MUDDOGS SEASON SAVES “TOUGHEST” TO LAST

O’Neal and Alleyne claim Nassco November Safari hat-trick Victory in the final round of the Barbados Rally Club’s (BRC) Chefette MudDogs Safari Championship, last Sunday’s (November 10) Nassco November Safari, sealed the 2013 Champion Navigator and Driver titles for Chris O’Neal and Leslie Alleyne. They will receive the Sextant Challenge Trophy and the Peter Farmer Memorial Trophy respectively at the BRC’s Annual Prize-giving on Friday, November 29.   In the Simpson Motors/Shell Rimula/Shell Spirax/Maxxis Tyres Isuzu D-Max, they amassed 858 penalties, beating Derek Gill/Andrew Croney (Insurance Solutions Inc/Sweet Temptations Mitsubishi Pajero) by 261; Audley and Jeremy Croney (CC Motorsports and Friends Suzuki Vitara), tied with the winners ahead of the season finale, finished third.   Seventeen crews tackled what was described as the “toughest event of the year”, which was concentrated in the island’s central parishes, with the finish at Chapel Plantation followed by an after party. The route was set by Rorie McConney and David Reece and checked by Rorie’s father Philip and Peter Bradshaw . . . although seasoned competitors could spot McConney Snr’s influence in the setting.   For winning Navigator O’Neal, claiming his third consecutive November win with Alleyne, it was “a perfect way to end the season. It was well-fought to the end. The routes and the conditions were challenging, and you had to keep your head on. The BRC navigation was difficult, knowing Philip is tricky and trying to get inside his head - I was almost caught, but realised the trick. While not as difficult as I’d expected, it had Philip’s stamp all over - he must be mellowing in his old age.”   At the Prize-giving at the Barbados Clay Target Shooting Association (BCTSA) Club House at Searles, Christ Church, on Tuesday (November 12), MudDogs Chairman Darnley Rayside said: “It was a well-set rally and certainly the toughest event of the year. There were some good traps and the weather made it a good MudDogs event. The after party was a great way to end the year and the turnout at the Prize-giving was fantastic. Finally, thanks to Nassco for their continued sponsorship of MudDogs.”   Representing Nassco, Neil Corbin said: “Although times are harder for us, we are still happy to come back and assist with the MudDogs. It’s part of our social responsibility to support local sports and great competition, and we were pleased to see that so many came out to compete, despite the economy.”   For his part, McConney was pleased with the outcome: “Conditions were a little wet and the rain added to the excitement. It was an event where a mistake could cost a lot of time, but it perhaps wasn’t as challenging as in the past, even though the weather stepped in to add to the pressure. There were some good tricks meant to keep people on their toes, but all seemed happy in the end, and there was no major ‘cursing’.”   Many crews became stuck in a number of locations, including Drax Hall, Moon Hall and Woodland, some needing to be pulled out up to five times. The winning total of 858 penalties was high in comparison to other events in the season, a reflection of the effect that the weather was having.   In the Chefette MudDogs Novice Championship, Richard Hinkson finally claimed a win after some years of trying – MudDogs Chairman Rayside said “I’m really proud of him” – with Andy Williams and Dave Gibson finishing second. Nassco November Safari, November 15 Chefette MudDogs Safari Championship - round 5 1st Leslie Alleyne/Chris O’Neal (Simpson Motors/Shell Rimula/Shell Spirax/Maxxis Tyres Isuzu D-Max), 858 penalties 2nd Derek Gill/Andrew Croney (Insurance Solutions Inc/Sweet Temptations Mitsubishi Pajero), 1119pens 3rd Audley Croney/Jeremy Croney (CC Motorsports and Friends Suzuki Vitara), 1537pens 4th George Mendes/Gary Mendes (G & G Sales & Service Mitsubishi L200 Sportero), 1832pens 5th Nyere Jones/Ben Norris (Land Rover Discovery), 2092pens 6th Gregory Dickenson/Dane McConney (Toyota Hilux), 2710pens 7th Chris Armstrong/Wayne Clarke (Toyota Hilux), 2739pens 8th Aswad Bannister/Andre Murrell (Toyota Hilux), 2912pens 9th Julian Kirton/Dominic Straker (Jeep Wrangler), 3026pens 10th Wayne Manning/Willie Hinds (Zephrin’s Bakeries/Quality Tyre Suzuki Samurai), 3119pens etc Route 1 – 1st Alleyne/O’Neal, 452pens; 2nd Gill/Croney, 499pens; 3rd Croney/Croney, 777pens; etc Route 2 – 1st Alleyne/O’Neal, 406pens; 2nd Jones/Norris, 486pens; 3rd Gill/Croney, 620pens; etc Chefette MudDogs Safari Novice Championship - round 5 1st Richard M Hinkson/Richard L Hinkson (Suzuki Samurai), 4237pens – 12th overall 2nd Dave Gibson/Andy Williams (Toyota Hilux), 6164pens – 15th o/a 3rd Damien Johnson/Brandon Johnson (Western Union Suzuki Samurai), 6439pens – 16th o/a Route 1 – 1st Johnson/Johnson, 2239pens; 2nd Hinkson/Hinkson, 2425pens; 3rd Gibson/Williams, 3769pens Route 2 – 1st Hinkson/Hinkson, 1812pens; 2nd Gibson/Williams, 2395pens; 3rd Johnson/Johnson, 4200pens Forthcoming events December 1 – December MudFest For media information only. No regulatory value. For further media information, robin@bradfax.com Web sites: www.barbadosrallyclub.com, www.muddogsbarbados.com