MUD DOGS KICK OFF WITH ARMAG MARCH SAFARI

The Barbados Rally Club’s (BRC) Mud Dogs Safari Championship gets under way on Saturday (March 7), with the ARMAG March Safari, which route-setter and reigning Champion Driver Leslie Alleyne says “won't be short of excitement”.
Twenty-three crews have entered for this first of four rounds, including seven in the Novice Class. The 2008 Novice Champions, Navigator Derek Edwards and Driver Damian Brooker (Toyota Hilux), move up to the Pro Class for the first time, where they will face some strong competition, including 2005 Champions Neil Barnard and Barry Gale (Mitsubishi L200) and 2007 Champion Navigator Robin Hinds, who is now sitting alongside Colin Goodman in his Suzuki Samurai.
The ARMAG March Safari will start at 2.01pm from Windward Cricket Club, St Philip, and finish at the Barbados Clay Target Shooting Association Club House at Searles, Christ Church, at approximately 10.30pm. Between those times, the crews will have also travelled through St John, touched briefly on St Joseph, then returned via St George.
There will be a stop-over at 4.00pm at the new Mud Dogs Park in Pot House, St John, which BRC Assistant Competition Secretary Alleyne describes as “an awesome place with an excellent view of the Atlantic Ocean”. This will be the home for the Mud Dogs MudFests this year – the first of these, sponsored by Castrol, is scheduled for April 5.
The route for the ARMAG March Safari has been set by Alleyne and Chris O’Neal. Alleyne says: “There will be about 110km of route using three types of navigation - BRC, Tulip and Straightline, with the majority of the route Tulip. There is lots of off-roading, lots of mentally-challenging navigation and one or two areas for the drivers to be put to the test.
“The latter is quite difficult, given that most of the roads are overgrown and not useable. Also there hasn't been much rain to put the ‘Mud’ back into the ‘Mud Dogs”, but I guarantee it won't be short of excitement. I think the navigation is quite appropriate for newcomers to try, because I have designed it in such a way that, if you make a mistake, it will be easy to pick back up the route and keep going.”
The Prizegiving for the ARMAG March Safari will be held at 6.00pm at the Barbados BCTSA Club House on Tuesday, March 10, once the results have been declared final.

The BRC Mud Dogs Safari Championship will comprise seven events, four off-road navigational rallies run under the Safari title and three MudFests; trophies will be awarded at each event. As before, the four Safaris will include separate Championships for Navigator and Driver, with additional special awards including highest-placed novice and female; for the MudFests, there will be one championship rewarding the highest-placed drivers.

ARMAG March Safari – March 7
Mud Dogs BRC Safari Championship, round 1
Running order - Pro class
1 Chris Armstrong/Wayne Clarke (Toyota Hilux)
2 Audley Croney/Geoffrey Goddard (JCB Excavators Suzuki Samurai)
4 Nicolas Lorde/Warrick Eastmond (Nicolls & Edghill Construction Suzuki Vitara)
6 Colin Goodman/Robin Hinds (Suzuki Samurai)
7 Dominic Brooker/Stephen Dear (SDRR Hydraulics/Next Generation Electrical/Joe Brooker's Building Toyota Hilux)
8 Barry Gale/Neil Barnard (Mitsubishi L200)
11 Sean Dowding/Kirk Watkins (Axis Inc Isuzu Dmax)
13 Mike Ward/Willie Hinds (Niccolls & Edghill Construction/EZ Sing Shop Suzuki Samurai)
14 Darrin White/Robert Warren (Flyin’ Fish Nissan Frontier)
15 Paul Marshall/Tiffany Marshall (Mitsubishi L200)
17 Sean Mottley/Kreigg Yearwood (Suzuki Vitara)
19 Damian Brooker/Derek Edwards (Toyota Hilux)
20 Kirk King/Tricia King (K & N Equipment Suzuki Samurai)
21 Biddy Barber/Brett Barber (Aqua Pur/Castrol/Biddy's Information Daihatsu Feroza)
22 Dustin Edwards/Ryan Corbin (Crane & Equipment/SDRR Toyota Hilux)
23 Edson Arthur/Renata Roett (Toyota Hilux)
Novice class
3 Alvin Simpson/Christopher Gibson (Suzuki Samurai)
5 Kerry Renee/Winston Drakes (Suzuki Samurai)
9 Ryan Sisnett/Ryan Johnson (Land Rover Defender)
10 Luke Gittens/Gary Mendes (LG Trading/Lunatics Inc/K&N Equipment Suzuki Samurai)
12 Dave Gibson/Lisa Gordon (Suzuki Samurai)
16 Adrian Sinckler/Andre Murrell (Suzuki Samurai)
18 Feroze Rafikh/Kamal Smith (Phoenix Construction & Maintenance Jeep CJ7)

For further media information, robin@bradfax.com