SOL RALLY BARBADOS WEB SITE RELAUNCHED

In line with many other elements of the Barbados Rally Club’s 20th Anniversary running of its inaugural International All-Stage Rally, the official Sol Rally Barbados 2010 web site – www.rallybarbados.bb - has been refreshed. The new-look site went ‘live’ on Wednesday (May 5), a timely re-launch less than four weeks before the event itself . . . and just in time for the anticipated ‘spike’ in internet traffic.
Already enthusiastically described by fans in motor sport internet chat rooms as far afield as Britain and America as a “world-class site”, it is entirely the work of local companies; the site has been completely redesigned by local graphics and marketing consultants 809 Design Associates, and will continue to be run by Caribbean New Media, which has been involved from the start.
The home page has been re-worked for ease of navigation, with some striking images of current and past competitors, also links to the event’s sponsors and marketing partners; there are separate sections to deal with the interests of competitors and spectators – including pdf downloads of important documents, such as regulations and (when it becomes available) the official programme – plus background on the event, including previous results and recent international media coverage, and an extensive photo and video gallery.
During the two weekends of Shell V-Power King of the Hill (May 23) and Sol Rally Barbados 2010 (May 29/30), the site will be updated regularly with news reports and photographs, with links to the official results site, also podcasts of interviews and commentary.
As use of the internet has grown exponentially in recent years, so interest in the Sol Rally Barbados web site has blossomed; over the past two years, 79,000 visits from nearly 150 countries have resulted in 420,000 page views, with news and photo galleries the most popular pages. Between 2008 and 2009, visits grew by more than 35 per cent, with significant expansion in Ireland and the United States (both up by 50 per cent), Barbados and Canada (40 per cent) and the UK (30 per cent). While there is steady interest throughout the year, there is a spike around the time of the event itself, with up to 3,000 visits a day.
Sol Rally Barbados Chairman Barry Gale said: “I really like the work that our creative folks have done on the re-launch of the site. Our aim in Rally Barbados is always to try and keep evolving and improving the event, but it is so easy just to concentrate on the actual rally itself, without remembering the very important peripherals.
“It is elements like the web site that are so vital to the image and promotion of the event, especially for those thousands of people who are trying to follow from abroad, and that plays an important part in our commitment to the sports-tourism product of the island. Its great to know that the phrases Rally Barbados and Sol Rally Barbados are producing so much traffic on the internet search engines, as it shows that our event has developed the level of brand recognition that we’ve been working towards.
“The importance of the site has been underlined this year, our second with on-line entries; the immediacy with which we receive them means we can communicate more efficiently with our competitors – many of whom have not been here before – and deal with their various queries.”

First-time local competitors for 2010 reminded of ‘annual tech’

Barbados Rally Club officials have reminded first-time competitors for the 2010 season of the requirement to have completed ‘annual tech’ prior to Scrutineering for Sol RB2010. The process of annual tech is significantly lengthier than pre-event scrutineering, and often turns up issues that cannot be resolved quickly.
Chief Scrutineer Simon Gillmore says: “There will be an annual tech session starting at 10.00am on Sunday, May 16, at Workz Mechanical, behind Gale’s Hatcheries in St Phillip. Competitors are reminded that many cars don’t carry the correct decals indicating the location of kill switches and extinguishers. Also, it is important to make sure the kill switch is working.
“Competitors are also reminded that the top section - in red - of the scrutineering form must be filled in completely, including the bore and stroke of the engine. Any car with an incomplete form will not be scrutineered.”

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, Glacial Pure, Chefette and Little Switzerland.

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