LIME AND BANKS SUPPORT BRC SUMMER STAGES

Competitors in the Barbados Rally Club (BRC) Driver’s and Class Championships begin the final stage of the 2014 season on Saturday, August 30, in the BRC Summer Nights Tarmac Stages, in association with LIME and Banks Beer. Organisers expect a good turn-out, with only three more counting events before year-end, and with an enhanced points system in use for this one event.

Following Scrutineering in the Hopewell Factory Yard, St Thomas, between 11.30am and 1.00pm, there will be 12 special stages at three venues, arranged in two loops, and starting at 2.00pm. The first loop will see competitors tackle six stages, Hangmans Hill to Canefield alternating with Haggats to Springvale, before the dinner break at approximately 6.00pm.

In the second loop, the Canefield stage will be reversed, running south to Hangmans Hill, which will alternate with the third venue, a stage running from Society to Pool; the finish will be at Hopewell, which will also be the Service Park throughout the day.

Entries opened last Wednesday (August 13) at Motorsport Services in Haggatt Hall, also on-line at www.barbadosrallyclub.com, and will close at 1.00pm next Wednesday (August 27); the Briefing Meeting will be at 7.00pm on Thursday, August 28, at the Barbados Clay Target Shooting Association (BCTSA) Club House, Searles, Christ Church, when the running order will be published.

The Barbados Historic Rally, organised by the Vaucluse Raceway Motor Sport Club (VRMSC), will run concurrently, behind the main field, with separate seeding, starting at number 101.

Competition Secretary of the BRC, Neil Corbin, said: "We are anticipating a good turn-out, as there are only three more rounds to go, and there is still a lot to fight for. I'm glad to say that Daryl Clarke and Rhett Watson, who are tied for the lead in the fight to become Champion Driver, are among the early entries . . . but it is also close between Rhett and Josh Read at the top of the two-wheel-drive points, even I'm tied for the lead in Modified 6 with Bud McKenzie.

"The Rally Club Committee of Management decided at the start of the year to offer an enhanced points scale for this event, 25 points for a win, compared with 20, down to 10 points for 10th place, as an additional incentive for competitors. That means there's still a potential 55 points to be collected for three class wins between the Summer Stages and the double-header tarmac sprint in October . . . and that could change everything for quite a few competitors."

The enhanced points scale, which will also apply to the 4wd and 2wd Championships, is: 1st, 25 points; 2nd, 22pts; 3rd, 20pts; 4th, 17pts; 5th, 15pts; 6th, 14pts; 7th, 13pts; 8th, 12pts; 9th, 11pts; 10th, 10pts; all other finishers, 9pts. The usual points reduction will apply for unsubscribed classes: if only two registered competitors are entered, the finishers will receive 22 and 20 points for first and second places; if only one registered competitor is entered and finishes, 20 points will be awarded.

Confirming the locations of the stages, Corbin added: "The Haggats to Springvale stage will start in the general vicinity of the MTW depot, located a few hundred yards after the cricket field and the junction of Isolation Road. The Hangmans Hill to Canefield stage will be finishing after Canefield house, but before the bumpy road under the trees that would take you to Mount Misery."

While Daryl Clarke (Modified 7 Honda Civic) and Rhett Watson (SuperModified 12 BMW M3) are joint leaders in the Champion Driver title chase with 91 points, only eight points cover the top six drivers, so the championship is still wide open . . . and with the year-end dropped score rule yet to be taken into account. Stuart White (Historic BMW 320) is currently third, on 88, with Roger Skeete (WRC-1 Subaru Impreza S12), Josh Read (SM10 Toyota Starlet) and Eric Allamby (Clubman Toyota Corolla) on 87, 85 and 83 respectively.

Skeete leads the 4wd standings on 90 points from Paul Bourne (WRC-1 Ford Focus WRC07) on 64, just two ahead of Andrew Mallalieu (Group N Subaru Impreza N10); Watson leads Read in the 2wd standings by 73 points to 66, with Clarke third on 45.