RALLY CLUB CELEBRATES SEASON’S END

Nearly 80 members of the island’s motor sport fraternity were honoured at the Barbados Rally Club’s (BRC) Annual Prizegiving on Saturday evening (November 22); more than 100 awards were presented, with successful competitors joined as recipients by sponsors and the Club’s invaluable volunteer marshals, for whom some of the loudest applause was reserved.

Having lost out on last year’s title, when tie-break rules were applied, Champion Driver Rhett Watson was delighted to receive his trophies in his home parish; a similar situation applied this year, but it was Daryl Clarke who lost the tie-break, finishing second, with Stuart White, who had also been in with a chance of the winning, third.

The BRC 4wd Championship was won by Roger Skeete and Louis Venezia, with Watson and new co-driver James Hutchinson carrying off the trophies in 2wd. Free entry for the 2015 BRC Driver’s Championship was presented to Watson, the highest points-scorers in the combined SuperModified classes, Clarke (Modified classes) and White (Historic), along with Eric Allamby (Clubman), Andrew Mallalieu (4wd classes).

Among the evening’s awardees were long-standing marshals Pat Brewster, Matthew Dickenson, Jason Marville and Philip McConney, each of whom received a trophy, presented by Biddy Barber, who has been a BRC competitor, organiser and marshal for many years; others were recognised in the Outstanding Marshal and Rookie Marshal categories

In the Chefette MudDogs Safari Championship, Chris O’Neal won the Sextant Challenge Trophy as Champion Navigator for the second consecutive time, with Leslie Alleyne adding a fifth Champion Driver title to those he won in 2006, ’08, ’11 and last year, again taking home the Peter Farmer Memorial Trophy. Damien and Brandon Johnson were Chefette Novice Champions, winning free entry to the 2015 BRC MudDogs Safari Championship in addition to their trophies.

Club officials thanked the sport’s stakeholders, including marshals, officials, sponsors and the media for contributing to another successful season. Members had a chance to enjoy a number of motor sport films, including British production company Greenlight TV’s coverage of Sol Rally Barbados 2014 – already aired on Sky Sports in the UK and Ireland, two of the the event’s key markets - and previously-unseen footage from Red265 Multimedia of Scotiabank King of the Hill.

BRC partners with Simpson Motors and Automotive Art to support marshals

Saturday’s (November 22) Annual Prizegiving in St Philip afforded Barbados Rally Club (BRC) members what for many of them was a first chance to inspect one of the Club’s stage set-up vehicles, acquired in 2014. In keeping with the BRC’s long-term policy of investing in support for its volunteer marshals, the Committee of Management worked on the project with long-term partners Simpson Motors and Automotive Art.

Each of the Club’s stage set-up crews and marshals now have at their disposal a double-cab Isuzu Truck to transport equipment and relevant infrastructure; the three ex-Barbados Water Authority vehicles, resprayed in a silver livery, were refurbished by Simpson Motors using supplies donated by Automotive Art.

With lockers on each side to carry flags, fire extinguishers, signage and other special stage ‘furniture’, additional space on top for spectator barriers and accommodation inside for personnel, the vehicles can be used to speed the set-up of three separate special stage locations during the Club’s larger events. They were first used during Scotiabank King of the Hill and Sol Rally Barbados 2014.

Heading up the strong turn-out of marshals at the Prize-giving, Stage Commanders Roger Sargeant, Jeff Bovell and Ernest Brewster endorsed the Club’s efforts in support of its volunteers, who work tirelessly to ensure both the efficiency and safety of events for both competitors and spectators.

Club Chairman Mark Hamilton explained: “We have been thinking about this project for the past two or three years, as efficient organisation of events has become an even greater priority, along with ensuring the safe running of stages. When we learned that these trucks might become available, we immediately started a conversation with two of the Club’s longest-standing partners . . . and I have to say thanks to Simpson Motors and Automotive Art for making this a reality.”