EIGHT FORMER WINNERS FOR SHELBURY JUNE SAFARI

Eight former winners are among the 30 entries for the Shelbury Construction June Safari this weekend (June 26/27), the 54th running of the oldest motor sport event in the Caribbean with a continuous history . . . and recent weather patterns, with heavy rain, have created ideal conditions for the year’s most prestigious Safari.
The third round of the Barbados Rally Club’s (BRC) Mud Dogs Safari Championship will start from Maynards Plantation, St Peter, at 3.01pm on Saturday; the dinner stop is slated for approximately 8.00pm at Andrews Factory, St Joseph, with a further rest stop in Maynards, St Peter at around 2.00am. The finish will be at roughly 7.00am on Sunday at Mahogany Ridge, Plum Tree Hill, St Thomas, where breakfast will be available.
Last year’s winners Darrin White and Robert Warren (Lucky Locks/Rockstar Nissan Frontier) – also the reigning Mud Dogs Champion Driver and Navigator – will face a tough challenge, with 17 Pro class crews among the entry; these are headed by the 2005 Champions, Neil Barnard and Barry Gale (Huzier/Mahindra Motorsports/redlinefuels.com Mahindra Pik-Up), who won ‘The June’ in 2008.
While White’s victory last year was his first, navigator Warren was claiming his second, having previously won with brother Ian in 2002. Barnard’s victory created an even more significant slice of island motor sport history, as he became the first third-generation winner, joining father David, and grandfather, Trevor Gale, on ‘The June’s’ roll of honour.
The most successful crew entered in terms of ‘The June’ is that of Chris Armstrong and Wayne Clarke (Toyota Hilux); as well as winning the event twice together (2000 & ‘01), Clarke had already claimed two earlier wins, as navigator to Don Hunte (1991 & ’93); Armstrong is also once again the sponsor of the June Safari.
The list of former winners is completed by Leslie Alleyne and John Sealy, who share the rare distinction – along with David Barnard, Derek Gill and Bill Mallalieu – of having won the event as both navigator and driver; Alleyne navigated for brother-in-law Geoff Noel in 1996, then drove to victory with wife Annalee in 2003 & ’06, while Sealy won as navigator in 1967 and driver in 1978. This year, Alleyne navigates with surprise entry Trevor Manning, while Sealy will have Melissa Hutchinson as navigator.
The Shelbury Construction June Safari has been set by Ryan Corbin and Dustin Edwards, joint leaders respectively of the Navigator and Driver standings in the Mud Dogs Championship, and Derek Edwards/Damien Brooker, who currently lie fourth . . . with some help from David Edwards, who won ‘The June’ three times in eight years between 1981 and ’88 as navigator to Roger Manning.
With the points so close at the top of the table, this weekend’s event could prove crucial in the 2010 Championship.

Shelbury Construction June Safari – June 26/27
Mud Dogs BRC Safari Championship, round 3
Running order - Pro class
1 Trevor Manning/Leslie Alleyne (Garbage Master/Autozone Ford Ranger)
2 Greg Cozier/Kirk Watkins (tba)
3 Wayne Manning/Yosuf Patel (Black Bess Quarry Toyota Hilux)
5 Darrin White/Robert Warren (Lucky Locks/Rockstar Nissan Frontier)
6 Biddy Barber/Tiffany Marshall (Auto Airtronics/Biddy's Visitor’s Information Daihatsu Feroza)
7 Dominic Brooker/Stephen Dear (SDRR Hydraulic & Industrial Spares/Next Generation Electrical/Joe Brooker's Building Toyota Hilux)
8 Michael Ward/Willie Hinds (Renew Energy Caribbean/Jammin Catamaran Cruises/Brown Bell Suzuki Samurai)
12 Brett Barber/Warren Gollop (Essco Mitsubishi Pajero)
14 Paul Marshall/Courtney Holder (Essco Mitsubishi Pajero)
15 Barry Gale/Neil Barnard (Huzier/Mahindra Motorsports/redlinefuels.com Mahindra Pik-Up)
18 Matthew Ward/Warrick Eastmond (High Gear Maintenance Suzuki Samurai)
19 Gregory Dickenson/Brian Fernandes (Toyota Hilux)
20 Edson Arthur/Renata Roett (Toyota Hilux)
23 Chris Armstrong/Wayne Clarke (Toyota Hilux)
26 John Sealy/Melissa Hutchinson (Land Rover Defender)
27 Simon Parravacino/Jeremy Croney (Toyota Hilux)
28 Kerry Renee/Jason Downey (Suzuki Samurai)

Novice class
4 Samuel Robinson/Rhett D’Andrade (Suzuki Samurai)
9 Derek Pinto/Jamal Brathwaite (Suzuki Samurai)
10 Jason Kirton/Cody Foster (Jeep Wrangler)
11 Dominic Straker/Nicholas Pinto (Nissan Frontier)
13 Adrian Sinckler/Andre Murrell (Suzuki Samurai)
16 Anthony King/Dave Sealy (Lee’s Tyre Services/Dynamic Limousine Toyota Hilux)
17 Luke Gittens/Gary Mendes (G & G Sales and Service/LG Trading/Lunatics Inc/Barbados Muffler Centre Mitsubishi Pajero iO)
21 Bryan Collymore/Adrian Jackman (Williams Tools & Equipment/Owlies Trucking Suzuki Samurai)
22 David Brewster/Winston Drakes (Marks Auto Spares/Champion Auto Wrecker Service Suzuki Samurai)
24 Ben Norris/Darnley Rayside (Electric Avenue/Pitbull Energy Drink Land Rover Discovery)
25 Joshua Hatch/Sean Corbin (Suzuki Samurai)
29 Dave Gibson/Anderson Williams (Suzuki Samurai)
30 Mark Ward/Daniel Christie (Suzuki Samurai)

For further media information, robin@bradfax.com