ISLAND’S OLDEST MOTOR SPORT EVENT NEXT WEEKEND

The island’s oldest organised motor sport event looks set to be one of the toughest as well this year; that’s the word from the organisers of the 2005 Barbados Rally Club (BRC) 4x4 June Safari, which will be staged next weekend (June 18/19).
This year’s event will be the 48th in its history; formerly known as the June Rally, it began as a purely navigational event before being run for some years as a navigational rally, including special stages. It eventually reverted to its navigational format, and five years ago became a 4 x 4 off-road event.
The BRC 4x4 June Safari will cover roughly 150 kilometres, taking competitors through all 11 parishes; it is divided into three routes, with approximately 80 per cent of the distance off-road. It will start at Barbados Hardware, Haggatt Hall, at 4.00pm on Saturday and finish at the Lucky Horseshoe Restaurant, Warrens, at 6.00am on Sunday. There will be a one-hour stopover at the Lucky Horseshoe at around 10.00pm, and a further short rest stop in the early hours of Sunday at a location to be confirmed.
The route has been set Leslie ‘Wings’ Alleyne and wife Annalee, who won the June Safari in 2003, and fellow experienced competitors Peter Bradshaw and Chris O'Neal. The route promises to be one of the toughest to date, challenging navigator, driver, and machine, and ‘Wings’ notes: "The planning for the June Safari has revolved around the safety aspect, in recognition of the fact that the majority will be held in darkness. We aim not to let anyone go to sleep from a lack of mental or physical activity!"
The types of navigation of which competitors will need a working knowledge are Tulip, BRC and Straightline. The first route travels through the parishes of St Michael, Christ Church, St George, St Philip, St John and St Thomas; the second route revisits St Michael and St Thomas, then takes competitors into St James, St Peter, St Lucy and St Andrew; the final route adds St Joseph into the mix, as competitors also return to St Andrew, St John, St George and St Michael.
The Briefing Meeting is on Tuesday (June 14) at the Clay Pigeon Club, starting at 7.00pm, when entries will open; the entry fee is Bds $40.00 per vehicle, plus Bds $60.00 for insurance. Temporary membership of the BRC is Bds $35 per person. Late entries will be taken at Autozone Inc, Fontabelle, up to 5.00pm on Thursday (June 16), although any entries taken after the close of the Briefing Meeting will incur a penalty of $15.00.
The BRC 4x4 June Safari is the second round of the Club’s 4 x 4 Navigational Championship; the four-round series started in February with the Toyo Tires 4x4 Safari, which attracted 28 entries and was won by Jeremy Croney and Geoffrey Goddard (Suzuki Samurai), with Curtis Greaves and Jamal Brathwaite (Suzuki Samurai) the highest-placed Novice crew.
The Prizegiving for the 2005 BRC 4x4 June Safari will be held at Kendal Sporting on Tuesday, June 21 at 7.30pm.

BRC 4 x 4 Navigational Championship
Positions after round 1
Navigators
1st Geoffrey Goddard, 20pts
2nd Robin Hinds, 18pts
3rd Annalee Alleyne, 16pts
4th Brett Barber, 14pts
5th Kevyn Yearwood, 12pts
Drivers
1st Jeremy Croney, 20pts
2nd Mark Western, 18pts
3rd Leslie Alleyne, 16pts
4th Biddy Barber, 14pts
5th Derek Gill, 12pts

For further information, robin@bradfax.com