ALLEYNE FAMILY LEAD BRC SAFARI CHAMPIONSHIP

The experienced husband and wife crew of Leslie and Annalee Alleyne lead the 2006 Barbados Rally Club (BRC) Safari Championship at the half-way stage; in what is proving to be a highly-competitive season, just a handful of points cover the leading crews - two events remain, the next challenge to be faced being the BRC August Safari at the end of this month.
Having finished second in the Toyo Tires BRC February Safari in their former Suzuki Samurai, the Alleynes came out on top of the demanding Toyota BRC June Safari in their first outing in the new Autozone/Quality Tyre/Barbados Muffler Centre Mitsubishi Io. Their consistent performances have given them a total of 118 points, 14 ahead in the Championship . . . but with a long way still to go.
Second on 104 points are Paul Marshall and Ian Hutson, whose Mitsubishi L200 has carried them to seventh and third places in the first two events; just two points behind them are Audley Croney and Geoffrey Goddard, who finished fifth and sixth in the first two rounds in their Suzuki Samurai.
There is currently a tie for fifth place between Chris Beckley/Warren Gollop (Essco Mitsubishi Pajero) and brothers Ian and Robert Warren (Simpson Motors Isuzu Pickup), while the highest-placed Novice crew of Sean Mottley/Kristian Yearwood (Esso Suzuki Vitara) lies seventh overall.
All is not quite as it seems, however, as the BRC Safari Championship also rewards those who give of their time to act as route-setters. As BRC navigational committee member Lindsay Farmer explains: "Derek Gill and Andrew Croney set the June Safari, so each will be awarded additional points that have the potential to rocket them through the standings at the end of the year . . . and the same will apply to our reigning Champion Navigator and Driver, Neil Barnard and Barry Gale, who have put in a lot of time in recent weeks setting the August Safari."
Round three of the BRC Safari Championship will be staged on Sunday, August 27; as Farmer said, Barnard and Gale have found the experience of setting the Safari "thrilling and intensely exciting". While the Toyota June Safari was viewed by many as a really tough event - fewer than half the crews finished - the August Safari promises some fun, the route-setters describing one of the two routes as "bare action".

2006 Barbados Rally Club Safari Championship
Positions after round 2 of 4
Navigators - overall
1st Annalee Alleyne (Autozone/Quality Tyre/Barbados Muffler Centre Mitsubishi Io), 118 points
2nd Ian Hutson (Mitsubishi L200), 104pts
3rd Geoff Goddard (Suzuki Samurai), 102pts
4th equal Warren Gollop (Essco Mitsubishi Pajero) & Robert Warren (Simpson Motors Isuzu Pickup), 92pts
6th Kreigg Yearwood (Suzuki Vitara), 76pts
7th Kenny Croney (Suzuki Samurai), 60pts
8th Jeremy Croney (Suzuki Samurai), 58pts
9th Neil Barnard (Mitsubishi L200), 56pts
10th Andrew Croney (Suzuki Samurai), 54pts
etc
Navigators - Novice
1st Kreigg Yearwood
2nd Kristian Yearwood (Esso Suzuki Vitara), 42pts
3rd Anna-Marie Dickenson (Toyota HiLux), 40pts
etc
Drivers - overall
1st Leslie Alleyne (Autozone/Quality Tyre/Barbados Muffler Centre Mitsubishi Io), 118pts
2nd Paul Marshall (Mitsubishi L200), 104pts
3rd Audley Croney (Suzuki Samurai), 102pts
4th equal Chris Beckley (Essco Mitsubishi Pajero) & Ian Warren (Simpson Motors Isuzu Pickup), 92pts
6th Sean Mottley (Suzuki Vitara), 76pts
7th Chris Choat Jnr (ACE Recovery/ONTRAC Fleet Management Range Rover Special), 72pts
8th Philip McConney (Suzuki Samurai), 60pts
9th Barry Gale (Mitsubishi L200), 56pts
10th Derek Gill (Suzuki Samurai), 54pts
etc
Drivers - Novice
1st Mottley
2nd Choat
3rd Kirk Phillips (Esso Suzuki Vitara), 42pts
etc

Barbados Rally Club Safari Championship - qualifying rounds:
Round 1 - February 12
Round 2 - June 10/11
Round 3 - August 27
Round 4 - November 12
* drivers will count their scores from all rounds

For further information, robin@bradfax.com