WATSON WINS SECOND TITLE AFTER MORNING SCARE

Rhett Watson yesterday (Sunday) became the Barbados Rally Club’s (BRC) Champion Driver title for the second year in a row, with two final class wins in the double-header Winter Sprint in St Lucy. The first driver to win back-to-back titles for more than 20 years - Derek Roach was the last, in 1991-‘92 - he maintained his perfect record of class wins, but he had started the day very much on the back foot.

Watson, Wayne Archer and Jeremy Croney – each with a perfect record of class wins in the previous six events – went into Sunday’s final double-header separated by just five points. Both Archer and Croney, leaders of the Historic and Clubman classes respectively, also maintained their perfect record of class wins, but had suffered earlier in the year from the reduced points scale for under-subscribed classes.

Watson’s early-morning scare came when he ran off the road in the Chefette / Power King / Gliptone / Stihl / The Unknown Entity in support of Little Pink Gift BMW M3 on the practice run from Collins to Josey Hill and damaged the front suspension. With the event running smoothly, there would be little time to repair the car, but it was back out in time for the third and final official run, albeit looking less than its usually immaculate self!

SuperModified 12 class leader Watson said: “I was feeling a tad nervous, but confident, heading into the event. My first thought when I hit the car was to hope I had time to reverse out, as Mark Thompson was only 30 seconds behind. The hit didn't feel hard enough to be terminal and I have a very dedicated crew that would stop at nothing. This Championship is for those guys - huge thanks to Ivan, Steffan, my Dad, brother Logan and a few others that were around to help get it going again in 30 minutes.”

Watson’s time on that final run was good enough for eighth overall, fifth in 2wd, which also sealed his second 2wd Championship. Roger Mayers (WR Starlet) and Josh Read (Toyota Starlet) headed 2wd yesterday, but both had lost overall results earlier in the year, so could not challenge Watson for the title.

Despite losing the Champion Driver chase by just two points, Archer said: “I decided not to worry about the Championship and just go out there to do my best and have fun, and I am thrilled with the result. I couldn't have asked for a better year, with 100 per cent finishes and class wins. Congrats to Rhett and his team on their victory.”

Driving father Roger’s Subaru Impreza WRC S12 for the third time, Dane Skeete won overall in both directions, although admitted that he is still not entirely comfortable in the car: “My confidence is still low, so I can't really commit in the high-speed sections. I only felt threatened by those behind when the launch control started to act up, other than that it was smooth sailing. It is nice to come out on top, just wish I was coming out on top with some competition in WRC-1.”

Reflecting on the season, Watson added: “It feels fantastic to do it for a second time in a row, and with another clean sweep – Champion Driver, 2wd and Class Championship. A huge thanks to all my sponsors for the continued support, without them it definitely would not have been possible.”

BRC Winter Sprint Sunday, October 11

BRC Driver’s and Class Championships, round 7 1st Dane Skeete (WRC-1 Sol / Flow / Automotive Art / WTI Subaru Impreza WRC S12), 1m 18.59s 2nd Roger Mayers (SM10 Chefette / Digicel / Sol / DHL / Hankook / Illusion Graphics WR Starlet), 1m 19.81s 3rd Josh Read (SM10 Stihl / Gliptone / Sprite / Hankook / Weetabix / Chutney’s / Royal Purple / EZone Toyota Starlet), 1m 20.07s 4th Roger Hill (WRC-2 Esso / Nassco / MotorMac / Pennzoil Toyota Corolla WRC), 1m 21.96s 5th Andrew Jones (SM11 AP Jones Pharmacy / Southern Surf Beach Apartments / Lucozade Ford Escort MkII), 1m 24.12s 6th Neil Corbin (M6 Nassco / Jason Jones / BG Products / Auto Solutions / Valvoline / Emtage Electrical Toyota Starlet), 1m 24.21s 7th David Coelho – T&T (GpN Total / Lubetech / Zanzibar / Kaizan Sushi / www.machinerysalestrinidad.com / Quipsol Ltd Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX), 1m 24.70s 8th Rhett Watson (SM12 Chefette /Power King / Gliptone / Stihl / The Unknown Entity in support of Little Pink Gift BMW M3), 1m 25.04s 9th Jamal Brathwaite (M7 Platinum Motors / Valvoline / Automotive Art / R S Electrical / Ellesmere Quarries Honda Civic Type-R), 1m 25.53s 10th Daryl Clarke (M7 MQI Collision Repair / Amir’s Chicken / Roberts Manufacturing / Valvoline Honda Civic), 1m 27.40s etc

