CRONEYS WIN REDLINEFUELS.COM SEPTEMBER SAFARI

Audley Croney and son Jeremy won last Sunday’s (September 15) Redlinefuels.com September Safari, setting the Barbados Rally Club’s (BRC) Chefette MudDogs Safari Championship up for a gripping conclusion. With dropped scores taken into account, Audley’s first victory since returning to competition in 2005 puts them on equal points with Leslie Alleyne and Chris O’Neal, with one round to go.   The win also confirms the Croneys’ place among the island’s top navigational crews; Audley, who had rallied in the 1970s, initially returned with Geoffrey Goddard as Navigator. Since Jeremy stepped up mid-way through 2009, they have contested 14 safaris, finishing lower than sixth only once, and in the top three five times before this first victory.   Sunday’s victory in the CC Motorsports Suzuki Vitara was a proud moment for Audley - at age 60, and with a number of heart attacks behind him, he is still as determined a competitor as ever. After Monday’s Prizegiving at the Barbados Clay Target Shooting Association Clubhouse at Searles, Christ Church, he said: “It was a well-organised event, well-set and fun. Timing was the key – we won at the very end; we went around Harrow, when others got stuck, and won that way.”   Jeremy added: “It was a lot better than we expected. We thought it would be muddier. Timing was the key, though, the route was simple and it was a clean rally.” It was Jeremy’s second triumph of the weekend, having driven his Peugeot 206 to victory in the Clubman class in Saturday evening’s Motoring Club of Barbados Inc Rally of the Sun & Stars, with younger brother Andrew as co-driver.   With 90 penalties, Audley and Jeremy placed third on Sunday’s first route, which had started with a Dexterity Challenge at Simpson Motors before passing through the island’s northern parishes. Derek Gill and Andrew Croney (Insurance Solutions Inc/Sweet Temptations Mitsubishi Pajero) were the route-winners on 12 penalties, with Alleyne and O’Neal (Simpson Motors/Shell Rimula/Shell Spirax/Maxxis Isuzu D-Max) second on 32.   While route one was drier than many expected, competitors faced tougher conditions after lunch at the Sand Dunes Restaurant on the Ermie Bourne Highway: route two, which led them through the eastern parishes to the finish at Three Houses Plantation, was much muddier, with many vehicles getting stuck.   The Croneys totaled only 62 penalties on the second route to give them an advantage of 30 over Gill/Croney at the end of the day, with Alleyne/O’Neal third another 22 behind, both front-runners having slipped well down the top 10 on route two. Having finished eighth in the morning, Warrick Eastmond and Trina Griffith (Daihatsu Feroza) were second on route two, to finish seventh, while the returning Julian Kirton (Jeep Wrangler), with Dominic Straker as Navigator, moved up from 11th at lunchtime to finish eighth, helped by a strong third-place finish on route two.   Dave Gibson and Andy Williams were in contention for victory in the Chefette Novice Championship. After their Toyota Hilux became stuck for about an hour in Harrow, however – even the rescue vehicle that tried to tow them got stuck – they slipped to 12th overall and second Novice crew. Victory went to Derek Pinto and Jamal Brathwaite (Isuzu D-Max), despite them also getting stuck for a while in St Philip. Like the Croney brothers, Brathwaite had also been in action the night before, finishing third in Modified 7 in his Honda Civic Type-R. Pinto said: “It was a good, fun rally. Both driver and navigator had to be on it.”   Route-setters for the Redlinefuels.com September Safari were Richard ‘RC’ Daniel and Kreigg Yearwood, the former with a wealth of experience, the latter route-setting for the first time. Yearwood said: “It was really set as a navigator's event, with tulip navigation, a little straight-line and BRC for variety. The recent rain made it interesting, though, as it ended up being a driver’s event as well.”   In addition to prizes of high performance diesel, gasoline and fuel additives for the top three overall and novice crews, Barry Gale of Redlinefuels.com presented Trina Griffith, a regular top 10 finisher, with a full beauty treatment as the Highest-placed Female Competitor.   MudDogs Chairman Darnley Rayside said: “Thanks to the marshals and to ‘RC’ and Kreigg Yearwood for all their hard work, also Pete and Julie Bradshaw for sweeping. Special thanks go to Barry and Redline for stepping in to sponsor the prizes, also Automotive Art for the route-winners’ vouchers.”   Noel Edwards and Jason Downey (Esso Barbarees Hill/Gomez & Western Services Nissan Patrol) won the Sportsmanship Award. Rayside added: “The vote was among the competitors and Noel and Jason won hands down. Among the reasons given were they helped everyone by pulling them out, also that Noel had to leave for a while and go to work. Instead of calling it quits, the team rejoined.”   Redlinefuels.com September Safari, September 15 Chefette MudDogs Safari Championship – round 4 1st Audley Croney/Jeremy Croney (CC Motorsports Suzuki Vitara), 152 penalties 2nd Derek Gill/Andrew Croney (Insurance Solutions Inc/Sweet Temptations Mitsubishi Pajero), 182pens 3rd Leslie Alleyne/Chris O’Neal (Simpson Motors/Shell Rimula/Shell Spirax/Maxxis Isuzu D-Max), 204pens 4th Gregory Dickenson/Dane McConney (Toyota Hilux), 279pens 5th Aswad Bannister/Andre Murrell (Toyota Hilux), 306pens 6th George Mendes/Gary Mendes (G & G Sales & Service Mitsubishi L200 Sportero), 361pens 7th Warrick Eastmond/Trina Griffith (Daihatsu Feroza), 363pens 8th Julian Kirton/Dominic Straker (Jeep Wrangler), 441pens 9th Derek Pinto/Jamal Brathwaite (Isuzu D-Max), 482pens 10th Nicolas Lorde/Brett Barber (Comfeet/Britpart/NL Engineering Inc Land Rover Discovery), 534pens   Route 1 – 1st Gill/Croney, 12pens; 2nd Alleyne/O’Neal, 32pens; 3rd Croney/Croney, 90pens; etc Route 2 – 1st Croney/Croney, 62pens; 2nd Eastmond/Griffith, 92pens; 3rd Kirton/Straker, 95pens; etc   Chefette MudDogs Safari Novice Championship - Round 4 1st Pinto/Brathwaite, 482pens – 9th overall 2nd Dave Gibson/Andy Williams (Toyota Hilux), 1502pens – 12th o/a 3rd Richard Hinkson/Rasheed Mapp (Suzuki Samurai), 3870pens – 16th o/a Route 1 – 1st Pinto/Brathwaite, 301pens; 2nd Gibson/Williams, 373pens; 3rd Hinkson/Mapp, 3619pens Route 2 – 1st Pinto/Brathwaite, 181pens; 2nd Hinkson/Mapp, 251pens; 3rd Gibson/Williams, 1129pens   Forthcoming events October MudFest - October 20 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