LOOSE SEASON FINALLY UNDER WAY

The second half of the island’s rallying season finally gets under way this Sunday (September 28) when the Barbados Rally Club (BRC) stages its first Loose Sprint of the year, at the Black Bess Plantation in St Peter. The event is slated for an 8.00am start.
With two events lost to poor weather in recent weeks, competitors and spectators are ready to go, once the start marshal gives the signal. Loose surface specialist Trevor ‘Electric Micey’ Manning heads the entry list, which was still growing at closing time on Wednesday, the opposition being led by Roger Mayers in the Automotive Art/Shell Helix Ford Focus WRC.
Manning will be driving his regular NP/Sunbeach/Kerridge Simpson Motors Rally Team Mitsubishi Evo V, which has been extensively rebuilt following his early retirement from Rally Barbados in June. On Wednesday he said: ”I’m all ready to go. The car is back in one piece; when the Motoring Club event was cancelled, we double-checked everything and found some filings in the gearbox oil. But we’ve had new parts, and all is well.
“I’m looking forward to the competition – it looks as though we’ll all be there, me, Roger Mayers, Roger Skeete and Paul Bourne, so it should be a good day.”
Manning’s team-mate, former BRC champion Sean Gill, is also entered, aiming to keep racking up the points in the club’s 2003 Drivers’ Championship with the Suzuki Ignis. Thanks to his dominant performance in Modified 6 class throughout Rally Barbados, he now leads the standings overall.
But he can’t relax, as his closest challenger, the on-form Edward Corbin (Automotive Art/Corbin’s Garage/Klark-Odio Toyota Corolla SR), will be in action at Black Bess, too.
A shake-up is promised in Production 4, also known as Group N, where current leader is reigning champion Barry Gale (NP/Sunbeach/Kerridge/Simpson Motors Rally Team Mitsubishi Evo VI); he will miss the Black Bess event, as he flies to the UK on Saturday to enjoy his prize for winning this year’s inaugural King of the Carnival competition during the Barbados Rally Carnival. With co-driver Neil Barnard, he will compete on the Murphy Construction Cork 20 International Rally (October 4/5).
That leaves the way open for Harold Morley (Sunbeach Subaru Impreza STi) or Mikey Hassell (Willie’s Diving & Marine/Citgo/Details Car Cleaning Subaru Impreza WRX) to pick up some points.
Cliff Roett (Michelin/Nassco/Lucky Horseshoe/Roett’s Garage Toyota Starlet), Kirk Watkins (Toyota Corolla) and Freddie Gale (Toyota Starlet Turbo) are all on the list, too, so the BRC is confident of an entertaining day’s sport.

For further information: robin@bradfax.com
BRC web site: www.rallyclub.com

BRC Drivers’ Championship, points after round 4

Overall
1st Sean Gill (NP/Sunbeach/Kerridge/Simpson Motors Rally Team Suzuki Ignis), 78 pts
2nd Edward Corbin (Automotive Art/Corbin’s Garage/Klark-Odio Toyota Corolla SR), 76 pts
3rd Paul Bourne (Banks/Pirelli/Texaco/Williams Industries Subaru Impreza WRC), 69 pts
4th Roger Hill (Exxon Mobil/Nassco/Michelin/Motormac Toyota Celica GT4), 68 pts5th Barry Mayers (Automotive Art/Shell Helix Toyota Starlet), 55 pts
6th Barry Gale (NP/Sunbeach/Kerridge/Simpson Motors Rally Team Mitsubishi Evo VI), 54 pts
7th Neil Barnard (NP/Sunbeach/Kerridge/Simpson Motors Rally Team Opel Corsa), 52 pts
8th equal Harold Morley (Sunbeach Subaru Impreza STi), 50 pts and Geoffrey Noel (Citgo/Napa/Pirelli/AutoZone Mitsubishi Evo VI), 50 pts
10th Neil Armstrong (Nassco/Bridgestone/ProAuto Toyota Starlet), 49 pts

Modified 9
1st Paul Bourne (Banks/Pirelli/Texaco/Williams Industries Subaru Impreza WRC), 69 pts
2nd Roger Skeete (Texaco/Michelin/McEnearney Quality/Consolidated Finance/Carib Ford Escort WRC), 32 pts
3rd Roger Mayers (Automotive Art/Shell Helix Ford Focus WRC), 5 pts
Modified 8
1st Roger Hill (Exxon Mobil/Nassco/Michelin/Motormac Toyota Celica GT4), 68 pts
2nd Sean Dowding (Pro Pac/Globe Finance/NPK Construction Mitsubishi Evo V), 31 pts
3rd Trevor Manning (NP/Sunbeach/Kerridge/Simpson Motors Rally Team Mitsubishi Evo V), 22 pts
Production 4
1st Barry Gale (NP/Sunbeach/Kerridge/Simpson Motors Rally Team Mitsubishi Evo VI), 54 pts
2nd Harold Morley (Sunbeach Subaru Impreza STi), 50 pts and Geoffrey Noel (Citgo/Napa/Pirelli/AutoZone Mitsubishi Evo VI), 50 pts
Modified Open
1st Barry Mayers (Automotive Art/Shell Helix Toyota Starlet), 55 pts
2nd Cliff Roett (Michelin/Nassco/Lucky Horseshoe/Roett’s Garage Toyota Starlet), 44 pts
3rd Jonathon Still (Nescafe/Phillips Lighting/Sikkens Paints BMW M3), 39 pts
Modified 7
1st Edward Corbin (Automotive Art/Corbin’s Garage/Klark-Odio Toyota Corolla SR), 76 pts
2nd Adrian Linton (AutoZone/Crane & Equipment/Williams Trading Inc Vauxhall Astra GTE), 43 pts
3rd John Corbin (Automotive Art/Corbin’s Garage/Klark-Odio Toyota Corolla), 34 pts
Modified 6
1st Sean Gill (NP/Sunbeach/Kerridge/Simpson Motors Rally Team Suzuki Ignis), 78 pts
2nd Neil Armstrong (Nassco/Bridgestone/ProAuto Toyota Starlet), 49 pts
3rd Kirk Watkins (Abacus Builders/Castrol/Sikkens Toyota Corolla GTi), 25 pts
Modified 5
1st Neil Barnard (NP/Sunbeach/Kerridge/Simpson Motors Rally Team Opel Corsa), 52 pts
2nd Roger Marshall (Photo Finish One Hour Photo/Agfa Toyota Starlet), 47 pts
3rd Brett Clarke (NP/Sunbeach/Kerridge/Simpson Motors Rally Team Suzuki Swift), 16 pts
Production 3
1st Derek Roach (BS & T Motors/Magna Rewards/NP Lubricants/Sargento/Dupont/Da Costa Mannings Auto Centre/Pinehill Juices Mini Cooper S), 43 pts
2nd Freddie Gale (Gale’s Hatcheries Toyota Starlet), 41 pts
3rd Tricia Gittens (BS & T Motors/Magna Rewards/NP Lubricants/Sargento/Dupont/Da Costa Mannings Auto Centre/Pinehill Juices Mini Cooper S), 5 pts