HILL WINS BRC STAGE RALLY

Roger Hill and Eric Allamby in the Mobil 1/Nassco/Michelin/Motormac Toyota Celica GT4 were declared provisional winners of Sunday’s (October 31) BRC Stage Rally, the final round of the 2004 Barbados Rally Club (BRC) Drivers’ Championship.
Barry Gale/Ryan Rodriguez (Automotive Art/Courts/Kerridge/Yokohama/ Simpson Motors Rally Team Mitsubishi Evo VI) finished second, five seconds behind, with Sean Dowding/Jason Cozier (Pro Pac/Globe Finance Mitsubishi Evo V) third, another three seconds adrift.
The start had been delayed by heavy early-morning rain, which caused the shortening of the opening stages; the original plan to include sections of the Vaucluse Raceway after the traditional run up Hangman’s Hill had to be abandoned, as some of the course was undriveable. That, and the late start, resulted in just two of the planned four Newmart Rentals-sponsored Hangman’s Hill stages being run.
But they were action-packed enough, thanks in part to the very slippery surface; Hill suffered an oil pipe blowing off, while both Gale and Dowding spun, the former on the first run, the latter on the second.
The event then switched to Black Bess Plantation in St Peter, which was being used for motor sport for the final time, as the land has been purchased for development. The new owners, Bacassa, were keen to see one final event run, so funded the necessary repairs to the stage . . . and they were rewarded with a large crowd, and some classic loose-surface action.
Not only were the four-wheel-drive contenders on fine form, but the expected fireworks came from the rear-wheel-drive brigade such as Modified Open group-winner Jonathan Still (BMW M3), Trevor Manning (Mitsubishi Lancer Turbo), Geoffrey Ullyett (Nissan 200Y), the Ford Escorts of Mark Hamilton and Andrew Jones, and the Toyota Starlet of youngster Shaun Alleyne, although his rally came to a premature end when the Starlet lost a wheel.
Even the front-wheel-drive cars were raising shouts from the appreciative crowd, not least Sean Gill, who finished an impressive fifth overall in the Simpson Motors Rally Team Suzuki Ignis, and Neil Armstrong (Toyota Starlet).
The BRC’s 2004 competition programme will finish with the final round of the Ruf 'n' Tuf Navigational Championship on Sunday (November 7.)

BRC Stage Rally
October 31, 2004
Provisional results:
1st Roger Hill/Eric Allamby (M8 Mobil 1/Nassco/Michelin/Motormac Toyota Celica GT4), 17m 40.546s
2nd Barry Gale/Ryan Rodriguez (P4 Automotive Art/Courts/Kerridge/Yokohama/Simpson Motors Rally Team Mitsubishi Evo VI), 17m 45.991s
3rd Sean Dowding/Jason Cozier (M8 Pro Pac/Globe Finance Mitsubishi Lancer Evo V), 17m 48.933s
4th Harold Morley/Geoff Goddard (M9 Sunbeach Communications Subaru Impreza WRC), 18m 04.532s
5th Sean Gill/Michael Cummins (M6 Automotive Art/Courts/Kerridge/Yokohama/Simpson Motors Rally Team Suzuki Ignis), 18m 31.020s
6th Jonathan Still/Heath Hazell (MO Nescafe/Philips Lighting/Castrol/Crane & Equipment BMW M3), 18m 54.545s
7th Kirk Watkins/Rhett Watson (M6 Abacus Builders/Planned Maintenance/Bridgestone/Castrol Toyota Corolla GTi), 19m 20.047s
8th James Betts/Jeremy Gonsalves (P3 Champion Auto/KG Enterprises/Venture Marble/Hankook/Bridgestone/L & N Workshop Toyota Corolla), 19m 25.042s
9th Edward Corbin/Mark Perkins (M7 Automotive Art/Corbins Garage/Klark-Odio Toyota Corolla SR), 19m 28.235s
10th Neil Barnard/Chris Hoyos (M5 Automotive Art/Courts/Kerridge/Yokohama/Simpson Motors Rally Team Opel Corsa), 19m 35.778s
etc
Group winners: Modified 9 – Morley/Goddard; Modified 8 and Production 4 merged – Hill/Allamby; Modified Open – Still/Hazell; Modified 7 and Modified 6 merged – Gill/Cummins; Modified 5 Barnard/Hoyos; Production 3 – Betts/Gonsalves

For further information, robin@bradfax.com -