Rally

For the third straight year, the Caribbean’s biggest annual motor sport International, Sol Rally Barbados, has attracted a record entry. Between October and the closing date a week ago (May 14), 121 entries were posted on-line at the event’s official web site – www.rallybarbados.bb – of which 108 remain on the provisional entry list, published by the Barbados Rally Club (BRC) during a media conference today (Monday).

Provisional entry list at May 21 + driver/co-driver (car) – listed alphabetically by class + some classifications subject to scrutineering + this list includes stand-by entries which will be incorporated into the final start list in accordance with the provisions of the ASRs Key to nationalities (competitor from Barbados unless shown): ARG – Argentina; CDN – Canada; ENG – England; JAM – Jamaica; KEN – Kenya; NED – The Netherlands; NIR – Northern Ireland; RSA – South Africa; SCO – Scotland; TCI – Turks & Caicos Islands; TRI – Trinidad & Tobago; USA – United States of America; WAL – W

While anticipation among island fans about the record-breaking overseas invasion for Sol Rally Barbados 2012 (June 9/10) is reaching fever pitch, local competitors are concentrating on their preparations for the highlight of the season. Shell V-Power King of the Hill (June 3) and Sol RB12 – each day is a separate round – offer three chances to score points towards the Barbados Rally Club (BRC) Virgin Atlantic Championships.   After three rounds, it is tight at the top.

As entries for Sol Rally Barbados 2012 (June 9/10) closed this week, the final drivers from around the region who will be participating in the Caribbean’s biggest annual motor sport International have been confirmed. They are first-timer Stan Hartling, representing the Turks & Caicos Islands, and Trinidad’s Vishal Dhanraj, who returns for his fifth consecutive year.

As entries for Sol Rally Barbados 2012 (June 9/10) closed today (May 14), the last first-timers from Ireland were confirmed as Matt Shinnors and Catherine Levis.

Ireland’s Ronan Curley nearly missed Tuesday’s (May 8) trans-Atlantic Geest Line voyage from Portsmouth, as a last-minute gearbox problem threatened to ruin his plans to compete in Sol Rally Barbados 2012 (June 9/10) . . . and he has fellow-competitor Samuel Kelso and Ford Escort specialists Den Motorsport to thank that it didn’t.   Having followed the event in recent years, Curley and close friend Conor McMeel both decided to enter their Vauxhall-engined MkII Ford Escorts in the Caribbean’s biggest annual motor sport International.