IRISH FANS PLAN FOR SOL RALLY BARBADOS 2013

Nearly 50 Irish rally fans are looking forward to Sol Rally Barbados 2013, having signed up for the first-ever package deal offered by an Irish travel agent for the Caribbean’s biggest annual motor sport international. While some overseas competitors have taken as many as 20 family and friends, this will be the largest single group to attend Sol Rally Barbados, reinforcing it as a key player in the country’s sports-tourism product.   Barbados Rally Club (BRC) PRO Neil Barnard is delighted: “This is amazing. Over the past two years, funded by the Tourism Development Corporation (TDC), we have vigorously promoted Sol Rally Barbados in Ireland, with significant growth in competitor numbers. Now, to have this surge of interest among spectators is just superb.   “With the help of the TDC, we were able to bring journalists to Barbados to publicise the event, also to offer a trip to Sol RB12 as a competition prize for marshals who worked at the Circuit of Ireland Rally.”   Ethna Rowland of Flyaway Travel in County Mayo, on Ireland’s west coast, put the package together. She explained: “As a spectator myself, I always wanted to head to Barbados for the rally. After being put under pressure from friends who are also huge rally fans, most are members of the Galway Motor Club, I decided to look into it.   “My chance came in early October, with great flight sale prices through Virgin Atlantic, so I put a package together to see what feed back I'd get. I advertised it on our Facebook page, in the rally car section of Donedeal.ie and on rally.ie. The response was unbelievable . . . I have 46 fans and spectators booked in to date.”   Rowland also acknowledged the contribution of Dublin Crystal’s Martin and Janet Taylor, regular competitors in Barbados: “They have been a great help and given me a lot of advice and information.”   Subject to final ratification by the Barbados Motoring Federation (BMF), Sol RB13 will take place on Saturday and Sunday, June 1/2, with Scrutineering and the Sol Go Further King of the Hill ‘shakedown’ the previous weekend, May 25/26. Organisers confirm regulation changes ahead of entries opening Ahead of November 1, when entries open for Sol Rally Barbados 2013 on the official web site - www.rallybarbados.bb - the Barbados Rally Club (BRC) has confirmed the revised vehicle regulations under which its events will run during the next three-year cycle.   Among the key changes are the abandonment of the lower-capacity production classes and the division of World Rally Cars into two classes; this reflects the performance gap between cars of different periods and allows the inclusion of the most recent World Cars, such as the Ford Fiesta and MINI.   The BRC Vehicle Regulations 2013-2015 is available as a PDF download by clicking on the Competitors tab on the web site and looking under Regulations. The BRC reviews its regulations every three years, taking into account trends in competitor support levels and changes on the International stage.   Vehicle Classification Officer Adrian Linton said: “There has been a steady decline in support for Production 1, 2 and 3, so these have been phased out. The Clubman class, which allows a few more freedoms than production, offers an alternative for those competitors . . . and it will be open to overseas competitors as well.”   Among the four-wheel-drive classes, Modified 8-A and Production 4 continue with only minor changes, renamed Group A and Group N. M8-WRC has been split into WRC1 and WRC2, with cars built up to the end of 2003 now separated from those built in the following years. In addition, WRC2 will cater for cars that do not conform to Group N, Group A or WRC, such as those built to B13 regulations in the UK.   The rules for the core classifications of the BRC, the Modified and SuperModified classes remain much the same, while there will now be two historic classes, both for 2wd cars marketed before December 31, 1981: International Historic is for cars which carry either a UK MSA Historic Rally Vehicle Identity Form (HRVIF) or FIA Historic Technical Passport (HTP); Historic will run to local rules, in which parity between competitors is the priority.   The new Restricted Fuels List is shorter than previously, allowing three choices: VP Motorsport 109; VP C9 – this relatively new fuel from VP is classed as ‘a direct replacement for UK Super Unleaded, at 100 RON and no oxygenation’; pump fuel. Sol Rally Barbados and Sol Go Further King of the Hill are organised by the Barbados Rally Club, which celebrated its 50th Anniversary in 2007; Sol RB13 is the 24th running of the Club’s annual International All-Stage Rally and marks the sixth year of title sponsorship by the Sol Group, the Caribbean’s largest independent oil company. For further media information: e-mail - robin@bradfax.com web sites: www.rallybarbados.bb; www.barbadosrallyclub.com