MUDDOGS ON THEIR WAY TO A CENTURY

The total number of participants in the Barbados Rally Club’s (BRC) 2012 MudDogs Safari Championship and the Chefette MudDogs Safari Novice Championship is fast approaching 100, with six new names included on the entry list published today for Sunday’s (September 16) fourth of five rounds, the Shelbury Construction September Safari.   BRC MudDogs Chairman Warren Gollop says: “It is great to see new names added to the list at every event – Chris Thornhill and Michael Rodriguez have previously only contested our MudFests, so are totally new to Safari, while we have another two Drivers and two Navigators not yet seen for the season. That brings us to 95 in the Championship events, but if you include the newcomers who try out our practice Safaris, we’re probably already comfortably past 100.”   Route-setters for the Shelbury Construction 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, with two Driver Challenges during the afternoon session.   Gollop added: “Sunday’s event promises to be fun and relatively straightforward . . . at least on paper! We are hoping that the recent inclemency of the weather continues into the weekend, which will make it very interesting and enjoyable. With only one more event to follow this one, all the crews need to be on top of their game. Once the dropped-score rule comes into play, it looks as though we will have a real close fight right to the wire in both the Overall and Chefette Novice Championships.”   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, a shake-up in the championship table looks inevitable this weekend: the current leader of the Driver standings, Dominic Straker, is on course to consolidate his lead in the absence of his closest rival Aswad Bannister, while fifth-placed Matthew Durant is another missing from Sunday’s entry list. Of the Novice Navigators, three of the top six are absent this weekend, including first- and second-placed Nicholas Pinto and Nyere Jones – with all competitors required to drop their lowest score, the 2012 Chefette MudDogs Safari Novice Championship is looking set for a thrilling climax.   The Prizegiving for the Shelbury Construction September Safari will be held at the Barbados Clay Target Shooting Association (BCTSA) Club House at Searles, Christ Church, on Monday evening (September 17), once results are made final. BRC MudDogs Safari Championship & Chefette MudDogs Safari Novice Championship Round 4 – September 16 – Shelbury Construction September Safari Chefette Novice Class 1 Joshua Plaza/Rashid Nakhuda (Ramshackle Bar/Renegade Auto Services Suzuki Samurai) 2 Johnny Pinto/Nick Branson (Amsoil/Paints Plus Suzuki Jimny) 4 Dominic Straker/Matthew Ward (Hunte’s Auto Spares/Lucky Horsehoe/Sign Station Nissan Patrol) 5 Michael Fields/David Lewis (Land Rover Defender 110) 7 Chris Thornhill/Michael Rodriguez (OKAERI! Land Rover Defender) 8 Dave Gibson/Andy Williams (Suzuki Samurai) 9 Jamal McCollin/Dermont King (K & G Services Suzuki Samurai) 16 Derek Pinto/Jamal Brathwaite (Jeep Grand Cherokee) 21 Damien Johnson/Daniel Christie (Western Union Suzuki Samurai) Pro Class 3 Ben Norris/Darnley Rayside (Electric Avenue Land Rover Discovery) 6 George Mendes/Gary Mendes (G & G Sales & Service Mitsubishi L200) 10 Audley Croney/Jeremy Croney (CC Motorsports/Arthurs Electrical/Simon Autobody Shop Suzuki Samurai) 11 Kerry Renee/Jason Downey (Suzuki Samurai) 12 Michael Ward/Willie Hinds (Suzuki Samurai) 13 Paul Marshall/Shane Marshall (Mitsubishi L200) 14 Derek Gill/Andrew Croney (Insurance Solutions Inc Mitsubishi Pajero) 15 Chris Armstrong/Wayne Clarke (Toyota Hilux) 17 Ryan Corbin/Dustin Edwards (Corbin’s Catering Services/Mahogany Ridge/SDRR/Crane & Equipment Toyota Hilux) 18 Mark Western/Dane McConney (Gomez & Western Services/Kar Parts Store Nissan Patrol) 19 Gregory Dickenson/Rorie McConney (Toyota Hilux) 20 Sean Gibbs/Brett Barber (Toyota Hilux) 22 Judy-Ann Bradshaw/Peter Bradshaw (Land Rover Defender 110) 23 Leslie Alleyne/Chris O’Neal (Simpson Motors/Valvoline Isuzu D-Max) For further media information, robin@bradfax.com Web sites: www.barbadosrallyclub.com, www.muddogsbarbados.com