HIGH PRAISE FOR BAJAN RESULTS IN RALLY JAMAICA

Barbados Rally Club (BRC) members – and supporters in their hundreds, among them last year’s second-placed finisher, Roger Skeete - have been returning home from Jamaica in the past few days, celebrating a superb performance in that country’s Petcom-sponsored International Rally, organised by the Jamaica Millennium Motoring Club.
And there has been high praise from motor sport enthusiasts on both islands, following the gruelling two-day rally, in which drivers from Barbados claimed five of the top 10 places, plus two class wins. It is tribute to the high standards of preparation that seven of the 11 Bajan crews completed the event, in which only 17 of the 41 starters were classified as overall finishers.
Trevor Manning and James Betts finished third in the revitalised Automotive Art/Courts/Kerridge/Yokohama/Simpson Motors Rally Team Mitsubishi Evo VIII, fresh back from in intense development programme in the UK, overseen by preparation ace Harry Hockley, who travelled to Jamaica to support the team. Manning and Betts might have finished even higher – they were second overnight, 33 seconds behind Gary Gregg/Hugh Hutchinson (Ford Focus World Rally Car) - but some problems with the on-board computer on Sunday morning were compounded by the steering column twice collapsing into Manning’s lap and then by a 30-second penalty. By the time the computer glitches were cured, they were too far behind to catch up, although the car was one of the fastest through the final stages in the centre of New Kingston.
Gregg/Hutchinson collected a two-minute penalty on Sunday as well, so were forced to accept a second-place finish behind first-time winners Richard Rerrie/David Baugh (Subaru Impreza WRX).
There was more good news for Barbados in the top 10, with Roger Hill/Graham Gittens (Mobil 1/Nassco/Michelin/Motormac Toyota Celica GT4) and Harold Morley/Geoffrey Goddard (Sunbeach Communications Subaru Impreza WRC) tied in fourth place. Hill had been trailing Morley by 52 seconds at the end of Saturday, but some new tyres fitted overnight helped the car’s handling and pace, and he steadily ate into Morley’s advantage; the result was sealed when Morley stalled at the start of one of the New Kingston stages, but both drivers were delighted with the outcome.
Nicknamed by many Jamaican fans ‘The Tank’, the Automotive Art/Courts/Kerridge/Yokohama/Simpson Motors Rally Team Suzuki Ignis of Sean Gill/Michael Cummins dominated the two-wheel-drive entry, finishing seventh overall, winner of class JA2, and highest-placed two-wheel-drive car.
On Saturday, Gill’s closest challenger was the accomplished Jamaican driver and 1998 winner Oliver Townsend, but a broken axle put him out of the event on Sunday morning. Although disappointed, ‘OT’ said: “This does not preclude the need to congratulate wholeheartedly Sean Gill and ‘Zippy’ Cummins on their victory. Again they conquered. I think this kind of lashing is good for us and serves to strengthen our resolve to improve in every aspect the standard and pace of our rallying in Jamaica. So again next year, we will all ask them to return and bring it on, with the hope that by then we will have a solution to that monster.”
In the results announced on Sunday night, Bajans Michael Hassell/Ryan Rodriguez (Crane & Equipment/Details Car Valet Subaru Impreza STi) won the Group N class, but the results were revised on Wednesday, promoting the Jamaican crew of Macklin Peterkin/Wayne Chuck (Mitsubishi Evo V) to the position. Barry Gale/Antonio Da Silva (Automotive Art/Courts/Kerridge/Yokohama/Simpson Motors Rally Team Mitsubishi Evo VI) had looked set for victory in the class and a strong top-10 finish, before contact with a rock on Saturday knocked out their oil cooler with potential engine damage to follow.
Among the most popular results of the weekend, Mark Hamilton’s 11th overall and Group JA3 victory brought smiles to both home and overseas supporters. One Jamaican fan said: “For me the car of the rally was the Mark2 Ford Escort. People were literally drooling over it at scrutineering. Nobody expected this gem to be driven in such a committed manner . . . much less win JA3. And it was still immaculate at the end.”
Hamilton’s co-driver in the Esso/Automotive Art/McEnearney Quality Ford Escort MkII was the experienced Clive Howell, and their victory came by more than 90 seconds against an impressive collection of much-newer machinery, including Oliver Townsend’s Toyota Starlet.
The final finisher among the Barbados party was the pairing of cousins Neil and Ben Armstrong in the Bridgestone/Lubriguard/Nassco/Proauto Toyota Starlet, who finished 16th overall and third in JA2; neither had seen the rough Jamaican stages before, so it was a steep learning curve for both. They attracted a great deal of favourable comment for their attacking style – they were second to Sean Gill/Michael Cummins on Saturday night, despite a 2min 20secs penalty - and were both very happy to have finished, although somewhat sore after a very punishing event . . . and faced with a complete rebuild of the car before next season.
Apart from Barry Gale, the other Bajan retirements were Kirk Watkins/Rhett Watson (Abacus Builders/Planned Maintenance/Bridgestone/Castrol Toyota Corolla GTi), with gearbox failure; brothers Adrian and Jonathan Linton (Crane & Equipment/Ravensden/AutoZone/Garbage Gobbler Vauxhall Astra GTE), whose problems also revolved around the gearbox, and Geoffrey Noel/Leslie Alleyne (Amalie Oil/AutoZone/Trane/Automotive Art/Sunbeach Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI), who looked set to finish, until suspension damage rendered the car undriveable for the final New Kingston stages.
Many of the home country’s more fancied runners retired, too, Sunday morning claiming a massive haul including last year’s winning crew, Doug Gore/Mark Nelson, whose Mitsubishi Evo VIII drowned the second time through the Bog Walk watersplash. Others to retire were five-times winner Jeffrey Panton, who was lucky, along with co-driver Peter Clarke, to escape a high speed crash in the venerable Toyota Celica GT4, which may finally consign the car to retirement, Peter Moodie Jr/Mike Fennell Jr, whose Mitsubishi Evo VI gearbox failed, and 1996 winner David Summerbell Jr/Stephen Gunter, with drive train problems in their similar car.

Rally Jamaica
December 4/5, 2004
Results
1 Richard Rerrie/David Baugh (Subaru Impreza WRX), 1h 17m 23s
2 Gary Gregg/Hugh Hutchinson (Ford Focus WRC), 1h 18m 14s
3 Trevor Manning/James Betts (Mitsubishi Evo VIII), 1h 18m 39s
4 = Harold Morley/Geoffrey Goddard (Subaru Impreza WRC) and Roger Hill/Graham Gittens (Toyota Celica GT4), 1h 23m 04s
6 Christopher Addison/Sean Williams (Mitsubishi Evo V), 1h 24m 16s
7 Sean Gill/Michael Cummins (Suzuki Ignis), 1h 25m 43s
8 Macklin Peterkin/Wayne Chuck (Mitsubishi Evo V), 1m 25m 43s
9 Michael Hassell/Ryan Rodriguez (Subaru Impreza STi), 1h 25m 46s
10 David Lee/Courtney Murphy (Mitsubishi Evo III), 1h 26m 58s
Class winners: JA8 Rerrie/Baugh; JN8 Peterkin/Chuck; JA3 Mark Hamilton/Clive Howell (Ford Escort Mk II), 1h 29m 59s; JA2 Gill/Cummins; JN4 Haresh Ramchandani/Andrew Forsythe (Greatwall Deer), 1h 45m 26s

For further information, robin@bradfax.com