NASSCO BACKS NOVEMBER SAFARI FOR SEVENTH YEAR

The Barbados Rally Club’s (BRC) 2014 Chefette MudDogs Safari & Safari Novice Championships are heading for a dramatic conclusion. Competitors are making ready for the last of the season’s five events, the November Safari (Sunday, November 9), sponsored by Toyota dealer Nassco for the seventh straight year.

In the overall standings, reigning champions Leslie Alleyne and Chris O'Neal (Simpson Motors/Shell Spirax/Shell Rimula/Maxxis Isuzu D-Max) are tied on 232 points with Derek Gill and Andrew Croney (Insurance Solutions/Sweet Temptations Mitsubishi Pajero); even applying the dropped-score rule – crews count only their four best results – fails to separate them, dropping them both to 178 points.

Alleyne and O’Neal started their title defence in style, with victory on the BRC March Safari, with Gill and Croney second. Just three weeks later, Gill and Croney won the Chefette April Safari, with the reigning champions third. On the MudDogs’ signature event, the Sol Go Even Further June Safari, Alleyne claimed a record-equalling sixth win and O’Neal his first – Gill and Croney among the route-setters – so only four points separated them before the Carter’s Pit-stop September Safari. When Alleyne and O’Neal finished two places – crucially four points – ahead of Gill and Croney, they drew level, so it now a straight head-to-head dash to the line.

Event wins are shared in the Chefette MudDogs Novice Championship: Damien and Brandon Johnson (Western Union Suzuki Samurai) won in April and September, while Julian Kirton and Dominic Straker (Kirts Connection Jeep Wrangler) prevailed in March and June. Totalling all four results, the Johnsons are four points ahead, although that is cut to two, once the dropped-score rule is applied.

Route-setter for the Nasso November Safari is Gary Mendes, who will lead crews north from St George to St Lucy, then southward to St Philip. The first crew is scheduled to leave Chefette Charles Rowe Bridge, St George at 8.00am, with the lunch-time stopover at Animal Flower Cave, St Lucy, at around 11.30am to 12.30pm. The afternoon route will head for the MudDogs spiritual home at Three Houses, St Philip, with the finish at approximately 5.00pm. Three Driver Challenges are planned, just before and just after the lunch break, then immediately before the finish.

Entries for the Nassco November Safari are now open at Motorsport Services in Haggatt Hall and will close next Tuesday (November 4) at 12.00pm; 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.

Chefette MudDogs Safari Championship

Positions after round 4

Drivers

1st equal Leslie Alleyne (Simpson Motors/Shell Spirax/Shell Rimula/Maxxis Isuzu D-Max) & Derek Gill (Insurance Solutions/Sweet Temptations Mitsubishi Pajero), 232 points
3rd George Mendes (G & G Sales & Service/Lunatics Inc Mitsubishi L200 Sportero), 212pts
4th Gregory Dickenson (Toyota Hilux), 202pts
5th Wayne Manning (Zephrins Bakeries Suzuki Samurai), 196pts
6th Damien Johnson (Western Union Suzuki Samurai), 194pts
7th Chris Armstrong (Toyota Hilux), 190pts
8th Audley Croney (CC Motor Sports & Friends Suzuki Vitara), 186pts
9th Julian Kirton (Kirts Connection Jeep Wrangler), 170pts
10th Nicholas Lorde (Comfeet/NL Engineering/Sam Lordes Enterprises Land Rover Discovery), 143pts etc

Navigators

1st equal Andrew Croney (Insurance Solutions/Sweet Temptations Mitsubishi Pajero) & Chris O’Neal (Simpson Motors/Shell Spirax/Shell Rimula/Maxxis Isuzu D-Max), 232pts
3rd Gary Mendes (G & G Sales & Service/Lunatics Inc Mitsubishi L200 Sportero), 212pts
4th Willie Hinds (Zephrins Bakeries Suzuki Samurai), 196pts
5th Brandon Johnson (Western Union Suzuki Samurai), 194pts
6th Wayne Clarke (Toyota Hilux), 190pts
7th Dominic Straker (Kirts Connection Jeep Wrangler), 166pts
8th Andre Murrell (Toyota Hilux), 150pts
9th Jeremy Croney (CC Motor Sports & Friends Suzuki Vitara), 148pts
10th Brett Barber (Comfeet/NL Engineering/Sam Lordes Enterprises Land Rover Discovery), 143pts etc

Chefette MudDogs Safari Novice Championship Positions after round 4 Drivers & Navigators

1st Damien Johnson/Brandon Johnson (Western Union Suzuki Samurai), 234pts
nd Julian Kirton/Dominic Straker (Kirts Connection Jeep Wrangler), 230pts
3rd Richard Hinkson/Dean Springer (Eastern Veterinary Clinic/No More Turns Racing Suzuki Samurai), 168pts
4th Simon Parravicino/Jonathan Millar (Sweet Temptations Suzuki Samurai), 164pts
5th Nicholas Pinto/Adam Hunte (Power King Jeep Grand Cherokee), 110pts etc

Final event

Round 5 - November 9 - Nassco November Safari