MORE THAN 30 CREWS CHASE LAST-CHANCE POINTS

The final round of the Barbados Rally Club (BRC) 4 x 4 Navigational Championship – the Toyota November Safari – had attracted a healthy entry of 34 crews by the end of last night’s briefing meeting; and, with late entries being accepted until Thursday afternoon, the number may yet rise.
This Sunday’s (November 13) event is slated to start at 8.00am from the Windward Cricket Club in St Philip, following scrutineering at 7.00am . . . and there’s all to fight for over 100 kilometres of rough terrain.
Not only will the outcome of the BRC’s second season of navigational competition be decided, but there is a good haul of prizes and awards on offer, too. Roger Hill, boss of event sponsor Nassco, confirmed this morning that his company will present a product voucher valued at $400 to be shared by the highest-placed Toyota crew in the Toyota November Safari.
The Nassco prize is in addition to the championship’s regular awards: each member of the first three crews home on Sunday will receive a trophy, plus Automotive Art vehicle service vouchers for $125, $75 and $50 respectively for first, second and third. Trophies for the highest-placed Novice crew are donated by Neptune Tours, while the highest-placed female navigator receives a trophy donated by Biddy Barber.
In addition, the Sportsmanship Award continues - both navigator and driver of the crew voted by their fellow competitors to have exhibited the most sportsmanlike qualities during the Safari will receive a free general service from Autozone Inc, which will also pay the crew’s entry fee and insurance for the first round of next year’s championship.
Competition will be intense, as several navigators and drivers are still in contention for the championship’s two main titles. In the navigator’s standings, Neil Barnard leads Robert Warren by six points, with Kevyn Yearwood another six points behind. As BRC Navigational Committee member Lindsay Farmer explains, however, things are not quite that simple: “Also in with a shot of claiming the overall prize are Annalee Alleyne and Kenney Croney because they have both been involved in setting Safaris earlier in the year. Last year, route-setters were automatically rewarded with a maximum score, but the committee changed the rule this year – now, a route-setter will collect the points equivalent to his or her best result of the year . . . so we won’t know until after Sunday exactly how that affects the final outcome!”
And the same will apply in the chase for the drivers’ title: Barnard’s driver Barry Gale leads Warren’s brother Ian by the same six-point margin, with Derek Gill a further six points behind. Gill is tied in third place with Jeremy Croney, but Croney will miss this weekend’s final round, as he is now studying in the UK. Also in with a chance of claiming the overall prize are Leslie Alleyne and Phillip McConney, both of whom were involved in setting previous Safaris.
Sunday should provide a day of great competition. This final Safari of the year has been set by Biddy Barber and Paul Marshall, with assistance from Barber’s son Brett and Peter Bradshaw.
The two routes will total around 100 kilometres through the parishes of St John, St Andrew and St Phillip, with a lunchtime stop-over at Sand Dunes Restaurant on the Ermie Bourne Highway from around noon to 1.00pm. The first competitor is expected to reach the finish at the Barbados Clay Target Shooting Association, Searles, Christ Church at around 5.00pm.

BRC 4 x 4 Navigational Championship
Round 4 – Toyota November Safari
Entry list at November 9

Pro Section
1 Ian Warren/Robert Warren (Simpson Motors Isuzu Pickup)
2 Keri-Dawn Watkins/Lisa Roett (Hankook Tyres Toyota Rav 4)
3 Audley Croney/Geoffrey Goddard (Suzuki Samurai)
10 Leslie Alleyne/Anna-Lee Alleyne (Quality Tyre/Bridgestone Suzuki Samurai)
11 Warrick Eastmond/Dwayne Nurse (Suzuki Samurai)
13 Christopher Beckley/Warren Gollop (Castrol/Prestone/FB Batteries Mitsubishi Pajero)
14 John Sealy/David Barnard (Land Rover)
15 Phillip McConney/Kenny Croney (Suzuki Samurai)
21 Mike Ward/Willie Hinds (Consolidated Finance/Automotive Art Maruti Gypsy)
23 Mark Western/Robin Hinds (Yardman/Kar Parts Store Suzuki Samurai)
26 Barry Gale/Neil Barnard (Yokohama/Nishi Koi Fish Food Mitsubishi L200)
27 Noel Edwards/Jason Downey (Auto Link/Champion Auto Suzuki Vitara)
28 Lindsay Farmer/Megan Blades (Rallynut.com Suzuki Samurai)
29 Rory Gray/Chris O'Neal (Land Rover)
30 Derek Gill/Andrew Croney (Suzuki Samurai)

Novice Section
4 Sean Mottley/Kreigg Yearwood (Suzuki Vitara)
5 Sidney Stone/Kurt Farwell (Suzuki Samurai)
6 Ricky Morris/tba (Nissan)
7 Charles Timothy/Henry Haynes (Nissan Terrano)
8 Troy Clarke/Wayne Forde (Suzuki Samurai)
9 Sean Gibbs/Kerri Gibbs (Boardwalk Realty Toyota Hilux)
12 Damian Brooker/Dustin Edwards (Toyota Hilux)
16 Chris King/tba (Suzuki Samurai)
17 Fredrik Von Kantzow/Timothy Mahon (4x4.bb Suzuki Samurai)
18 Samuel Hoyte/Damian Worrell (Suzuki Samurai)
19 Dominic Brooker/Nathan Harling (SDRR Hydraulics/Joe Brooker's Building Ltd Toyota Hilux)
20 Chris Choat/Justin Inniss (Ace Recovery/Freemotion Range Rover)
22 David St Hill/Christopher Gajadhar (Mitsubishi Pajero)
24 Ricardo Green/Rasheed Osbourne (Nissan 1200 Datsun Pickup)
25 Adrian Sinckler/Ansley Edey (Suzuki Samurai)
31 Kirk King/Tricia King (K & N Equipment Mazda B2500)
32 Gregory Dickenson/Anna-Maria Dickenson (Toyota Hilux)
33 Kevin St Hill/Jamilia Parris (Mitsubishi Pajero)
34 Curtis Greaves/Jamal Brathwaite (Shell Helix Suzuki Samurai)

BRC 4 x 4 Navigational Championship
Positions after round 3
1st Neil Barnard, 44pts
2nd Robert Warren, 38pts
3rd Kevyn Yearwood, 32pts
4th Brett Barber & Geoffrey Goddard, 29pts
6th Warren Gollop, 27pts
etc
Drivers
1st Barry Gale, 44pts
2nd Ian Warren, 38pts
3rd Jeremy Croney & Derek Gill, 32pts
5th Biddy Barber, 29pts
6th Chris Beckley, 27pts
etc

For further information, robin@bradfax.com