RALLY CLUB GRAVEL SPRINT ON SUNDAY

The Barbados Rally Club’s (BRC) 2008 Championship season gets under way on Sunday (March 2) with a Gravel Sprint on the popular course at Yorkshire and Searles in Christchurch; the event is the first event in the BRC’s restructured championship and is slated to start at 9.00am.
Following early-morning scrutineering and a ‘drive-through’ at 8.30am, there will be one practice run and three official timed runs; the course covers seven kilometres and, although the same venue was used by the Club last year, there are changes from the previous configuration.
The undoubted success of the Club’s 50th Anniversary celebrations in 2007 has rekindled the enthusiasm of members for an element of the Club that has remained a key factor in its longevity . . . the social side. Sunday’s event will be followed by a ‘lime’ in the Searles Factory yard with food and drinks for sale; all are welcome – competitors, marshals and spectators.
Club chairman Mark Hamilton notes: “The Committee of Management spent many hours discussing the various components of the 2008 schedule and has come up with a new concept for the Rally and Speed events. These ideas include a new points-scoring and awards structure, also greater recognition for class winners, who put in just as much effort competing against their peers as front-runners do in the battle for overall victory.”
Building on the success of the Texaco BRC Rally Championship over the past three years, the new structure will continue to encourage overall achievement; alongside that, however, it will also recognise success through the field in a more significant way and raise the profile of those who win their respective classes.
The BRC RallySport Championship will comprise 10 events, five rallies and five sprints, some of which will be shared events with the Motoring Club of Barbados Inc (MCBI); the two days of Rally Barbados 2008 and the double-header MCBI Sprint in October will each offer two points-scoring opportunities, and competitors will count a total of five scores each from the rallies and sprints towards their year-end total. The scoring will remain as before in each type of event, with 15 points awarded for first place, 12 for second and so forth in rallies and 12 for first, 10 for second and so forth in sprints; at year-end, the top 10 overall and the top three in each class will receive prizes.
While the BRC RallySport Championship will produce an ‘overall’ Club Champion, there will be two further titles for competitors to aim for: the BRC Rally Championship will be based on the five rallies, while the BRC Sprint Championship will be based on the five sprints; in each case, competitors will count their five best scores from six. At year-end, the top five finishers overall and the winner of each class in each of the Rally and Sprint Championships will receive prizes.
The changes were debated and approved by a healthy turn-out of members at the Club’s Annual General Meeting earlier this month; during the evening, votes were also taken on four changes to the Committee of Management - Geoffrey Noel replaces Barry Gale as Vice-Chairman, Leslie Alleyne replaces Linday Farmer as Assistant Competition Secretary, while Josh Read and Debbie Taylor take up CoM positions for the first time. In addition, in line with the three-year rotation of the Club’s Trustees, John Sealy becomes Club President, with David Edwards, Bill Mallalieu and Harry Watkins the three Vice-Presidents.
The full Barbados Rally Club Committee of Management for 2008 is: Chairman, Mark Hamilton; Vice-Chairman, Geoffrey Noel; Treasurer, Garry Clarke; Competition Secretary, Paul Bourne; Assistant Competition Secretary, Leslie Alleyne; Vehicle Classification Officer, Adrian Linton; Secretary, Debbie Taylor; Marshal Liaison Officer, Roger Sargeant; Equipment Officer, Paul Allen; Public Relations Officer, Neil Barnard; Entertainment Officer, Josh Read

BRC RallySport Championship
Competitors will count their best five scores each from the BRC Rally Championship and the BRC Sprint Championship toward their year-end total

BRC Rally Championship
April 20 – Tarmac Rally
May 31/June 01 – Rally Barbados 2008
September 13 – Tarmac Rally (MCBI event shared with BRC for points)
October 19 – Gravel Rally
November 2 – Gravel Rally

BRC Sprint Championship
March 2 – Gravel Sprint
May 24 – Tarmac Sprint
July 13 – Tarmac Sprint (MCBI event shared with BRC for points)
July 26 – Tarmac Night Sprint
October 5 – Tarmac Double-header Sprint (MCBI event shared with BRC for points)

For further information, robin@bradfax.com