WHITE AND WARREN CLAIM ‘JUNE’ HONOURS

Posted on July 1st, 2009.

Darrin White added his name to the roll of honour of the Barbados Rally Club’s (BRC) oldest event at the weekend (June 27/28), when he and navigator Robert Warren – claiming a second win – triumphed in the Shelbury Construction June Safari.
Route-setter Stewart Gill, himself a former winner of ‘The June’, had devised a challenge worthy of the 53rd running of Club’s premier navigational event, as Mud Dogs chairman Leslie Alleyne noted: “Stewart used great skill in developing tricks throughout the event which caught competitors off guard - in many instances, they were several kilometres away before they realised that they had been tricked. The competitors were very appreciative of the effort that was put into setting a fantastic event.”
White and Warren (Flyin’ Fish Nissan Frontier) finished the event with 720 penalties, beating ARMAG March Safari winners Dominic Brooker and Stephen Dear (SDRR Hydraulics/Next Generation Electrical/Joe Brooker's Building Toyota Hilux) by just 72 penalties; third were the 2008 Novice Champions, Damian Brooker and Derek Edwards (Joe Brooker's Building Toyota Hilux), another 88 penalties behind.
With two routes on Saturday and a third on Sunday, crews faced the hardest challenge of the four events comprising the 2009 Mud Dogs BRC Safari Championship, and the first route was to prove crucial. Warren, who won ‘The June’ in 2002 with brother Ian, recalls: “I think the master trick was the end of route 1, where we drove past Chefette, could smell the food (which smelled real good after five hours of driving) and most of us made what we thought was the last turn only to get an off-route d-check!! Well most people did not know what happened and went back to Chefette, some knew what they had to do, which was drive another five kilometres to Weston! Those of us who put off eating for a while (which was hard to do!) got CP4! Classic."
Alleyne agrees: “That last check point of the first route was a rally-winning control. Only three crews went to this control on Speightstown by-pass road, White and Warren among them, which helped them bank enough of an advantage to weather the storm.”
That, however, was not his most apt choice of phrase, as the one ‘complaint’ voiced by many was, indeed, the weather. Warren said: “Its just unfortunate it was so dry! I think it has been the driest in my memory, thankfully we had the mud hole at Castle so at least when done there it looked like an off road rally!” His thoughts were echoed by 2008 winning navigator, Neil Barnard: “it was the driest June that certainly I have ever been in. What kept it interesting was of course the quality of the actual route, but also the fact that the rally moved very quickly from location to location, so you never felt as if you were going around in circles in one geographical area.”
As they settled down for their well-earned supper, White and Warren had attracted just 212 penalties on the first route. Paul Farmer and another former winner, Peter Bradshaw, were second (Hankook Tyres/Starfish Designs Isuzu LS) on 430 penalties, with the impressive Novice pair of Luke Gittens and Gary Mendes (LG Trading/K&N Equipment/Lunatics Inc Suzuki Samurai) third, on 440 penalties.
While different crews come to the fore on route two, Warren and White’s early advantage saw them in good stead. Brooker and Dear were the route winners with 94 penalties, 28 ahead of the most successful crew entered in terms of ‘June’ history, Chris Armstrong and Wayne Clarke (Toyota Hilux) – as well as two wins together (2000 & ‘01), Clarke had also won twice as navigator to Don Hunte (1991 & ’93). Just another 12 penalties behind were Brooker and Edwards, with White and Warren fourth.
As competitors gathered at Automotive Art, Welches for Sunday’s final route, White and Warren had increased their advantage to just over 300 penalties, with Brooker/Dear second, Brooker/Edwards third and Farmer/Bradshaw now fourth.
While no-one looked likely to catch the leaders, there was an intense battle for the places, just 30 penalties covering those crews at the start of the day. Alleyne, acting as ‘Sweeper’ said: “We had live results at every control that we went to and we watched positions literally changing before our eyes. Four controls before the finish we saw a one penalty point difference between the then second-placed team of Farmer and Bradshaw, and third Brooker and Dear. At our very next control, we saw Brooker/Dear and Brooker/Edwards take over second and third respectively. It was exciting stuff.”
While the overall battle was being watched by Alleyne, different crews again impressed on route three: by finishing second and third to Brooker and Dear, Wayne Manning and Yosuf Patel (Black Bess Quarry/Citgo Oils Toyota Hilux) and Kirk and Tricia King (K & N Equipment Suzuki Samurai) hauled themselves into the top 10 overall by the finish.
Everyone involved gathered once more for the Prizegiving at the Barbados Clay Target Shooting Association Clubhouse at Searles on Tuesday evening (June 30), where Alleyne reports “a very positive and jovial atmosphere, and a fitting conclusion to a weekend of hard-fought battles and many position changes. Chris Armstrong of Shelbury Construction was full of praise for the event, and pledged his continued support in 2010. In thanking him, I can pledge that we will raise the bar yet again next year.”
In addition to the Shelbury Construction awards, Tricia King received a trophy donated by Biddy Barber as the highest-placed female competitor, and winning Novices Adrian Sinckler and Andre Murrell (Suzuki Samurai) a trophy presented by Richard Daniel of Neptune Tours.

Shelbury Construction June Safari – June 27/28
Mud Dogs BRC Safari Championship, round 2
Results - overall
1st Darrin White/Robert Warren (Flyin’ Fish Nissan Frontier), 720 penalties
2nd Dominic Brooker/Stephen Dear (SDRR Hydraulics/Next Generation Electrical/Joe Brooker's Building Toyota Hilux), 792pens
3rd Damian Brooker/Derek Edwards (Joe Brooker's Building Toyota Hilux), 880pens
4th Paul Farmer/Peter Bradshaw (Hankook Tyres/Starfish Designs Isuzu LS), 985pens
5th Barry Gale/Neil Barnard (Gale’s Agro Products/Redlinefuels.com Mitsubishi L200), 1148pens
6th Paul Marshall/Courtney Holder (Mitsubishi L200), 1184pens
7th Michael Ward/Willie Hinds (Niccolls & Edghill Construction/EZ Sign Shop Suzuki Samurai), 1247pens
8th Chris Armstrong/Wayne Clarke (Toyota Hilux), 1284pens
9th Wayne Manning/Yosuf Patel (Black Bess Quarry/Citgo Oils Toyota Hilux), 1362pens
10th Kirk King/Tricia King (K & N Equipment Suzuki Samurai), 1686pens
etc
Novice class
1st Adrian Sinckler/Andre Murrell (Suzuki Samurai), 1818pens – 13th overall
2nd David Brewster/Damien Bradshaw (Marks Auto Parts/Champion Auto Wrecker Serice Suzuki Samurai), 1851pens – 14th o/a
3rd Hadley Green/Adrian Crane (Automotive Art/Hunte’s Auto Spares Toyota Hilux), 1923pens – 15th o/a
etc
Route 1
1st White/Warren, 212pens; 2nd Farmer/Bradshaw, 430pens; 3rd Luke Gittens/Gary Mendes (LG Trading/K&N Equipment/Lunatics Inc Suzuki Samurai), 440pens; etc
Route 2
1st Brooker/Dear, 94pens; 2nd Armstrong/Clarke, 112pens; 3rd Brooker/Edwards, 124pens; etc
Route 3
1st Brooker/Dear, 118pens; 2nd Manning/Patel, 130pens; 3rd King/King, 212pens; etc