POINTS MAKE PRIZES IN SOL RALLY BARBADOS

As competitors in the Barbados Rally Club (BRC) Driver’s and Class Championships prepare for the two most important weekends of their motor sport season - Scotiabank King of the Hill and Sol Rally Barbados 2014 - Daryl Clarke has edged into the lead in the Champion Driver’s title chase, just two points ahead of Eric Allamby and Rhett Watson, who are tied in second place.

This year, the BRC celebrates the 25th running of its premier event and the two weekends offer crucial points-scoring opportunities; at Scotiabank KotH (May 25), the regular speed event scale gives 15 points for a class win, while each full day of Sol RB14 (May 30 - June 1) is a separate round of the Championship, with 20 points up for grabs for a class win, plus bonus points for the top three local finishers in each class in the three Power Stages . . . a grand total of a potential 64 points over the two weekends.

With two of the eight rounds run, Modified 7 class-leader Clarke (Honda Civic) has a perfect record, with two class wins and the maximum possible 35 points; he is helped by competing in one of the more popular classes, as the points scale is reduced if there are fewer than three starters. This has affected Allamby (Clubman Toyota Corolla) and Watson (SuperModified 12 BMW M3), who have both also accrued two class wins, but against reduced competition.

WRC-1 leader Roger Skeete (Subaru Impreza WRC S12) is in fourth place, two points behind Allamby and Watson, and just one ahead of the five drivers currently tied for fifth: they are the Group N front-runners, with a class win apiece, Andrew Mallalieu (Subaru Impreza) and Mark Thompson (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX), class leaders Josh Read (SM10 Toyota Starlet) and Brendon Mckenzie (M6 Corolla) and Edward Corbin (Corolla RunX), who is second to Clarke in M7.

Skeete leads the 4wd standings from Roger Hill (WRC-2 Corolla WRC), Mallalieu, Paul Bourne (WRC-1 Ford Focus WRC07) and Thompson, while Read has control of 2wd, ahead of Watson, Clarke, Corbin and Mckenzie.

BRC Class Championship

Provisional positions after round 2:

WRC-1: 1st Roger Skeete (Sol/LIME/Simpson Motors/Michelin/Williams Trading Inc Subaru Impreza WRC S12), 31points; 2nd Paul Bourne (Chefette/Banks/MQI/Flow Ford Focus WRC07), 17pts

WRC-2: 1st Roger Hill (Nassco/Esso/Pennzoil/MotorMac Toyota Corolla WRC), 26pts Group N: equal 1st Andrew Mallalieu (Terra Caribbean Subaru Impreza N10) & Mark Thompson (Glassesco Hardware/Stag Beer/NKM Clothing/Bio Beauty Day Spa/Valvoline Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX), 30pts; 3rd Geoff Noel (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX), 11pts SuperModified 12: 1st Rhett Watson (Power King Batteries/Carter's Pitstop/Gliptone/Stihl/Packaging Centre/The Unknown Entity/In support of Little Pink Gift BMW M3), 33pts; 2nd Justin Campbell (Hilton Barbados/Dream Solutions/Castrol Edge/C & C Auto Services/Acton Corporate Services/Transtech BMW M3), 17pts; 3rd David St Hill (BMW M3), 15pts; etc

SM11: 1st Dane Skeete (Rubis/Williams Trading Inc/LIME/Michelin Peugeot 306 Maxi), 11pts

SM10: 1st Josh Read (Stihl/Gliptone/Hankook Tyres/Weetabix/SDRR/Royal Purple/EZone Toyota Starlet), 30pts; 2nd Ian Warren (Simpson Motors/Automotive Art Suzuki Swift), 13pts; 3rd Stuart Maloney (Peugeot 306 Maxi), 11pts; etc

M7: 1st Daryl Clarke (Roberts Manufacturing/P & N Hardware/Valvoline/Amir’s Chicken/MQI Quality/Mum’s Pasta Honda Civic), 35pts; 2nd Edward Corbin (Valvoline/Automotive Art/Prosales Toyota Corolla RunX), 30pts; 3rd Jamal Brathwaite (Valvoline/Automotive Art/Mackeson/Ellesmere/Chicken Pen Racing Honda Civic Type-R), 25pts; etc

M6: 1st Brendon Mckenzie (Mck Motorsport/Turbo Plus Drink Mix/Do-It-Best Quality Paints/Colour XL/PromoTech Computers Toyota Corolla), 30pts; 2nd Neil Corbin (Ocean Fisheries/Nassco/Auto Solutions/Castrol Toyota Starlet), 26pts

Clubman: 1st Eric Allamby (Shelbury Construction/Scrap Man Recycling/MC Buccaneer Toyota Corolla), 33pts; 2nd Trevor Mapp (Ellesmere Quarries/AS Autostop/Codgi's Insurance Brokers/Chicken Pen Racing Mitsubishi Colt), 26pts; 3rd Paul Inniss (Caribbean Villa Chefs/HIV Aids Commission/Illusion Graphics/Tint It/Priva/Hulk Wrecker Services/Erie Tire Services/JJ Racing/Pickers Inc Honda Civic), 17pts; etc

Historic: 1st Stuart White (39 Steps Wine Bar/Hunikorn Swim Wear/UpBeat Wholesale/Makita/Guava Tech BMW 325), 28pts; 2nd Wayne Archer (Archers Hall Design Centre/Calvin Alkins Customs Services/Diamonds International BMW 325), 20pts; 3rd David Brewster (Innovative Security Solutions/Castrol/SRG Engineering Peugeot 205GTi), 15pts

Historic: 1st Harold Morley (The Booth Steamship Company/Crowley Shipping/Ontrac Telemetrics/Barrons Smokehouse Porsche GT3), 15pts

BRC 4wd Championship: 1st R Skeete, 35pts; 2nd Hill, 28pts; 3rd Mallalieu, 25pts; 4th Bourne, 17pts; 5th Thompson, 10pts; 6th Noel, 9pts BRC 2wd Championship: 1st Read, 35pts; 2nd Watson, 27pts; 3rd Clarke, 21pts; 4th E Corbin, 19pts; 5th Mckenzie, 14pts; equal 6th St Hill & Ian Warren (SM10 Simpson Motors/Automotive Art Suzuki Swift), 13pts; equal 8th Braithwaite & N Corbin 12pts; equal 10th Stan Hartling - TCI (SM12 Hartling Group of Resorts BMW M3) & D Skeete, 11pts; etc

Sol Rally Barbados (May 30 - June 1) and Scotiabank King of the Hill (May 25) are organised and promoted by the Barbados Rally Club, which celebrated its 55th Anniversary in 2012; title sponsors are the Sol Group and Scotiabank. Marketing partners are Simpson Motors, LIME, Automotive Art, Banks and Karcher; official partners are Accra Beach Hotel & Spa, the Barbados Hotel & Tourism Association, the Barbados Tourism Authority, Geest Line, the Tourism Development Corporation and Virgin Atlantic Airways; associate sponsors are Chefette, Field Insurance, Glacial Pure, HOTT 95.3FM, Little Switzerland, Redline Fuels, Stoute’s Car Rental and West Indies Rum Distillery.

(photo via Himal Reece at www.justbajan.com).