NEW NAMES ADDED TO HISTORIC ROLL OF HONOUR

Barbados Rally Club (BRC) Navigational Champions in 2005, Neil Barnard and Barry Gale, added their names to the roll of honour of the region’s longest-running motor sport event last weekend (June 28/29) when they won the Shelbury Construction June Safari; in doing so, Barnard joins his father, David, who won the June Rally as both driver (1971 & ‘87) and navigator (for Michael Atwell in 1983).
They headed home the 29 crews which started the 52nd running of the event which helped established the BRC in 1957 and was this year round two of the 2008 BRC Mud Dogs Safari Championship. Following the start at the ITC building at Warrens on Saturday, there were two routes before the overnight halt; the third route started and finished in the Searles Factory Yard, Christchurch, on Sunday.
Navigator Barnard and driver Gale incurred a total of 287 penalties across the three routes in their Mitsubishi L200, beating 2003 and 2006 ‘June’ winners Leslie and Anna-Lee Alleyne (Bridgestone/Quality Tyre Inc Mitsubishi Pajero iO) by 146 penalties; just 29 penalties behind the husband and wife crew, Dominic Brooker and Stephen Dear finished third overall and highest-placed novice crew in the SDRR Hydraulic & Industrial Spares Inc/Next Generation Electrical Inc/Joe Brooker’s Building Ltd Toyota Hilux.
With 50 penalties, Barnard and Gale led after the first route, when the crews assembled for the Saturday evening stopover at the Sand Dunes restaurant, courtesy of event sponsor Shelbury Construction; their lead was just eight points, however, as Ryan Corbin and Dustin Edwards had also enjoyed a good start in the Corbin’s Catering Services Ltd/Sweet Temptations Toyota Hilux. Third at that stage on 70 penalties were 2004 Champion Driver Derek Gill and 2006 Champion Navigator Andrew Croney in the Insurance Solutions Inc Mitsubishi Pajero, although they were to fall by the wayside on route two; the Allyenes were fourth on 100.
Barnard and Gale, both also regular competitors in BRC rally and speed events, were beaten on route two by two fellow ‘rallyists’, as Kirk Watkins had swapped the steering wheel of his Mitsubishi Lancer Evo V to navigate for Sean Dowding in the Axis Inc/Maxxis Tyres Toyota Hilux. On 98 penalties, they were 52 ahead of Barnard and Gale, and moved into second place, 72 the leading crew.
Novices Brooker and Dear were third on the route with 242 penalties, with event sponsor Chris Armstrong, partnered by four times ‘June’ winner Wayne Clarke, fourth, tied on 250 penalties with Paul Marshall and Ricky Holder (Mitsubishi L200). Despite what Leslie Alleyne later described as “some really silly mistakes” on route two, the Alleynes were sixth on 254 penalties, and moved up to third overall.
After some overnight rest, battle was resumed shortly after 8.00am, the day ending with a driver challenge in the Searles Factory Yard. The route was won by MudFest regulars Edson Arthur and Trevor Mapp in their Toyota Hilux, with no penalties, while Brooker and Dear tied on 50 penalties with Gregory and Anna-Maria Dickenson (Home & Lawn Maintenance Services Ltd Toyota Hilux). Dowding and Watkins more than doubled their penalty total, dropping down the order, while the Alleynes finished ahead of Gale and Barnard, but by insufficient a margin to repeat their two earlier ‘June’ wins, or their victory in the Mud Dogs Championship’s opening round, the Toyo Tires March Safari.
Last weekend’s route was set by Darrin White and Robert Warren and re-checked by Kenny Croney. Alleyne, who is also chairman of the BRC Mud Dogs sub-committee, commented: “It was a brilliant rally and very keenly contested over the three routes. Although Darrin and Robert are inexperienced route-setters but they have shown the resolve to get an outstanding and professional job done. Several competitors commented that it has been one of the best!”

June 28/29 – Shelbury Construction June Safari
BRC Mud Dogs Safari Championship, round 2
Results - overall
1st Barry Gale/Neil Barnard (Mitsubishi L200), 287 penalties
2nd Leslie Alleyne/Anna-Lee Alleyne (Bridgestone/Quality Tyre Inc Mitsubishi Pajero iO), 433pens
3rd Dominic Brooker/Stephen Dear (SDRR Hydraulic & Industrial Spares Inc/Next Generation Electrical Inc/Joe Brooker’s Building Ltd Toyota Hilux), 462pens
4th Ryan Corbin/Dustin Edwards (Corbin’s Catering Services Ltd/Sweet Temptations Toyota Hilux), 521pens
5th Sean Dowding/Kirk Watkins (Axis Inc/Maxxis Tyres Toyota Hilux), 595pens
6th Kirk King/Tricia King (K & N Equipment Suzuki Samurai), 668pens
7th Chris Armstrong/Wayne Clarke (Suzuki Samurai), 744pens
8th Paul Marshall/Ricky Holder (Mitsubishi L200), 759pens
9th Christopher Beckley/Brett Barber (Essco Mitsubishi Pajero), 868pens
10th Gregory Dickenson/Anna-Maria Dickenson (Home & Lawn Maintenance Services Ltd Toyota Hilux), 880pens
etc
Novices
1st Brooker/Dear
2nd King/King
3rd Dickenson/Dickenson
etc
Route 1
1st Gale/Barnard, 50pens
2nd Corbin/Edwards, 58pens
3rd Derek Gill/Andrew Croney (Insurance Solutions Inc Mitsubishi Pajero), 70pens
etc
Route 2
1st Dowding/Watkins, 98pens
2nd Gale/Barnard, 150pens
3rd Brooker/Dear, 242pens
etc
Route 3
1st Edson Arthur/Trevor Mapp (Toyota Hilux), 0pens
2nd Brooker/Dear & Dickenson/Dickenson, 50pens
etc

For further information, robin@bradfax.com