FAMILY FORTUNES PREVAIL IN CLOSE-FOUGHT ACTION

Husband and wife crew Leslie and Anna-Lee Alleyne added another navigational victory to their already impressive cv on Sunday (September 21) when they won the Regional Fire & Security September Safari, round three of the 2008 Barbados Rally Club (BRC) Mud Dogs Safari Championship.
Merely 105 penalties covered the top three crews after a hard-fought contest, where consistency was all-important and in which the weather did not play as great a part as expected - despite the heavy rainfall of Thursday and Friday, the tracks were significantly drier than many had predicted.
In their Bridgestone Tyres Mitsubishi Pajero iO, the Alleynes incurred 585 penalties, to beat Derek Gill and Andrew Croney (Mitsubishi Pajero) by 97; third, just a further eight penalties adrift, were Chris Armstrong and Wayne Clarke in their Suzuki Samurai.
Barry Gale and Neil Barnard, who had shared the Championship lead with the Alleynes coming into Sunday’s event, finished fourth in the Gale’s Hatcheries Mitsubishi L200, while fifth place overall earned Damian Brooker and Derek Edwards (Joe Brooker’s Building Ltd Toyota Hilux) the trophies as highest-placed novice crew.
From the 8.00am start at Automotive Art, Welches, it was the experienced crew of Audley Croney and Geoffrey Goddard (Suzuki Samurai) who made the running on route one, reaching the lunch-time stop-over at Colleton in St John in the lead. They had an advantage of 32 penalties over John Sealy and Lisa Roett (Land Rover Defender), with rallyists Sean Dowding and Kirk Watkins third, another 22 behind in the Axis Inc Toyota Hilux.
In a dramatic change of fortunes, however, none of these three crews made it into the top 10 on route two, let alone the top three – they finished 15th, 17th and 14th respectively, and dropped down the order by the evening finish at Searles, Christ Church. Armstrong and Clarke, who had reached the stop-over lying in 13th place, were the winners of route two by the narrow margin of nine penalties. The Alleynes, seventh at lunch, finished second, with Gill and Croney (ninth at lunch) another 45 penalties behind in third.
The Prizegiving for the Regional Fire & Security September Safari was held at the Barbados Clay Target Shooting Association Clubhouse on Tuesday (September 23), during which awards were presented to the top three crews overall, top three novice crews, the winning crew in each route and the highest-placed female novice, who was Renata Roett, navigating in Edson Arthur’s Toyota Hilux.
Reflecting on the day’s action, she said: “Warrick did a good job setting the rally. It was challenging, but not overly frustrating and the route carried us places I hadn't been before, so I found that interesting.”
Another female navigator came in for some praise – Rebecca Corbin, who had tackled the event with Dean Springer in the Coastal Construction/Eastern Vet Clinic Suzuki Sidekick. Springer said: "My first-time navigator did a good job on the first route, but we found route two a bit frustrating. All in all I had a blast, the Vitara worked well, and I look forward to November." Corbin’s “good job” on route one meant they arrived at the lunch stop an impressive 11th overall, but placing 21st on route two dropped them to 20th overall at the finish.
Another novice, Dave Gibson, who finished 20th overall, said: “It turned out to be a blast for me and my navi. The first leg was real hard. Got lost after the first four controls and that was it for the first half. The second half went well. We got quite a few controls and we achieved our aim . . . and that was to have ‘nuff fun’. Can't wait ‘til November."
The fourth and final round of the BRC Mud Dogs Safari Championship is slated for Sunday, November 9.

BRC Mud Dogs Safari Championship, round 3
September 21 – Regional Fire & Security September Safari
Results – overall
1st Leslie Alleyne/Anna-Lee Alleyne (Bridgestone Tyres Mitsubishi Pajero iO), 585 penalties
2nd Derek Gill/Andrew Croney (Mitsubishi Pajero), 682pens
3rd Chris Armstrong/Wayne Clarke (Suzuki Samurai), 690pens
4th Barry Gale/Neil Barnard (Gale’s Hatcheries Mitsubishi L200), 709pens
5th Damian Brooker/Derek Edwards (Joe Brooker’s Building Ltd Toyota Hilux), 810pens
6th Colin Goodman/Robin Hinds (Suzuki Samurai), 839pens
7th Audley Croney/Geoffrey Goddard (Suzuki Samurai), 939pens
8th Sean Dowding/Kirk Watkins (Axis Inc Toyota Hilux), 988pens
9th Edson Arthur/Renata Roett (Toyota Hilux), 996pens
10th Wayne Manning/Willie Hinds (CITGO/Black Bess Quarry Land Rover Series III), 1024pens
etc
Novice Class
1st Brooker/Edwards, 810pens
2nd Arthur/Roett, 996pens
3rd Rory Gray/Brian Fernandes (D & R Services/Plants Plus Ltd Land Rover Defender), 1280pens
etc
Route 1
1st Croney/Goddard, 190pens
2nd John Sealy/Lisa Roett (Land Rover Defender), 222pens
3rd Dowding/Watkins, 244pens
etc
Route 2
1st Armstrong/Clarke, 160pens
2nd Alleyne/Alleyne, 169pens
3rd Gill/Croney, 214pens
etc
Highest-placed female novice
Renata Roett – 9th overall, navigating for Edson Arthur

For further information:
e-mail robin@bradfax.com