CLOSE BATTLE IN PROSPECT BEFORE YEAR-END

Nearly 70 competitors have scored points in the 2009 Barbados Rally Club (BRC) Virgin Atlantic Driver’s and Class Championships, which reached their half-way stage over the two weekends of Shell V-Power King of the Hill and Sol Rally Barbados in late May. With six rounds remaining between now and November, there is a long way to go . . . even for those drivers whose strong performances in the Championship’s two key events have given them a mid-point advantage.
Having lost his early lead in the Driver’s Championship (based on overall results) when he crashed out of the Automotive Art Shakedown Stages, Paul Bourne (Subaru Impreza WRC S9) is now back at the top, albeit by only one point, thanks to winning both days of Sol RB09. Roger Hill (Toyota Corolla WRC) and Neil Armstrong (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI) have both slipped behind him, while the biggest winners from the two weekends were Trevor Manning (Ford Escort WRC) and Barry Gale (Evo VI) who leapt from the bottom of the top 10 to fourth and fifth respectively, demoting Geoff Noel (Evo IX) to sixth.
In the Class Championship, Bourne has a two-point lead over Hill in Modified 8-WRC, while Armstrong leads M8-A by 35 points from Kirk Watkins (Evo V). Group N leader Noel is currently the only driver with a 100 per cent record in his class – a total of 111 points – with SuperModified 11 leader Jonathan Still (105pts) and SM10 leader Ian Warren (102pts) his closest challengers for the overall class title . . . once dropped scores are taken into account, however, the battle will intensify.
The seventh round of the Virgin Atlantic Driver’s and Class Championships is the BRC Summer Nights Tarmac Sprint, slated for Saturday, July 25.

SuperModified 11: only Jonathan Still (BMW M3) and Nick Gill (Mazda 3) have contested every round, with Stillo’s strong performance in May increasing his points advantage nearly four-fold. The promised challenge from Mark Hamilton (Ford Escort MkII) failed to materialize thanks to gearbox problems, while two solid outings from Justin Campbell (M3) promoted him to third.
SuperModified 10: one of two drivers with a 100 per cent attendance record, Rhett Watson (Escort MkI) will be surprised to be so close to Ian Warren (Suzuki Swift); clouting a Kendal chicane on day two of Sol RB09 helped end Warren’s perfect sequence of class wins, Watson and Ralph White (Toyota Starlet) both finishing ahead, White now third in the points.
SuperModified 9: with 12 points-scorers, the most popular class, and competitive, too. James Betts (Opel Corsa) was dominant early, but two out of three wins over the Sol RB09 weekends means Josh Read (Starlet) has narrowed the gap and is now second in the points; consistent performances place Stuart White (Starlet) third, ahead of 3W’s team-mate Ryan Wood (Starlet).
Modified 7: a rare visit to the scenery on day two of Sol RB09 for points leader Adrian Linton (Vauxhall Astra GSi) has allowed the consistent Freddie Gale (Toyota Corolla RunX) to draw level. Formerly second, Greg Cozier has switched classes, so young Kyle Catwell (VW Golf GTI) is now closest to the experienced joint leaders, and comfortably clear of the rest.
Modified 6: there have been three winners, Edward Corbin (Daihatsu Charmant) having opened up a useful advantage with four wins; second is Danny Williams (Ford Fiesta) while Jamal Brathwaite (Mitsubishi Mirage) is the best of the rest, despite contesting only Sol RB09, but claiming an impressive win and class second.
Modified 5, P3 & P2: Sean Cox (Suzuki Swift GTi) is the only driver from these groups to have done the full season, although largely without local competition, a problem shared with Sean Field (P3 Peugeot 306) and Fabien Clarke (P2 Suzuki Ignis Sport).

