MEEKE TO DEFEND SOL RALLY BARBADOS TITLE

Just hours before the entry deadline for Sol Rally Barbados 2009 last Friday (May 1), a deal was struck for Kris Meeke to return and defend the title. The Ulsterman heads an oversubscribed entry list, which disproves predictions that the worldwide recession would adversely affect the Caribbean’s biggest annual motor sport event.
Not only is the Barbados Rally Club’s (BRC) maximum of 90 entries exceeded, but quantity is matched by unprecedented quality of both man and machine, the overseas entry a further endorsement of the attraction of the island’s sports tourism product; the full provisional entry list will be published on Monday, May 11.
This success and growth has helped fuel the partnership between the BRC and title sponsor Sol, the region’s largest independent oil company, as confirmed at a Media Conference today (May 6) at the Divi Southwinds Beach Resort, which will be Rally HQ for the forthcoming event. Sol’s regional manager OECS, Roger Bryan, stated: “The success of last year’s sponsorship has not been assessed only by the thousands of fans who lined the stages, or by the fantastic coverage offered by local and international media, but also through the resolute buy-in from Government and other supporting agencies on the island.”
Confirmation of Meeke’s participation lays to rest rumours that have circulated for weeks. Since winning last year in a Toyota Corolla World Rally Car, Meeke and co-driver Paul Nagle were signed by Peugeot UK/Kronos Racing to contest the Intercontinental Rally Challenge; after crashing out of the opening round, the Monte Carlo Rally, they won in Brazil in March, to lie joint second in the standings.
Their next event is this weekend (May 7-9) in the Portuguese Azores, after which they will start preparations for Sol RB09, for which they are entered in a Subaru Impreza WRC S9, sponsored by Digicel, Red Bull and ARMAG. Meeke has happy memories of Imprezas - he claimed his first overall rally win in one in Scotland in 2001, then finished ninth on his WRC debut on Wales Rally GB 2005 in what Autosport magazine described as “quite possibly the drive of his career”, after battling for the honour of finishing ‘top Brit’ with his mentor Colin McRae in a Skoda Fabia and Mark Higgins in a Ford Focus.
Confirmation of Meeke’s entry brings to nine the number of ex-factory World Cars entered, and boosts the number of potential winners; Paul Bird, who finished second to Meeke last year, fellow-Brits Steve Perez and Kevin Procter and Jamaica’s Jeffrey Panton are all capable of giving the island’s ‘Big Four’ something to think about, although Skeete, Paul Bourne, Roger Hill and Trevor Manning are determined to keep the trophy at home and repay the support of more than 20,000 local fans.
Sol’s Roger Bryan looks forward to the contest: “Sol recognizes the value of its contribution to the development of motor sport, and to Barbados as a whole; throughout the period around Sol Rally Barbados, the entire landscape is transformed by a wave of ‘rally consciousness’ . . . and we love that!”
Barbados Rally Club Vice-chairman Geoffrey Noel added: "In the second year of our agreement with Sol, which is the largest single sponsorship deal in the history of the Club, I am incredibly pleased with the support, especially from our overseas visitors, when everyone worldwide is facing economic problems. Sol’s commitment has also strengthened our case when dealing with partners such as the Barbados Hotel & Tourism Association and the Barbados Tourism Authority, which helps the Club towards its aim of sustainable sports tourism and a meaningful contribution to the economy of Barbados.”

Sol Rally Barbados 2009 (May 29-31) and Shell V-Power King of the Hill (May 24) are organised by the Barbados Rally Club, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2007; title sponsor is the Sol Group. Marketing partners are Automotive Art, Banks Holdings, DaCosta Mannings Auto Centre, Digicel, McEnearney Quality, Red Bull and Simpson Motors; official partners are the Barbados Hotel & Tourism Association, Barbados Tourism Authority, Divi Southwinds Beach Resort, Geest Line, Stoute’s Car Rental and Virgin Atlantic Airways; associate sponsors are ARMAG, Caribbean Airlines, Crane & Equipments, Merville Lynch Productions, Little Switzerland and Shelbury Construction.

For further information:
media contact – robin@bradfax.com