary of the inaugural running of the Club's International All-Stage Rally.
TEN-TIME WINNER ENTERS SOL RALLY BARBADOS
Early on-line entries include newcomers from overseas
Roger 'The Sheriff' Skeete, the most successful driver in the history of the Barbados Rally Club's (BRC) premier event, is among the early entries received for Sol Rally Barbados 2010 (May 28-30), which marks the 20th Anniversary of the inaugural running of the BRC's International All-Stage Rally.
The on-line entry facility, which opened a week before Christmas, is also providing welcome encouragement for the organisers against the background of the world's continuing economic challenges; more than half the crews entered so far are from overseas . . . and two of them are newcomers to the event.
Sol Rally Barbados Chairman Barry Gale said: "We brought forward the on-line entry date this year and, while it is obviously very early days, it is great to see the interest that is being generated outside the island, particularly in Europe. Many people have been on holiday for much of the time since entries opened, so may not have had easy access to the Internet, but the total is already into double figures, including entries from the UK, Ireland and Canada.
"Better still, as well as familiar names from the recent past, who are taking advantage of the Anniversary incentives the Barbados Rally Club offered to our loyal overseas crews, there are new names on the list . . . and that is in no small part thanks to the massive TV coverage the event attracts overseas every year."
Skeete, however, is anything but a new name. In the event's 20-year history, his record of 10 victories stretches from the inaugural rally in 1990 through to 2004; he has won five times in a Peugeot 205GTi, once in a Peugeot 306 S16 and twice each in a Ford Escort Cosworth and Escort WRC. He has also claimed a further two podium finishes, in 1999 (second, in an Escort Cosworth) and 2007 (third, Escort WRC).
While his recent record on Rally Barbados does not reflect his early successes - he has failed to finish four of the past five events, thwarted by various mechanical failures - he remains a front-runner in island motor sport; the ex-Petter Solberg Michelin/Da Costa Mannings Auto Centre/Warrens Motors Subaru Impreza WRC S12 he now campaigns with co-driver Louis Venezia is more than up to the task.
In 2009, he won his debut event in the car - the Shell V-Power King of the Hill 'shakedown' event - then set the early pace the following weekend on Sol Rally Barbados, fastest on three of the first six stages. While eventual winner, Northern Ireland's Kris Meeke (Subaru Impreza WRC S9), who won the other three stages, admitted he had "never had to drive as hard as I did to keep up with Roger Skeete", the battle was soon to end; with a faulty battery, Skeete's car refused to start in service and he went over the maximum allowed lateness, dropping out of overall contention. Worse was to come, however - after three more stage wins in the afternoon, Skeete crashed on the second uphill Canefield stage and, while thankfully there were no injuries, the crew would not been seen again.
Skeete's record on the BRC's blue riband event is unrivalled, although there are three other local drivers, still in regular competition, who have been there since the start . . . Paul Bourne, Roger Hill and Trevor Manning. Winner in 2003 and '07, Bourne also has seven further podium finishes to his credit - these include third place in his former Impreza WRC S9 behind Meeke and Britain's Paul Bird (Ford Focus WRC07) in 2009.
While Hill has never won the event, he can claim an impressive set of results: 13 finishes in the top 10 - second in his Toyota Celica GT4 in 2003 - and seven class wins along the way; Manning won in 1999, his first season of competition in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo V, and has twice finished second, three times third among 10 top 10 finishes.
Sol Rally Barbados (May 28-30) and Shell V-Power King of the Hill (May 23) are organised by the Barbados Rally Club, which celebrated its 50th Anniversary in 2007; Sol RB10 marks the 20th Anniversary of the inaugural running of the Club's International All-Stage Rally.
RECORD MEDIA COVERAGE FOR SOL RALLY BARBADOS
Record worldwide media coverage of Sol Rally Barbados in 2009 is already helping to kick-start interest in the 2010 event, which marks the 20th Anniversary of the inaugural running of the Barbados Rally Club's (BRC) International All-Stage Rally; since the BRC confirmed Anniversary incentives for overseas crews last week, there has been an upsurge in interest, particularly in the UK and Ireland.
Produced by Acceleration TV, an hour-long programme on the Caribbean's biggest annual international motor sport event was first aired on Motors TV UK early afternoon on Saturday, October 31, with five repeats up to November 10; in addition it was shown a further 14 times on Motors TV International before the end of the month, broadcast in five languages to 16 million homes in more than 50 countries across Europe and the African sub-continent.
Adding in programmes broadcast earlier by RPM Productions in Ireland, radio and television reports in North America and the coverage aired around the wider Caribbean, the worldwide air time enjoyed by the event - and the island - has already comfortably surpassed last year's record of more than 24 hours, and that doesn't include the explosion of viewership through the Internet.
