THIRTY CARS FOR BRC ONE-DAY TARMAC RALLY

Trevor ‘Electric Micey’ Manning and 2002 double champion Adrian Linton return to motor sport action on Sunday (March 16), as the Barbados Rally Club (BRC) organises its first one-day tarmac rally of the season; when entries closed on Wednesday evening, 30 cars were on the list.
The 12-stage event will start and finish at the Vaucluse Raceway in St Thomas, where the pits will provide the service area for competitors, and where Rally Control will be based. The start is scheduled for 0900hrs, with the lunch break at 1200hrs; the afternoon restart will be at 1300hrs, with the finish slated for around 1615hrs.
Having missed the early events this year, Manning is keen for action in the Simpson Motors Racing Team Mitsubishi Evo 5. Mid-week, with the car still being completed, Manning said: “First, I just want to get the car ready, and do some testing. Then I can start thinking about Sunday. But it will be good to match up again and see how it goes.”
Although there have been no major changes to the specification of his Mitsubishi - just “everything taken down for maintenance checks and a spruce up” says Manning – there is one major change inside the car, as he teams up with new co-driver James Betts.
Manning said: ”That will be the interesting part. We’ve been having some meetings and working on the navigational side of things together, and James is a good all-round package, as he can help on the mechanical side of things, too.”
Manning’s leading opponents, Paul ‘Surfer’ Bourne (Banks/Pirelli/Texaco/ Williams Industries Subaru Impreza WRC) and Roger ‘The Sheriff’ Skeete (Texaco/Michelin/McEnearney Quality/Consolidated Finance/Carib Ford Escort WRC), have already claimed victories this year, while Roger Mayers has been gaining speed in his new Automotive Art/Shell Helix/McEnearney Quality Ford Focus WRC.
For Linton, last year’s overall winner of both the BRC and Motoring Club of Barbados Inc championships, a change of class from Production 3 to Modified 7 will present him with some new challenges. But the reigning champion starts the season on a disappointing note, as the new 16-valve engine ordered for his trusty Vauxhall Astra has not arrived from England.
Linton said: “I’m more than a little bit miffed; the engine will now have to be air-freighted as I want it here by next week. I’m disappointed big time, as Jonathan and I wanted to have the extra power, but I’m hoping reliability will play a part for us. We have increased the front springs, and have the new rims and tyres we were intending to use with the more powerful engine, so we’ll be doing our best.”
In Group N, honours are even, one win each claimed by Geoffrey Noel (Napa/Pirelli/AutoZone/Simpson Motors Mitsubishi Evo VI) and Peter Thompson (Glassesco/NKM Clothing Proton Wira) in the season’s first two tarmac speed events; on Sunday, they will also face Brian Gill (Banks/Pirelli/Texaco/Williams Industries Subaru Impreza WRX) and Harold Morley (Sunbeach Communications Inc Subaru Impreza STi), although reigning BRC Group N champion Barry Gale is absent, rallying in Mexico.
Sunday’s event, the first of the BRC’s new format, will consist of 12 stages at three venues. In the morning, the route will cover Vaucluse to Mt Misery, French Village to Four Hills and Haggatts to Dark Hole, each stage running twice; in the afternoon, the stages will again be run twice, but in the opposite direction.

Entry list at Wednesday evening close follows (in alphabetical order in groups)
For further information, contact Robin Bradford (treelogy@sunbeach.net or 422 1829)
BRC web site: www.rallyclub.com

BRC Drivers Championship 2003 – round 2
Event – BRC Tarmac Rally, March 16, 2003

Modified 9 (including World Rally Cars)
Paul Bourne/tbc (Banks/Pirelli/Texaco/Williams Industries Subaru Impreza WRC)
Roger Mayers/Max Ferri (Automotive Art/Shell Helix/McEnearney Quality Ford Focus WRC)
Cliff Roett/Rhett Watson (Michelin/Nassco/Lucky Horseshoe/Roett's Garage Toyota Celica GT4)
Roger Skeete/Dave Crawford (Texaco/Michelin/McEnearney Quality/Consolidated Finance/Carib Ford Escort WRC)
Modified 8 (Group A)
Sean Dowding/Jason Cozier (Globe Finance/NPK Construction Mitsubishi Evo V)
Roger Hill/Graham Gittens (Mobil 1/Nassco/Michelin Motormac Toyota Celica GT4)
Trevor Manning/James Betts (Simpson Motors Racing Team Mitsubishi Evo V)
Production 4 (Group N)
Brian Gill/Ryan Wood (Banks/Pirelli/Texaco/Williams Industries Subaru Impreza WRX)
Harold Morley/Geoff Goddard (Sunbeach Communications Inc Subaru Impreza)
Geoffrey Noel/Leslie Alleyne (Napa/Pirelli/AutoZone/Simpson Motors Mitsubishi Evo VI)
Peter Thompson/Winston Agard (Glassesco/NKM Clothing Proton Wira)
Open Modified
St Elmo Cumberbatch/Owen Cumberbatch (F Taylor Associates/Michelin/St Elmo Supermarket BMW E36)
Lindsay Farmer/Chad Hadley (Nassco/Phillips Lighting/St James Travel/Mobil 1 Toyota Starlet Turbo)
Nicholas Gill/Sean Lucas (McEnearney Quality/Toyo Tyres/Carib Mazda Lantis)
Reggie Gill/Ron Lyne (SDRR Hydraulic & Industrial Spares Inc Opel Manta)
Cody Mark/Bryan Gibson (R L Mark/Ullyetts Machine Shop Toyota Starlet)
Barry Mayers/Adam Hart (Automotive Art/Shell Helix Toyota Starlet)
Jonathan Still/Heath Hazell (Nescafe/Phillips Lighting/Sikkens Paints BMW M3)
Barry Ward/Dirk Gray (Toyota Starlet)
Modified 7
Edward Corbin/Mark Perkins (Automotive Art/Corbin's Garage/Klark-Odio Toyota Corolla SR)
John Corbin/Rodney Clarke (Corbin's Garage/Klark-Odio Toyota Corolla)
Greg Cozier/Antonio da Silva (Carib/Valvoline Oil Ford Escort RS2000)
Andrew Jones/Stuart White (A P Jones Pharmacy/World of Nature/Stratford Properties Ford Escort Mk II)
Adrian Linton/Jonathan Linton (AutoZone/Crane & Equipment/Williams Industries Vauxhall Astra)
Modified 6
Neil Armstrong/Ben Armstrong (Nassco/Bridgestone/ProAuto Toyota Starlet)
Sean Gill/Michael Cummins (Simpson Motors/DaCosta Mannings AutoCentre/Pirelli Suzuki Ignis)
Modified 5
Wayne Manning/Willie Hinds (Castrol/Black Bess Quarry Ltd Peugeot 205XS)
Roger Marshall/Bruce Lambert (Photo Finish One Hour Photo/Agfa Film Toyota Starlet)
Production 3
Freddie Gale/Kyle Proverbs (Gale's Hatcheries/Nassco/Castrol Toyota Starlet)
Derek Roach/Tricia Gittens (BS & T Motors/Magna Rewards/NP Lubricants/Sargento/Dupont/Da Costa Mannings AutoCentre/Pinehill Juices Mini Cooper S)