‘SCENIC’ ROUTE FOR SOL GO FURTHER JUNE SAFARI

Crews preparing for the Sol Go Further June Safari (June 29/30), round three of the 2013 Chefette MudDogs Safari Championship, can look forward to a scenic journey around the island, as the Barbados Rally Club (BRC) marks the 57th running of the Caribbean’s oldest motor sport event with a continuous history.   The successful running of the first June Rally in 1957 was the catalyst for the Club’s formation in the following months, and the event has been run annually ever since; in recent years, it has been an off-road navigational rally, where the skillful teamwork of driver and navigator is key and, since 2004, the ‘Jewel in the Crown’ of the Club’s Navigational Championship.   Route-setters for 2013 are last year’s winners, Leslie Alleyne and Chris O’Neal. While that victory was O’Neal’s first in the ‘June’ – his was the 69th name added to the roll of honour of the BRC’s oldest event – Alleyne joined Wayne Clarke as a record five-time winner. While all of Clarke’s wins came as Navigator, Alleyne’s are split between both seats (two as Driver, three as Navigator), over a 17-year period.   Of the early preparations for this year’s ‘June’, Alleyne says: “The theme for the event is a ‘scenic’ safari, and we will be making a special effort to ensure all competitors are supplied with enough information to keep them on route and happy. We encourage everyone to come and be part of the rich tradition of ‘June Rallies’.   “All the routes have been set in rough and we are just fine-tuning the finished product. The road surface ratio is approximately 70 per cent tracks and the remainder on paved roads, while navigation is 85 per cent tulip and 15 per cent BRC . . . so far! The Driver Challenges will be timed, so that the driver has more of a bearing on the overall result, but these will not be designed to drown, damage or destroy vehicles.”   And there is one further tweak to consider, as Alleyne explains: “Due to the lack of open fuel stations in parts of the island during the night, we will be testing crews’ ability to ‘go further’. There will be a night section of approximately 140kms that will not pass a fuel station, so there will be no arrangements for fuel during this time. Crews who think their vehicle may not make this trip on a tank of fuel will need to make arrangements to have fuel brought to them during the night. At the end of this haul they will arrive at Shell Six Roads for an official fuel stop.”   Entries opened yesterday (Tuesday, June 18) at Motorsport Services in Haggatt Hall and will close next Tuesday (June 25) at noon; the Briefing Meeting will be at 7.00pm the same evening, at the Barbados Clay Target Shooting Association Club House at Searles, Christ Church, after which the entry list will be published. The Prizegiving for the Sol Go Further June Safari will be held at the same venue on Monday, July 1, once results are made final.   Chefette MudDogs Safari Championship Positions after round 2 Navigators 1st equal Jeremy Croney (Arthur’s Electrical/CC Motorsports Suzuki Vitara) & Robin Hinds (Kar Parts Store/GWS Nissan Patrol), 116pts 3rd Ben Norris (Land Rover Discovery), 104pts 4th equal Andre Murrell (Suzuki Samurai) & Chris O’Neal (Simpson Motors/Rimula Lubricants/Spirax Lubricants/Sol Isuzu D-Max), 102pts 6th Willie Hinds (AMAT Trading Suzuki Samurai), 100pts 7th Rorie McConney (Toyota Hilux), 96pts 8th Jason Downey (Esso Barbarees Hill/GWS Nissan Patrol), 84pts 9th equal Nicholas Branson (Amsoil/Structural Systems Suzuki Jimny) & Trina Griffith (Daihatsu Feroza), 72pts     Drivers 1st Audley Croney (Arthur’s Electrical/CC Motorsports Suzuki Vitara) & Mark Western (Kar Parts Store/GWS Nissan Patrol), 116pts 3rd Dominic Straker (Land Rover Discovery), 104pts 4th Leslie Alleyne (Simpson Motors/Rimula Lubricants/Spirax Lubricants/Sol Isuzu D-Max) & Adrian Sinckler (Suzuki Samurai), 102pts 6th Wayne Manning (AMAT Trading Suzuki Samurai), 100pts 7th Gregory Dickenson (Toyota Hilux), 96pts 8th Noel Edwards (Esso Barbarees Hill/GWS Nissan Patrol), 92pts 9th Joshua Plaza (Boston Jerk Pit/Auto Solutions Suzuki Samurai), 82pts 10th George Mendes (G & G Sales & Service Mitsubishi L200 Sportero), 80pts     Chefette MudDogs Safari Novice Championship Positions after round 2 Navigators 1st equal Damien Johnson (Boston Jerk Pit/Auto Solutions Suzuki Samurai) & Corey Williams (Western Union Suzuki Samurai), 60pts 3rd equal Rashid Nakhuda (Boston Jerk Pit/Auto Solutions Suzuki Samurai) & Steve Singh (Eastern Veterinary Clinic Suzuki Sidekick), 58pts 5th equal Jamal Brathwaite (Jeep Grand Cherokee) & Dermont King (K & G Service Suzuki Samurai), 56pts     Drivers 1st Joshua Plaza (Boston Jerk Pit/Auto Solutions Suzuki Samurai), 118pts 2nd Damien Johnson (Western Union Suzuki Samurai), 60pts 3rd Dean Springer (Eastern Veterinary Clinic Suzuki Sidekick), 58pts 4th equal Jamal McCollin (K & G Service Suzuki Samurai) & Nicholas Pinto (Jeep Grand Cherokee), 56pts 6th Dave Gibson (Suzuki Samurai), 54pts   Forthcoming events Round 3 - June 29/30 – Sol Go Further June Safari Round 4 - September 15 - BRC MudDogs September Safari Round 5 - November 10 - Nassco November Safari   For media information only. No regulatory value.   For further media information, robin@bradfax.com Web sites: www.barbadosrallyclub.com, www.muddogsbarbados.com