SOL RALLY BARBADOS HIGHLIGHT OF CHAMPIONSHIP

By the end of May, the 2010 Barbados Rally Club (BRC) Virgin Atlantic Driver’s and Class Championships will have passed their half-way point. With four rounds run to date, some patterns are already emerging . . . and, with three more to run off at Shell V-Power King of the Hill and Sol Rally Barbados – each day is a separate round – island competitors are preparing for the high-pressure highlight of their season.
In the Driver’s Championship, based on overall results, early leader Paul Bourne (Ford Focus WRC07) saw his advantage cut from 15 to eight points after the Automotive Art Shakedown Stages, with Roger Hill (Toyota Corolla WRC) edging closer and well clear of John Powell (Subaru Impreza WRC S12); these are also the top three in the Class Championship in Modified 8-WRC.
Only Michael Worme (Impreza Sti) has so far appeared in M8-A, although Production 4 has been better supported, Barry Gale and Geoff Noel claiming two wins apiece in their Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IXs, although Noel’s absence from the Shakedown Stages, awaiting parts, has allowed Gale to build up a 17-point advantage.
In the Overall Class Championship, Bourne is second on 61, Gale third on 60, within striking distance of the 64 points of early leader Edward Corbin (Daihatsu Charmant), who has the season’s only 100 per cent hit rate so far, with four wins in Modified 6.

SuperModified 11: only Mark Hamilton (Ford Escort MkII) has contested all four rounds to lead by 27 points, which could have been considerably more, but for a first-corner puncture on the Shakedown Stages placing him fifth at the end of the day; Owen Cumberbatch’s class win places him second (currently equal with the now-retired Jonathan Still), with Brian Gill fourth, both in BMW M3s
SM10: Ian Warren (Suzuki Swift) leads, currently the only driver to have contested more than one round, with Logan Watson (Ford Escort MkI) second
SM9: the only competitor in the first two rounds, Daryl Clarke (Mitsubishi Mirage), has advanced to SM10, so Josh Read’s (Toyota Starlet) victory in the Shakedown Stages gives him the lead from Jeremy Gonsalves (Suzuki Swift GTi)
Modified 7: Freddie Gale (Toyota Corolla RunX) has racked up the points with three wins and a second place, to lead from Kyle Catwell (Volkswagen Golf) and Greg Cozier (Ford Escort RS2000)
M6 & M5 merged: multiple M6 champion Corbin is comfortably ahead of M5 leader Sean Cox (Suzuki Swift), with Jamal Brathwaite (M6 Mitsubishi Mirage) third
P2 & P1 merged: after one event each, Fabien Clarke (P2 Suzuki Ignis Sport) has the upper hand over Miguel Toppin (P1 Toyota Starlet), Dane Skeete having switched to M6

Sol Rally Barbados 2010 (May 29/30) and Shell V-Power King of the Hill (May 23) are organised by the Barbados Rally Club, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2007; title sponsor is the Sol Group. Marketing partners are Simpson Motors, LIME, Automotive Art, Banks and Karcher; official partners are the Barbados Hotel & Tourism Association, Barbados Tourism Authority, Divi Southwinds Beach Resort, Geest Line and Virgin Atlantic Airways; associate sponsors are Stoute’s Car Rental and Little Switzerland.

Virgin Atlantic BRC Driver’s Championship
Provisional positions after round 4:
1st Paul Bourne (M8-WRC Banks/Chefette/LIME/Virgin Atlantic Ford Focus WRC07), 59 points
2nd Roger Hill (M8-WRC Esso/Nassco/MotorMac Toyota Corolla WRC), 51pts
3rd John Powell - TDAD (M8-WRC Shell Helix Subaru Impreza WRC S12), 37pts
4th Barry Gale (P4 Autolink/Weetabix/redlinefuels.com/Bella Beauty Supply/Metal Craft Works Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX), 34pts
5th Dean Serrao (M8-WRC Subaru Impreza WRC S9 & P4 Amalgamated Security Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX), 29pts
6th Geoffrey Noel (P4 Globe Finance Inc/Mix 96.9/Sentry Insurance Brokers/Dewalt Tools/Automotive Art/Ezone Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX), 28pts
7th equal Roger Skeete (M8-WRC Da Costa Mannings Auto Centre/Michelin/Warrens Motors Subaru Impreza WRC S12) & Ian Warren (SM10 Automotive Art/Shell V-Power/Simpson Motors Suzuki Swift), 20pts
9th Mark Hamilton (SM11 PowerMaster Batteries/Consolidated Finance/Valvoline Oil/Kumho Tires Ford Escort MkII), 17pts
10th Harold Morley - ENG (P4 NET2VU Subaru Impreza N14), 12pts
etc

Virgin Atlantic BRC Class Championship
Modified 8-WRC: 1st Bourne, 61pts; 2nd Hill, 51pts; 3rd Powell, 37pts; etc
Modified 8-A: 1st Michael Worme (Cot Media Group/Dingolay/Speedline Performance Auto/Slowboy Racing Subaru Impreza STi), 16pts
Production 4: 1st B Gale, 60pts; 2nd, Noel, 43pts; 3rd Morley, 20pts; etc
SuperModified 11: 1st Hamilton, 47pts; 2nd equal Jonathan Still (Hitachi Power Tools/Ocean Spray/Philips Lighting/Castrol Racing Oils/Crane & Equipments BMW M3) & Owen Cumberbatch (BMW M3), 20pts; etc
SM10: 1st Warren, 33pts; 2nd Logan Watson (The Unknown Entity/Corbz Workz Ford Escort MkI), 16pts; 3rd Daryl Clarke (Ellco Rentals/Mum’s Pasta Products/Area 5 Auto Works/Paintless Dent Removal Mitsubishi Mirage), 13pts
SM9: 1st Josh Read (Automotive Art/Baram Services Toyota Starlet), 20pts; 2nd Jeremy Gonsalves (All Terrain Plus/Makita/Star Products/Quik Start Auto Suzuki Swift GTi), 16pts; 3rd Allan Maynard (Marshal Trading/Lubriguard/El Tigre Catamaran Cruises Toyota Starlet), 13pts; etc
M7: 1st Freddie Gale (Gale’s Hatcheries/VP Racing/Nassco Toyota Corolla RunX), 56pts; 2nd, Kyle Catwell (Mitsubishi Mirage RS), 22pts; 3rd Greg Cozier (Citgo Oils/Hyundai Trucks Ford Escort RS2000), 20pts; etc
M6 & M5 merged: 1st Edward Corbin (M6 Automotive Art/Klark-Odio/Corbins Garage/JVM Signage Daihatsu Charmant), 64pts; 2nd Sean Cox (M5 Simpson Motors Suzuki Swift), 29pts; 3rd Jamal Brathwaite (M6 Ellesmere Quarries/Chicken Pen Racing/Meridian Windows/D2 Racing Suspension Mitsubishi Mirage RS), 26pts; etc
P2 & P1 merged: 1st Fabien Clarke (P2 Barbados Business Listings/Crimson Jade/RCR Tours/Bovell Auto Repair/Big P Customs Brokers/De Fx-Bar Suzuki Ignis Sport), 16pts; 2nd Miguel Toppin (P1 Toyota Starlet), 13pts

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