MUDDOGS PREPARE FOR SEPTEMBER SAFARI

After a three-month summer break, the Barbados Rally Club’s (BRC) off-roaders are fettling their machines in readiness to rejoin battle in the MudDogs Safari Championship and the Chefette MudDogs Safari Novice Championship. The fourth of five rounds for the season is the September Safari on Sunday, September 16.   With two rounds to go, the winners of the season’s opening event, the Chefette March Safari, Chris Armstrong and Wayne Clarke, respectively lead the overall Driver and Navigator standings, with Ryan Corbin and Dustin Edwards just two points behind. Once a dropped score is taken into account, however, they slip into second and third places behind Leslie Alleyne and Chris O’Neal, who won both the Chefette April Safari and the Sol Go Further 55th Anniversary June Safari.   Among the Chefette Novices, Dominic Straker and Nicholas Pinto head the Driver and Navigator standings, with an advantage of six points over Aswad Bannister and Nyere Jones; while dropping a score does not affect their positions, it would shuffle the next few competitors around.   Route-setters for the September Safari are Biddy Barber and Warrick Eastmond, both experienced navigators. The first crew is scheduled to leave the start at Pool Plantation Yard, St John, at 8.01am, with the finish at Barbados Clay Target Shooting Association (BCTSA) Club House at Searles, Christ Church, at approximately 4.30pm. There will be a lunch stop at Chefette Six Roads, St Philip.   BRC MudDogs Chairman Warren Gollop says: “I hope that everyone has had an enjoyable and restful summer break and is rejuvenated for the final half-season surge. Warrick and Biddy are looking forward to providing an enjoyable rally with as much mud as they can get . . . with help from ‘above’! Once again, an effort has been made to make this Safari as enjoyable for both MudPups and MudDogs. Remember to enter early to make this a September to Remember!”   Entries are open at Motorsport Services in Haggatt Hall and will close on Tuesday, September 11, at Noon; the Briefing Meeting will be at 7.00pm the same evening, at the BCTSA Club House, after which the entry list will be released. The Prizegiving for the September Safari will be held at the same venue the following Monday (September 17), once results are made final. A Practice Rally has been organised for this Sunday (September 9), set by Darnley Rayside. It will start at Country View Bar, Market Hill, St George at 9.30am and finish at Hutchie’s Shop, Bathsheba at approximately Noon. The entry fee is $20 per vehicle, with maps at $15. BRC MudDogs Safari Championship Positions after round 3 Navigators 1st Wayne Clarke (Toyota Hilux), 174 points 2nd Dustin Edwards (Corbin’s Catering Services/Mahogany Ridge/Crane & Equipments/SDRR Toyota Hilux), 172 points 3rd Darnley Rayside (Electric Avenue Land Rover Discovery), 166pts 4th Jeremy Croney (CC Motorsports/Sweet Temptations Suzuki Samurai), 156pts 5th Willie Hinds (Suzuki Samurai), 152pts 6th Rorie McConney (Toyota Hilux), 146pts 7th Chris O’Neal (Huzier Ltd Mahindra Pik-Up & Simpson Motors Isuzu D-Max), 120pts 8th Jason Downey (Suzuki Samurai), 118pts 9th Peter Bradshaw (Land Rover Defender 110), 114pts 10th Nicholas Pinto (Suzuki Samurai & Hunte’s Auto Spares/Lucky Horsehoe/Sign Station Nissan Patrol), 112pts Drivers 1st Chris Armstrong (Toyota Hilux), 174pts 2nd Ryan Corbin (Corbin’s Catering Services/Mahogany Ridge/Crane & Equipments/SDRR Toyota Hilux), 172pts 3rd Ben Norris (Electric Avenue Land Rover Discovery), 166pts 4th Audley Croney (CC Motorsports/Sweet Temptations Suzuki Samurai), 156pts 5th Michael Ward (Suzuki Samurai), 152pts 6th Gregory Dickenson (Toyota Hilux), 146pts 7th Mark Western (Yardman/Kar Parts Store Nissan Patrol), 140pts 8th Dominic Straker (Hunte’s Auto Spares/Lucky Horsehoe/Sign Station Nissan Patrol), 128pts 9th Leslie Alleyne (Huzier Ltd Mahindra Pik-Up & Simpson Motors Isuzu D-Max), 120pts 10th Kerry Renee (Suzuki Samurai), 118pts Chefette MudDogs Safari Novice Championship Positions after round 3 Navigators 1st Nicholas Pinto (Suzuki Samurai & Hunte’s Auto Spares/Lucky Horsehoe/Sign Station Nissan Patrol), 172pts 2nd Nyere Jones (Toyota Hilux), 166pts 3rd Nick Branson (Amsoil/Paints Plus Suzuki Jimny), 150pts 4th Trina Griffith (Green Leaf Design/Midas Magic Auto Valet Suzuki Jimny), 112pts 5th Andy Williams (Suzuki Samurai), 96pts 6th equal Daniel Christie (Western Union Suzuki Samurai) & Jamal Brathwaite (Jeep Grand Cherokee), 90pts Drivers 1st Dominic Straker (Hunte’s Auto Spares/Lucky Horsehoe/Sign Station Nissan Patrol), 180pts 2nd Aswad Bannister (Toyota Hilux), 166pts 3rd Johnny Pinto (Amsoil/Paints Plus Suzuki Jimny), 150pts 4th Damien Johnson (Western Union Suzuki Samurai), 142pts 5th Matthew Durant (Green Leaf Design/Midas Magic Auto Valet Suzuki Jimny), 112pts 6th Michael Fields (Land Rover Defender 110), 108pts For further media information, robin@bradfax.com Web sites: www.barbadosrallyclub.com, www.muddogsbarbados.com