‘MICEY’ AND ‘STILLO’ FOR BLACK BESS GRAVEL SPRINT

Two of the island’s most flamboyant and popular drivers will be seen in action for the first time in nearly two years when the Barbados Rally Club’s (BRC) Autumn Gravel Sprint runs off at the Black Bess Plantation, St Peter, on Sunday (October 2). The entry list published today confirms rumours of a comeback for Trevor ‘Micey’ Manning, while Jonathan Still is a surprise addition, driving one of his former BMWs.   While the size of the entry reflects the stretched budgets of many competitors as the season draws to an end, also those championship classes that are already settled, there is still all to fight for those entered for this weekend’s double-header. Four classes are far from resolved – SuperModified 11, SM10, Modified 7 and M6 – while the four-wheel-drive and two-wheel-drive championships are still wide open.   Manning returns in his familiar Ford Escort WRC, backed by FG Wilson, Garbage Master, Hankook and Paints Plus; winner of two of the six most recent events held at Black Bess between 2002 & ’06, he has also been a prime mover behind the BRC’s return to the popular venue for the first time since 2006. ‘Stillo’ is back in SM11, at the wheel of what is known as ‘the big car’, the two-door tarmac-spec M3 campaigned this season by new owners, Logan and Rhett Watson, with backing from The Unknown Entity. Logan will share the four-door ‘gravel car’ with Jeremy Foster, his co-driver in Sol Rally Barbados 2011, aiming to retake the class lead he held earlier in the season from current leader Alex Whitehead (M3), although he will have Calvin Briggs (Ford Escort MkII), who has also led SM11 this year, to contend with. From his current base in Canada, Watson said: “I arrive Saturday afternoon, and head back to Canada on Monday . . . a short trip but, hopefully, it will be a lot of fun. I haven’t driven the gravel car yet, so it should be interesting to feel nearly 300bhp on the loose. Should be a handful.” Still and Foster help make up a fully-subscribed class of three, allowing Watson to collect maximum points in this vital double-header. There are some unusual names in SM10 as well. Triple Barbados Auto Racing League Champion Karl Waterman is sharing his Bushy Park Toyota Starlet with good friend Stuart White, by way of a birthday gift for a fellow member of last year’s ‘3Ws’. They also serve to bolster class numbers, as Ian Warren (Chefette/Automotive Art/Shell V-Power/Simpson Motors Suzuki Swift) is the only regular on the list, giving him the chance to take the class lead from Neil Armstrong (Toyota Corolla), who is not entered. Of the quartet entered in M7, three can still win the class title: current leader John Corbin is on 77 points, Jeremy Sisnett has 72 and Freddie Gale 59, while Kyle Catwell, second on 73, is not competing. With M6 leader Dane Skeete now returned to his studies off-island, Jamal Brathwaite can certainly pass him, possibly also Neil Corbin. Skeete’s father Roger is another on the sidelines, waiting on parts for his Subaru Impreza WRC S12, which provides Group N leader Geoff Noel with a chance to retake the lead of the BRC 4wd Championship (based on overall results); a similar situation prevails in the 2wd title chase - with Armstrong and second-placed Josh Read both sitting out Sunday’s event, Warren and Watson are in with a chance of moving ahead of Read, although not of catching Armstrong. Competitors are expected at Black Bess by 7.30am on Sunday, with the event slated for a 9.15am start; service is planned for the traditional area on the grass and under the trees on the approach to Mangrove Plantation. BRC Competition Secretary Neil Corbin says: “Spectators will need to arrive before 8.30am in order to get the best vantage point and to access the stage by car. Spectators arriving after 8.30am will still be able to view a section of the stage. There will be a number of No Spectating Areas, and spectators are asked to heed Marshals' instructions as to where they may and may not spectate. Access to the residents' houses will be restricted to residents only.” There will be one practice run and three timed runs in the first direction, with a one-hour break for lunch, after which the course will be reversed; there will again be one practice run and three timed runs. Competitors will have the chance to drive through the course twice prior to the start of the event, although those who arrive late may not be able to take advantage of the drive-through. BRC Autumn Gravel Sprint Virgin Atlantic BRC Class Championship, rounds 8 & 9 Provisional running order: 1 Logan Watson (SM11 The Unknown Entity BMW M3) 2 Karl Waterman (SM10 Toyota Starlet) 3 Trevor Manning (M8-WRC FG Wilson/Garbage Master/Hankook/Paints Plus Ford Escort WRC) 4 Geoffrey Noel (P4 Globe Finance/Sentry Insurance Brokers/Mix 96.9/Automotive Art/Cargo Solution International/CIAC Airconditioners Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX) 5 Mark Hamilton (P4 First Caribbean International Bank/Consumer Guarantee Insurance/PowerMaster/Simpson Motors/Automotive Art Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX) 6 Ian Warren (SM10 Chefette/Automotive Art/Shell V-Power/Simpson Motors Suzuki Swift) 7 Jonathan Still (SM11 The Unknown Entity BMW M3) 8 Jamal Brathwaite (M6 FG Wilson Generators/AM Electrical Solutions/Carib Beer/Meridian Windows and Doors/Chicken Pen Racing/AutoPlus Motors Inc/D2 Suspension/Kumho/Valvoline/Ellesmere Quarries Mitsubishi Mirage RS) 9 Neil Corbin (M6 Nassco/Jason Jones/Auto Solutions Toyota Starlet) 10 Adrian Linton (M7 Ravensden/Garbage Gobbler/JAD Performance Vauxhall Astra GSi) 11 John Corbin (M7 Toyota Corolla) 12 Freddie Gale (M7 Gale’s Hatcheries/Nassco/VP Fuels Toyota Corolla RunX) 14 Calvin Briggs (SM11 Rocklyn Hardware Supplies/Sign Guyz Graphics/Sammy Lee Towing and Recovery/Freekz Customz Ford Escort MkII) 15 Jeremy Sisnett (M7 Ford Fiesta) 16 Stuart White (SM10 Toyota Starlet) 17 Jeremy Foster (SM11 The Unknown Entity BMW M3) For further media information: e-mail - robin@bradfax.com web sites: www.rallybarbados.bb; www.barbadosrallyclub.com