News

Conor Roach and Rhett Watson have eased ahead in the hunt for the coveted Champion Driver title in the Barbados Rally Club’s (BRC) Virgin Atlantic Championship, despite not having everything their own way in their respective classes at Scotiabank King of the Hill (May 26) and Sol Rally Barbados 2013 (June 1/2).   Meanwhile, the BRC continues to enjoy growing competitor numbers – 69 local drivers have participated in VA Championship events so far this season, compared with 63 by the same point last year and 57 in 2011, an increase of around 10 per cent year on year.

Final preparations are being made island-wide for the longest event in the Barbados Rally Club’s (BRC) Chefette MudDogs Safari Championship, the Sol Go Further June Safari. The first of 25 crews will depart Sol Redman's Village at 3.01pm on Saturday (June 29) for an 18-hour test of endurance, which will take competitors to some of the island’s most scenic locations. Title sponsor of the BRC’s blue riband event, Rally Barbados, for the past six years, Sol first supported the June Safari in 2012, and has stepped up it’s commitment this year.

Former UK National Rally Champion Paul Bird successfully defended his Sol Rally Barbados title at the weekend (June 1/2), crowning a remarkable record in his six years contesting the Caribbean’s biggest annual motor sport International. Second on his first two visits, third twice and now a back-to-back winner, he is also the only driver to have finished on the podium of the island’s premier event six times in a row.

Key to nationalities (competitor from Barbados unless shown): ARG – Argentina; ENG – England; GUY – Guyana; JAM – Jamaica; NED – The Netherlands; NIR – Northern Ireland; SCO – Scotland; TCI – Turks & Caicos; TRI – Trinidad & Tobago; WAL – Wales   1 Neil Armstrong/Barry Ward (WRC-1 Monster/Sol/Chefette/Digicel/Virgin Atlantic/Gunk/Hankook Tyres/Redline Fuels/Simpson Finance/Simpson Motors Suzuki SX4 WRC) 2 Paul Bird - ENG/Aled Davies - WAL (WRC-1 Frank Bird Poultry/Rapid Solicitors/Fuchs Titan Race Oils Ford Focus WRC08) 3 Roger Skeete/Louis Venezia (WRC-1 Sol/Michelin/Simpson Motors