PLATINUM MOTORS TO SPONSOR TIVOLI WINTER RALLY

Panton and Swann among early entries for Rally Club finale

Platinum Motors, which has recently been appointed the local distributor for SsangYong, is to sponsor the final round of the Barbados Rally Club’s (BRC) Drivers and Class Championships on Saturday (November 24). The Tivoli Winter Rally, named for the South Korean manufacturer’s small SUV, will run from day into night, with 10 special stages at two venues in the south-east corner of the island.

Although entries do not close at Motorsport Services in Haggatt Hall until Wednesday (November 21), the event is already building a quality entry from home and overseas. Among those confirmed already are Jamaicans Jeffrey Panton and Michael Fennell Jnr (Ford Focus WRC06), set to do battle once again with Britain’s Rob Swann and Darren Garrod (Subaru Impreza WRC S12B), just four weeks after their last encounter at the Flow Winter Sprint. The running order will be published after Thursday’s Briefing Meeting at the Barbados Clay Target Shooting Association Clubhouse, Searles, Christ Church.

Platinum Motors brand sales representative Davier Atherley said: “Since our appointment as distributor for SsangYong, the first model launched has been the Tivoli, competing in the small SUV segment of the market. While the initial response to the Tivoli has been very positive given its sporty look, high feature level, and competitive price, we felt that further brand exposure is important, hence our decision to partner with the Barbados Rally Club in the last major rally of 2018. As we all know, motorsport spectators are one of the more knowledgeable groups of people, who can influence market acceptance of a new product and we are confident that this will bring positive exposure to the SsangYong brand and the Tivoli, our small SUV.”

Saturday’s daylight stages are slated to start at 2.45pm with the first of three 5.90-kilometre runs from Pool to Drax Hall, which will alternate with two 3.70km passes from Chapel to Congo Road via Padmore Village and the Bushy Park triangle; after the Dinner Halt, the stages will run in the reverse direction, three times from Congo Road to Chapel, the first at 6.40pm, and twice from Drax Hall to Pool. The final stage is scheduled to start at 8.55pm, after which crews will return to the Service Park in the Colleton Plantation Yard, where a Prizegiving is planned.

Rally Club PRO Neil Barnard said: “This event should create some good action to end the season. We have not used the full length of the Pool to Drax Hall stage for at least a couple of years, will the other stage has never been used in this configuration before. It will be fast, but has two tricky sections, both with high-speed approaches – in the daylight direction from Chapel, the start of the stage is very fast, drivers then faced with an almost hairpin left to approach Padmore Village from behind Sunbury House; then after they turn right opposite the old Bushy Park gate, the stage takes in the triangle, and the right-hander round the triangle is a very, very tight, pretty much first gear corner. In the reverse direction and after nightfall, those two corners will be equally challenging.”

There is all to play for in the BRC Championships, as most class battles remain unresolved – only two class leaders currently look secure in their positions, with many individual battles going down to the wire. As last year, there are no dropped scores to be taken into account, while the enhanced points structure for the final round – a class win will earn 28 points (up from the usual 20), second 23, third 20, down to 10 for 10th place – means drivers will need to be at their best.

Tivoli Winter Rally - Saturday, November 24
Special Stage Schedule

1445 SS1 - Pool to Drax Hall 1 (5.90km)
1510 SS2 - Chapel to Congo Road 1 (3.70km)
1555 SS3 - Pool to Drax Hall 2 (5.90km)
1620 SS4 - Chapel to Congo Road 2 (3.70km)
1650 SS5 - Pool to Drax Hall 3 (5.90km)

Dinner Halt

1840 SS6 - Congo Road to Chapel 1 (3.70km)
1905 SS7 - Drax Hall to Pool 1 (5.90km)
1955 SS8 - Congo Road to Chapel 2 (3.70km)
2020 SS9 - Drax Hall to Pool 2 (5.90km)
2055 SS10 - Congo Road to Chapel 3 (3.70km)

Total SS Distance – 48.00kms

For media information only. No regulatory value.

For further media information, robin@bradfax.com
Website: www.barbadosrallyclub.com