Virgin Atlantic BRC Driver’s Championship
– after Round 6
1st Paul Bourne (M8-WRC Banks/LIME/Virgin Atlantic Subaru Impreza WRC S9), 82 points
2nd Roger Hill (M8-WRC Esso/Nassco/Motormac Toyota Corolla WRC), 81pts
3rd Neil Armstrong (M8-A Simpson Motors/Hankook/ Shell V-Power/Gunk Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI), 54pts
4th Trevor Manning (M8-WRC All-Terrain Plus/Garbage Master/Bess Block Ford Escort WRC), 49pts
5th Barry Gale (M8-WRC Autolink/VP Racing/Bella Beauty Supply/Pro Pac Dog Food Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI), 43pts
6th Geoffrey Noel (P4 Globe Finance/DeWalt Tools/Essco/Sunbeach/Automotive Art Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX), 40pts
7th Ian Warren (SM10 Simpson Motors/Shell V-Power Suzuki Swift), 35pts
8th Roger Skeete (M8-WRC Michelin/Da Costa Mannings Auto Centre/Warrens Motors Subaru Impreza WRC S9), 31pts
9th, Jonathan Still (SM11 Hitachi Power Tools/Ocean Spray/Philips Lighting/Crane & Equipments/Little Switzerland BMW M3), 28pts
10th equal Harold Morley (P4 Subaru Impreza N14) & Michael Worme (M8-A Cot Media Group/Speedline Performance Auto/Dingolay/Details Car Valet Subaru Impreza STi), 19pts
etc

Virgin Atlantic BRC Class Championship
– after Round 6
Modified 8-WRC: 1st Bourne, 84pts; 2nd Hill, 82pts; 3rd Gale 61pts; etc
M8-A 1st Armstrong, 96pts; 2nd Kirk Watkins (Abacus Builders/Hankook Mitsubishi Lancer Evo V), 61pts; 3rd Worme, 39pts; etc
Production 4: 1st Noel, 111pts; 2nd Morley, 79pts; 3rd Dean Serrao (Amalgamated Security/Coconut Car Rentals/Lucky Games Inc Subaru Impreza N12), 57pts; etc
SuperModified 11: 1st Still, 105pts; 2nd Nicholas Gill (SDRR/Glassfibre Products/Castrol/Barb's Bikinis Mazda 3), 66pts; 3rd Justin Campbell (Area 5 Auto Works/Cumberbatch Nurseries/Target Studio BMW M3), 39pts; etc
SM10: 1st Warren, 102pts; 2nd Rhett Watson (The Unknown Entity/MQI Collision Repair Centre/Toshiba/Office Solutions & Supplies/Corbz Workz/Castrol Ford Escort MkI), 83pts; 3rd Ralph White (Island Safari/Drive-a-Matic/Going Places Travel/Barbados Villa Services Toyota Starlet), 30pts; etc
SM9: 1st James Betts (All Terrain Plus/Cellate Caribbean/Makita/Black Bess/Yamaha/Champion Auto/Quik Start Auto/Kendal Sporting Opel Corsa), 98pts; 2nd Josh Read (Automotive Art Toyota Starlet), 66pts; 3rd Stuart White (3W’s Racing Team/Propac/Crane & Equipments/Flyin’ Fish/Aqua Pur/Catch Chocolates Toyota Starlet), 43pts; etc
M7: 1st Adrian Linton (Ravensden/Morris Straker Construction/Garbage Gobbler/Crane & Equipments Vauxhall Astra GSi) & Freddie Gale (Gale’s Hatcheries/Nassco/VP Racing Toyota Corolla RunX), 87pts; 3rd Kyle Catwell (Ellesmere Quarries/Chicken Pen Racing Volkswagen Golf GTI), 46pts; etc
M6: 1st Edward Corbin (Automotive Art/Klark-Odio/Corbins Garage/JVM Signage Daihatsu Charmant), 98pts; 2nd Danny Williams (Chris’s Workshop/Sunbury Plantation House/Barbados Paragliding Association Ford Fiesta), 76pts; 3rd Jamal Brathwaite (AM Electrical Solutions/Arthur Construction/Arthur Lifting and Freighting/Ellesmere Quarries/Chicken Pen Racing/D2 Racing Suspension Mitsubishi Mirage), 37pts; etc
M5: 1st Sean Cox (Simpson Motors Suzuki Swift), 79pts; 2nd Dave Sealy (Lunatics Inc/G & G Sales & Service/L G Trading/Barbados Muffler Centre/Appleby Filling Station/ACT Sand Blasting/Techno Toy Tuning/Fast Lane Model Car Racing Toyota Starlet), 20pts
P3: 1st Sean T Field (AM Realty/Ackee Tree/Field Insurance Brokers/Landscapes in Harmony Peugeot 306), 55pts
P2: 1st Fabien Clarke (Barbados Business Listings/RCA Tours/Bovell Auto Repair Suzuki Ignis Sport), 55pts

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