WISER WORSWICK BACK FOR SOL RALLY BARBADOS

Britain’s Nigel Worswick and Lindsey Pilkington will contest Sol Rally Barbados (June 1/2) for the third time this year, determined to put to good use the lessons learned on their previous two visits. His entry for the Worswick Engineering Ford Escort Mark II brings to 16 the number of International crews confirmed for the Caribbean’s biggest annual motor sport international, with further announcements in the pipeline.   As part of the preparations for his tropical trip, Worswick has been in action on two notoriously demanding forest rallies in recent months, with Paula Swinscoe as co-driver. Worswick reports: “We were out in forests covered in sheet ice on the Grizedale Stages in December; we finished 16th overall, winning the class and the ladies award, then just two weeks ago, we had a third in class on the Malcolm Wilson Rally.”   Having learned of Sol Rally Barbados from friends and seen the TV coverage, Worswick nearly missed out on his first visit in 2011, when the Escort’s engine blew on a rally just nine days before the Geest Line freighter was due to sail from Portsmouth. After days of drama, with trouble sourcing parts, parts that didn’t fit, borrowing a WRC flywheel which required a lot of re-engineering, the car then refused to start.   Worswick recalls: “When it finally did, we put it on the rolling road and it promptly blew the clutch seal. We had to wait for a replacement until Tuesday morning; we got the gearbox back in, loaded it up . . . and made the dock one hour before the deadline!”   Having finished 26th overall and fifth in SuperModified 10 in Sol RB11, the Escort had an engine transplant last year, moving it up to SM11. For 2013, there is more going on, as Worswick explains: “The car is now being re-prepared to take into account the lessons learned from last year, when we were on schedule for a decent top 20 finish when the throttle sensor failed. The car is shedding a few more kilos, with lighter door windows and carbon trims and carbon bumpers which, allied to a longer axle ratio for better top speed, will hopefully make the car a bit quicker. Other minor mods and a new colour scheme will be revealed in Barbados!”   Worswick was a regular on Britain’s round of the World Rally Championship during the 1990s, missing out on a top 10 finish by just one second in 1996 in a Ford Sierra Cosworth 4 x 4, having finished in the top seven on the last five of 26 special stages. Premier event vital to Rally Club’s whole season, AGM told The part played by Sol Rally Barbados in supporting the Barbados Rally Club’s (BRC) year-round programme of events was emphasised in his annual address by out-going Chairman Geoff Noel during the AGM last Friday (March 8) at the Barbados Clay Target Shooting Association (BCTSA) Clubhouse at Searles, Christ Church.   Ahead of the Club’s 56th season, Noel reminded members of the importance of its rich history in grass roots motor sport: “We have history, lots of it! Among the Committee of Management’s targets for 2013 is to continue our efforts to support the MudDogs and Autocross events, as we value their importance to the club, both from an historical and developmental perspective.”   He further indicated that the success of Sol Rally Barbados has far-reaching positive effects for the Club, both in terms of providing financial backing for events throughout the year, as well as maintaining strong relationships with officials and departments in Government, who work with the Club year-round to facilitate its various requests.   Reflecting on last season, Noel added: “Scotiabank/Sol Go Further King of the Hill was very successfully run and, based on the competitors’ positions, the seeding worked well. Sol Rally Barbados was again a huge success, the end of the rally at Bushy Park kept the conclusion fresh and, with the system of bonus points, it made for an interesting finish.”   Members were told that the Club’s Committee of Management would not be resting on its laurels, however: “We have again been successful in partnering with the Tourism Development Corporation (TDC) and recently received approval on our proposed spend to continue our marketing plans in Europe for Sol Rally Barbados. This will have a sustained positive effect on the event – we have always set our long-term goal for International entries at 30. Not only will this be the second year running that we will exceed that target, but we are also oversubscribed in our local entries.” Sol Rally Barbados (June 1/2) and Scotiabank King of the Hill (May 26) 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.net; www.barbadosrallyclub.com