MAYERS ON FORM AT BLACK BESS

An estimated 2,000 spectators assembled at the Black Bess Plantation in St Peter on Sunday (September 28) to witness Roger Mayers win the first loose event of the Barbados Rally Club’s (BRC) season in the Automotive Art/Shell Helix Ford Focus.
The hotly-contested event was fought out over three timed runs, after a preliminary drive-through and practice run; the fastest of the three times counted. The course had been modified since it was last used and extended to 4.2 kilometres with the addition of a return loop early on, plus two grass straights linked by a hairpin, just before the finish. This was the first event since Rally Barbados in early June, and competitors were pleased with the BRC’s efforts to give them as much competitive mileage as possible.
Competitors and spectators were rewarded with a fine day’s sport; there were 29 competitors on the final entry list, headed by the island’s ‘Big Four’ - Paul Bourne, Trevor Manning, Mayers and Roger Skeete – in their first head-to-head confrontation of the season.
Thanks to a misfire, Mayers was trailing in fourth place after the first timed run, in which the pace was set by Manning (NP/Sunbeach/Kerridge Simpson Motors Rally Team Mitsubishi Evo V). With a time of 3m 16.60s, he was 17/100ths quicker than Skeete (Texaco/Michelin/McEnearney Quality/Consolidated Finance/Carib Ford Escort WRC), with Bourne (Banks/Pirelli/Texaco/Williams Industries Subaru Impreza WRC) a further 2secs back.
Everyone upped their game on the second run, Skeete moving into the lead (3m 13.35s), bizarrely exactly 17/100ths quicker than Manning, with Mayers now moving to third (3m 16.30s) and Bourne slipping to fourth. So it would all be decided on the final run of the day.
The pressure was on Mayers, who was running first on the road, but he rose to the occasion, slicing another 4secs off his time, to finish the day on 3m 12.25s. Despite his mastery in the loose, and a further lowering of his time, ‘Electric Micey’ finished second, just under half-a-second adrift. Skeete finished third, Bourne fourth and Sean Dowding (Pro Pac/Globe Finance/NPK Construction Mitsubishi Evo V) fifth, with a best of 3m 19.18s.
BRC championship leader Sean Gill was an impressive sixth in the two-wheel drive NP/Sunbeach/Kerridge Simpson Motors Rally Team Suzuki Ignis, claiming victory in Modified 6. His final-run time of 3m 30.25s was even good enough to beat the quickest of the Group N drivers, Harold Morley (Sunbeach Mitsubishi Evo VII), by nearly two-tenths.
As usual, Modified Open produced some thrilling performances, Cliff Roett (Michelin/Nassco/Lucky Horseshoe/Roett’s Garage Toyota Starlet) claiming the Group, and eighth place overall, with a fine display of car control. The top 10 was completed by the remaining two drivers in Modified 6, Kirk Watkins (Abacus Builders/Castrol/Sikkens Toyota Corolla GTi) and Neil Armstrong (Nassco/Bridgestone/ProAuto Toyota Starlet).
Gill’s major challenger for this year’s BRC remains in the hunt - Edward Corbin (Automotive Art/Corbin’s Garage/Klark-Odio Toyota Corolla SR) finished 12th overall, winning Modified 7 by a little under half-a-second from an on-form James Betts (Champion Auto Toyota Corolla); a broken flywheel prevented John Corbin troubling Edward for the honours, while Andrew Jones’s spectacular driving thrilled the crowds until he succumbed to a broken axle.
There were other casualties along the way, most notable among which was Mikie Hassell who retired the Willie’s Diving & Marine/Citgo/Details Car Cleaning Subaru Impreza after the first drive-through with a damaged gearbox; this was a major disappointment, after he had managed to ready the car despite a blown turbo mid-week. Also out of luck was Wayne Manning in the Telling Caribbean Ford Escort MkI, who suffered axle problems.
The BRC’s loose season continues on October 28.

For further information: robin@bradfax.com
BRC web site: www.rallyclub.com

BRC Drivers’ Championship, round 5
BRC Loose Sprint, Black Bess Plantation, September 28

Overall – top 10 (with best time)
1st Roger Mayers (Automotive Art/Shell Helix Ford Focus WRC), 3m 12.25s
2nd Trevor Manning (NP/Sunbeach/Kerridge/Simpson Motors Rally Team Mitsubishi Evo V), 3m 12.72s
3rd Roger Skeete (Texaco/Michelin/McEnearney Quality/Consolidated Finance/Carib Ford Escort WRC), 3m 13.35s
4th Paul Bourne (Banks/Pirelli/Texaco/Williams Industries Subaru Impreza WRC), 3m 17.33s
5th Sean Dowding (Pro Pac/Globe Finance/NPK Construction Mitsubishi Evo V), 3m 19.18s
6th Sean Gill (NP/Sunbeach/Kerridge/Simpson Motors Rally Team Suzuki Ignis), 3m 30.25s
7th Harold Morley (Sunbeach Mitsubishi Evo VII), 3m 30.43s
8th Cliff Roett (Michelin/Nassco/Lucky Horseshoe/Roett’s Garage Toyota Starlet), 3m 36.14s
9th Kirk Watkins (Abacus Builders/Castrol/Sikkens Toyota Corolla GTi), 3m 37.44s
10th Neil Armstrong (Nassco/Bridgestone/ProAuto Toyota Starlet), 3m 37.64s
etc

Group winners:
Modified 9
Roger Mayers (Automotive Art/Shell Helix Ford Focus WRC)

Modified 8 & Production 4 merged
Trevor Manning (NP/Sunbeach/Kerridge/Simpson Motors Rally Team Mitsubishi Evo V)

Modified Open & Production 3 merged
Cliff Roett (Michelin/Nassco/Lucky Horseshoe/Roett’s Garage Toyota Starlet)

Modified 7
Edward Corbin (Automotive Art/Corbin’s Garage/Klark-Odio Toyota Corolla SR)

Modified 6 & Modified 5 merged
Sean Gill (NP/Sunbeach/Kerridge/Simpson Motors Rally Team Suzuki Ignis)

Event: 
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