WRC-1: 1st Skeete

WRC-2: 1st Hill

Group A: 1st Avinash Chatrani (iShop Barbados / PowerBass / Lenovo / 1 of K / Copocabana / Sign Station Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI), 1m 28.55s

GpN: 1st Coelho; 2nd Mark Thompson (Valvoline / Stag Beer / Glassesco / NKM Clothing / Bio Beauty Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX), 1m 27.44s SuperModified 12: 1st Watson; 2nd David St Hill (BMW M3), 1m 31.24s

SM11: 1st Jones

SM10: 1st Mayers; 2nd Read

Modified 7: 1st Brathwaite; 2nd D Clarke; 3rd Jeremy Sisnett (The Tiki Bar / Autolink / Indoor Plant Services Ford Fiesta ST), 1m 43.58s

M6: 1st N Corbin; 2nd Paul Inniss (Sun General Insurance / Durex / Illusion Graphics / Caribbean Villa Chefs / Drive-a-Matic /Hugh Autobody / Chicken Stop Inc / JJ Racing Team / Rallymaxx / HIV Aids Commission Honda Civic), 1m 41.19s

Historic: 1st Wayne Archer (Hist Diamonds International / Archer’s Hall Design Centre / RW Water Inc BMW 325), 1m 31.10s; 2nd John Corbin (Hist Valvoline / Prosales Toyota Corolla), 1m 37.72s

Clubman: 1st Jeremy Croney (Warrens Lubricants / Sign Station / SRG Engineering Peugeot 206XS), 1m 34.36s; 2nd Rommell Martin (Winston Enterprise / Fusion Boutique / Hal’s Car Park Bar / VV&K Rentals / B3 Imaging / Candy Lane / Rallymaxx Toyota Starlet), 1m 39.04s; 3rd Pierre Clarke (SDRR Hydraulics / Martindale Garage Honda Civic), 1m 39.47s; etc

GpB: 1st Geoffrey Ullyett (Ullyett's Machine Shop Service BMW M3), 1m 38.15s

BRC Driver’s and Class Championships, round 8 1st Skeete, 1m 20.31s 2nd Mayers, 1m 22.85s 3rd Read, 1m 23.58s 4th Hill, 1m 24.11s 5th Watson, 1m 25.93s 6th Jones, 1m 26.68s 7th Coelho, 1m 27.58s 8th Thompson, 1m 28.08s 9th N Corbin, 1m 29.08s 10th Brathwaite, 1m 25.93s etc

WRC-1: 1st Skeete

WRC-2: 1st Hill

Group A: 1st Chatrani, 1m 29.95s

GpN: 1st Coelho; 2nd Thompson

SuperModified 12: 1st Watson; 2nd St Hill, 1m 31.16s

SM11: 1st Jones

SM10: 1st Mayers; 2nd Read

Modified 7: 1st Brathwaite; 2nd D Clarke, 1m 29.95s

M6: 1st N Corbin; 2nd Inniss, 1m 43.65s

Historic: 1st Archer, 1m 32.71s; 2nd J Corbin, 1m 40.77s

Clubman: 1st Croney, 1m 37.10s; 2nd Martin, 1m 40.16s; 3rd P Clarke, 1m 42.38s; etc

GpB: 1st Ullyett, 1m 38.82s