REIS SUPPORTS SOL RALLY BARBADOS MARSHALS

One of Britain’s leading motor sport insurance specialists, REIS, is joining forces with the Barbados Rally Club (BRC) and long-term local sponsor Chefette Restaurants to offer additional support to the Club’s hundreds of volunteer marshals. This new association will also afford the BRC additional marketing opportunities, particularly in the UK, during the build-up to Sol Rally Barbados 2016.

The BRC celebrates the 25th Anniversary of its premier event this year (May 29-31), with Simpson Motors Scrutineering and LIME King of the Hill the previous weekend, all of which rely heavily on the Club’s volunteer officials and marshals, some of whom will assisting in the set-up and management of the events for up to six working days.

BRC Chairman Mark Hamilton said: “Over the two weekends of activity, there will be a total of around 250 persons working on the event, all of them giving freely of their time to ensure the smooth, and importantly safe, running of the Club’s two biggest events. It is often said that motor sport could not function without these guys, and that is as true here in Barbados as it is across the world, particularly as there is now such a huge amount of motor sport activity in a small country.

“The approach from REIS was initially channeled through one of our first-time competitors in Sol RB15 and once we started talking directly, a plan very soon came together. REIS will be making a cash donation, which will go directly towards the annual ‘Thank-you’ party for our volunteers. While Chefette is once again the backbone of our marshals support mechanism in 2015, I know that this additional support will be welcomed not only by them, but also by local and international competitors.”

REIS Head of Motorsport Broking Phil Barnard, who will be in the island for Sol RB15, added: “Everyone who is involved in motor sport is aware of the vital contribution made by hundreds of volunteers every weekend of the year . . . and not just on events, but also going through training courses to improve their knowledge and professionalism.

“Working with Sol Rally Barbados in this way, by directly supporting this important group of people, sits well with our current marketing profile. We sponsor events, rather than individual competitors, hence our long-term involvement with the two leading UK championships and bringing them to an ever-widening TV audience.”

Based in Nottingham in the British East Midlands, the firm currently sponsors the REIS MSA Asphalt Rally Championship and the REIS Ravenol BTRDA Rally Series, both of which enjoy coverage on Motors TV within two weeks of each event, with follow-up footage on the company’s own web site, reis.co.uk, shortly after. New for 2015, the mixed-surface BTRDA Rally Challenge, which incorporates events from both championships, aims to recognise the best competitors on both surfaces.

The company offers a broad range of specialist products to enable individuals and teams at all levels to enjoy their motor sport, while correctly protecting their assets; these range from personal accident cover, on-event accidental damage and trackday cover to storage and transit cover for competition vehicles. A number of the British competitors who travel to compete in Barbados are already REIS customers.

In addition to the direct involvement with Sol RB15, REIS will work with the BRC to provide new avenues in promoting next year’s event to the insurance expert’s database of more than 14,000 clients around the world, all of whom have some affiliation with motor sport. Hamilton added: “We are delighted to have forged this new relationship, and I hope it will be on-going. REIS has already agreed some promotional activities for the early months of 2016, so we will be working together to see where we go.”

Ullyett class and co-driver change among entry updates

Chris Ullyett, who returns home each year to contest Sol Rally Barbados, has confirmed a new car and co-driver, changing the provisional entry list published last week. He will now drive an ex-Watson Racing BMW M3 in SuperModified 12, with daughter Chantal, in her debut as co-driver, replacing his brother-in-law Derek Ince.

Ullyett says: “The Escort has not been rebuilt after last year's off-course excursion, as Derek has had some other priorities and he usually does and/or co-ordinates most of the work. So, the Watson’s four-door M3 is now an Ullyett's M3. This is only intended as a temporary measure before the Escort is back, better than ever.”

Although it seemed that the number of female participants would therefore rise to 16, that stat hardly survived 24 hours until Paul Horton (Modified 7 Ford Escort MkI) from the Turks & Caicos islands confirmed that Carol Potter cannot make the trip, replaced by experienced local co-driver Dwayne Forde. Also changing co-drivers are Jamaica’s Kyle Gregg, Michael Worme now sitting in his Group N Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX, and Chris Williams (M6 Ford Fiesta), who will be partnered by Reuben Nelson.

David Brewster’s Peugeot 205 has moved from the Historic class to Group B, now with a 1.8-litre engine, while both Martin Atwell (SM12 BMW M3) and Stuart Maloney (SM10 Peugeot 306 Maxi) have withdrawn from the event with off-island commitments.

Sol Rally Barbados (May 29-31) and LIME King of the Hill (May 24) are organised and promoted by the Barbados Rally Club, which celebrated its 55th Anniversary in 2012; title sponsors are the Sol Group and LIME. Marketing partners are Simpson Motors, Automotive Art and Banks; official partners are Accra Beach Hotel & Spa, the Barbados Hotel & Tourism Association, Barbados Port Inc, Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc, Geest Line, the Tourism Development Corporation and Virgin Atlantic Airways; associate sponsors are Chefette, Glacial Pure, Little Switzerland, 104 The Beat, Redline Fuels, REIS, Stoute’s Car Rental, Up Beat Wholesale and West Indies Rum Distillery.