In an exciting new development, a longer 80-minute version of the Acceleration TV programme has been available worldwide on the Internet since the end of November, and can still be viewed for free until mid-January, at www.autoclassique.tv. Acceleration TV producer David Winstanley explained: "This is the first time we have put a full-length programme on-line, and we thought that Sol Barbados Rally was the perfect 'guinea pig' for our new venture, because of it's enduring and wide-ranging appeal.
"It is available to view for free until Sunday, January 14, which is when Autoclassique.tv goes 'live', after which it will be available on pay-per-view, along with a broad cross-section of other motor sport material. Sol Rally Barbados is one of the most enjoyable events that we cover, the island folk are so friendly . . . and we find something new to film away from the rally itself each time we come. And from a rallying point of view, we get tremendous feedback from British fans."
Winstanley largely concentrates on the motor sport side of the programme, while co-presenter Terri Metcalfe takes a look at other island attractions, sampling traditional Bajan food and drink in roadside bars and restaurants around the island - she even learns how to fillet flying fish - while they both visited cricket and football matches. The programme is also available on DVD from the Acceleration TV web site (www.rallytv.co.uk).
Apart from the Club's direct e-mail approaches to individual competitors, the 2010 media campaign is already bearing fruit, in particular through the use of internet forums, which are playing an increasingly-significant role in providing information to an important target audience; Britain's most popular rally forum (www.britishrally.co.uk) has approaching 20,000 members, while the Irish equivalent (www.rallyforums.com) is now nearing 9,000 - the Irish forum's thread discussing Sol RB09 was comfortably the most popular in the motor sport segment, attracting nearly 30 per cent more 'views' (more than 11,000) and well over twice as many responses (approaching 500) than any other subject.
This year, within the first four days of Sol RB10 information being posted, the four relevant threads in the UK and Ireland have been viewed by nearly 1,200 forum members; these have included some who have already competed in Barbados, and can therefore pass on useful background knowledge from personal experience, and at least two overseas crews confirming their intention to enter for the first time.
Sol Rally Barbados Chairman Barry Gale said: "I am delighted that overseas TV producers continue to find our event so appealing, as the coverage we enjoy benefits not only our event, but also the island. The Acceleration TV programme shows far more than simply rally cars and their drivers, creating a package that is as much travel programme as sports report, and that is of tremendous value to our sports tourism product."
Sol Rally Barbados (May 28-30) and Shell V-Power King of the Hill (May 23) are organised by the Barbados Rally Club, which celebrated its 50th Anniversary in 2007; Sol RB10 marks the 20th Anniversary of the inaugural running of the Club's International All-Stage Rally.
ANNIVERSARY INCENTIVES FOR SOL RALLY BARBADOS
Return competitors rewarded for loyalty
More than 70 European competitors stand to benefit from incentives announced today (December 18) by the Barbados Rally Club (BRC) to celebrate the 20th Anniversary running of its blue riband event: Sol Rally Barbados 2010 is scheduled for May 28 to 30, with the Shell V-Power King of the Hill ‘shakedown’ the previous Sunday, May 23.
In 2009, Sol Rally Barbados attracted even more British crews than Rally GB, Britain’s round of the World Rally Championship, the newcomers bringing to more than 200 the total of overseas competitors hosted by the event in recent years; on-line entries are now open on the event web site (www.rallybarbados.bb), with incentives to recognise the loyalty of return visitors.
While first-timers will pay the standard entry and shipping package of US $2,600 per car, those who have participated at least twice will enjoy a discount of 20 per cent, with nearly 40 per cent on offer for those who have competed even more frequently.
Rally Chairman Barry Gale says: “We decided that 2010 would be a year of celebration of the clubman competitors who have made our event so special; our package is intended to show our appreciation for the effort they have put in over the years and the number of times they have come back to participate.”
Of the 71 European competitors who have taken part more than once, popular English BMW ace Martin Stockdale stands out from the crowd, having competed on the island for the past nine years; Scotland’s Graeme Finlayson has been eight times (including driving the Zero Car in 2002), while fellow-Scot Kenny Hall and Yorkshireman Kevin Procter have each clocked up seven.
Gale adds: “Legends like ‘Mad-Dale’ Stockdale, ‘Bus Driver’ Procter and ‘Team Tartan’ Hall have found more than just competition; they have earned the admiration of spectators and enjoyed the camaraderie of local competitors. In Barbados, if you have been given a nickname, you are definitely part of the family!”
Of other British regulars, Andrew Costin-Hurley and Simon Wallis have competed six times, while Rob Brook and Steve Perez have each clocked up five visits . . . in Brook’s case, the most mixed bag of all, three times as a co-driver, once as a driver, and he was even co-opted as the Overseas Steward in 2006!
From small beginnings in 1990 as a one-day rally for around 30 local competitors, Rally Barbados – it was renamed in 2003 - has grown into the Caribbean’s biggest annual international motor sport event, attracting as many as 90 crews, one-third of them from overseas. It is one of the strongest sporting brand names in the region, particularly for visitors from Europe, and a major contributor to the island’s tourism product and foreign exchange earnings.
Of the more than 200 overseas competitors who have competed in Barbados, around 50 have come from the region (Jamaica, St Vincent & The Grenadines and Trinidad & Tobago), while another 160 or so have travelled from further afield. Fourteen countries have been represented, including England - with 92 competitors, it boasts the strongest representation – Holland, New Zealand, Spain and Turkey.
In the event’s 20-year history, overseas drivers have won only six times, but two of them have achieved the feat twice: in 2009, Northern Ireland’s Kris Meeke claimed his second consecutive win to join fellow-countryman Kenny McKinstry (1993 & ‘96) as a two-time winner, with Jamaica’s Jeffrey Panton (‘98) and Gary Gregg (2006) also on the roll of honour.
Overseas Competitor Information Document now available
The first version of the Sol Rally Barbados Overseas Competitor Information document is now available as a pdf download from the event web site (www.rallybarbados.bb). The document provides details of the event entry and shipping package and lists the Club’s Official Airline, Hotel, Shipping and Vehicle Rental Partners, and the currently-available details of the deals each is offering; it will be updated in the coming weeks as further details are confirmed.
The document also includes background information on Sol Rally Barbados 2010 and the key events surrounding it, which will be of particular interest to potential first-time visitors; to get an even better feel for the event, they will soon be able to download a short promotional DVD, which will appear on the web site early in the New Year.
Sol Rally Barbados and Shell V-Power King of the Hill are organised by the Barbados Rally Club, which celebrated its 50th Anniversary in 2007; Sol RB10 marks the 20th Anniversary of the inaugural running of the Club’s All-Stage Rally.
PREVIOUS WINNERS
1990 to 2009
Rally Barbados
2009 Kris Meeke - NIR/Paul Nagle - NIR, Subaru Impreza WRC S9, 55m 11.84s
2008 Kris Meeke - NIR/Paul Nagle - NIR, Toyota Corolla WRC, 1h 00m 00.06s
2007 Paul Bourne/Stuart Maloney, Subaru Impreza WRC S9, 57m 34.36s
2006 Gary Gregg - JAM/Hugh Hutchinson - JAM, Ford Focus WRC01, 51m 57.89s
2005 Roger Mayers/Max Ferri, Ford Focus WRC, 58m 46.99s
2004 Roger Skeete/Dave Crawford - ENG, Ford Escort WRC, 1h 03m 04.48s
2003 Paul Bourne/Louis Venezia, Subaru Impreza WRC, 1h 21m 05.43s
International All-Stage Rally
2002 Roger Skeete/Dave Crawford - ENG, Ford Escort WRC, 1h 16m 49.80s
2001 Roger Skeete/Dave Crawford - ENG, Ford Escort Cosworth, 37m 53.21s
2000 Roger Skeete/Dave Crawford - ENG, Ford Escort Cosworth, 43m 57s
1999 Trevor Manning/Michael Ward, Mitsubishi Lancer Evo V, 1h 03m 14s
1998 Jeffrey Panton - JAM/John de Mercado - JAM, Toyota Celica GT4, 51m 15s
1997 Roger Skeete/Dave Crawford - ENG, Peugeot 306 S16, 55m 55s
1996 Kenny McKinstry - NIR/Sean Gill, Ford Escort RS2000, 37m 02s
1995 Roger Skeete/Dave Crawford - ENG, Peugeot 205GTi, 37m 04s
1994 Roger Skeete/Dave Crawford - ENG, Peugeot 205GTi, 38m 55s
1993 Kenny McKinstry - NIR/Robbie Philpott - NIR, Subaru Legacy RS, 43m 24s
1992 Roger Skeete/Dave Crawford - ENG, Peugeot 205GTi, 24m 26s
1991 Roger Skeete/Roger Fields, Peugeot 205GTi, 15m 46s
1990 Roger Skeete/Charmaine Skeete, Peugeot 205GTi, 16m 08s
Key to nationalities (unless shown, competitor is from Barbados):
ENG - England; JAM - Jamaica; NIR - Northern Ireland
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