TIGHT AT THE TOP OF THE TABLE

Posted on October 9th, 2005.

It is not just the Barbados Rally Club’s (BRC) new-for-2005 Texaco BRC Rally Championship that will be decided at Bushy Park this Sunday (October 16). The BRC Driver’s Championship, which this year enjoys sponsorship from Virgin Atlantic Airways, is also yet to be resolved as it reaches its eighth and final round at the St Philip racetrack.
On the face of it, nine points cover the three leading contenders for the overall title but, if you apply the ‘drop lowest score’ rule ahead of Sunday, there are in fact six drivers bracketed by just 12 points at the top of the table . . . with all to play for at Bushy Park and a maximum of 17 points on offer.
Roger Hill (Mobil 1/Nassco/Motormac/Michelin Toyota Celica GT4) tops the list of more than 50 drivers who have scored points this year, the championship revitalised thanks to Virgin Atlantic’s involvement. With a total of 93 points, he also has a dominant 43-point lead in the Modified 8 group.
Currently running second is Edward Corbin, who has finished runner-up in the BRC Driver’s Championship for the past two years in the Automotive Art/Kumho Tyres Toyota Corolla SR. He is four points adrift of Hill, and leads Modified 7 by a comfortable margin of 44 points . . . but things are closer than they seem: Corbin’s lowest score is seven, while Hill’s is 10, which narrows the gap between the two leading contenders to just one point.
Sunday’s event, slated for a 9.00am start, will comprise eight timed runs on a variety of courses; although co-drivers will not be required, the event will be timed in the same way as a rally, with the cumulative times across all eight runs producing the end result. In addition, there will be two route bonus points available in each Group, so total commitment will be necessary from the start.
Thanks to winning Modified 9 in the Motoring Club of Barbados Inc’s September event, round seven of the Virgin Atlantic Championship, Trevor Manning (Shell Helix/Courts/Automotive Art/Kerridge/Simpson Motors/Garbage Master Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VIII) has climbed to third, with 84 points; his lowest score is 10, so the nine-point gap back from Hill remains the same.
Group victory on the same event also promoted Jonathan Still to fourth overall in the Hitachi Power Tools/Philips Lighting/Warrens Motors/Crane & Equipment BMW M3; leader of Modified Open by 31 points, he is two points behind Manning but, with a lowest score of eight, is effectively tied for third.
Reigning BRC Champion Driver Sean Gill missed the September event, so slipped to fifth in the Shell Helix/Courts/Automotive Art/Kerridge/Simpson Motors Suzuki Ignis; in common with sixth-placed Geoff Noel (Irving Oil/Max Meyer/AutoZone/Mix 96.9/ESSCO/Automotive Art Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI), his lowest score is a zero, so he can count all points scored on Sunday.
Even taking into account the dropped score rule, most of the Groups are already resolved, but there remains a battle to be fought for supremacy in Modified 5. Only three points separate Group leader Wayne Manning (Citgo/Black Bess Quarry/Glassfibre Products Peugeot 205XS) and Brett Clarke
(Shell Helix/Courts/Automotive Art/Kerridge/Simpson Motors Suzuki Swfit); each has missed events this year, so all points scored on Sunday will count.
The entry list for Sunday is currently being finalised, and BRC competition secretary Barry Gale is upbeat: "Entries have been coming in well, and we have had a very encouraging response from members of the Barbados Auto Racing League, to whom we extended an invitation to compete. As invited drivers, they will not be able to take points away from BRC members . . . but they could challenge for the overall win!”

Virgin Atlantic BRC Driver’s Championship
Positions after seven of eight rounds
Overall
1st Roger Hill (M8 Mobil 1/Nassco/Motormac/Michelin Toyota Celica GT4), 93 points
2nd Edward Corbin (M7 Automotive Art/Kumho Toyota Corolla SR), 89pts
3rd Trevor Manning (M9 Shell Helix/Courts/Automotive Art/Kerridge/Simpson Motors/Garbage Master Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VIII), 84pts
4th Jonathan Still (MO Hitachi Power Tools/Philips Lighting/Warrens Motors/Crane & Equipment BMW M3), 82pts
5th Sean Gill (M6 Shell Helix/Courts/Automotive Art/Kerridge/Simpson Motors Suzuki Ignis JWRC) & Geoffrey Noel (P4 Irving Oil/Max Meyer/AutoZone/Mix 96.9/ESSCO/Automotive Art Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI), 71pts
7th Wayne Manning (M5 Citgo/Black Bess Quarry/Glassfibre Products Peugeot 205XS) & Derek Roach (Magna/PHD/Dupont/Sargento Cheeses/Warrens Motors MINI Cooper S), 60pts
9th Roger Mayers (M9 Trivial Pursuit/McEnearney Quality Ford Focus WRC) & Neil Barnard (Shell Helix/Courts/Automotive Art/Kerridge/Simpson Motors Suzuki Ignis Sport), 58pts
etc
Modified 9 1st T Manning, 84pts; 2nd R Mayers, 58pts; 3rd Harold Morley – ENG (Sunbeach Communications Inc/Tyra Lee Appeal Subaru Impreza WRC) & John Powell – JAM (Intercontinental Shipping/Trinidad Mooring and Launch Services/Toyota Trinidad Toyota Corolla WRC), 32pts etc
Modified 8 1st Hill, 93pts; 2nd Sean Dowding (Pro Pac/Globe Finance/Xypex Mitsubishi Lancer Evo V), 50pts; 3rd Barry Gale (Shell Helix/Courts/Automotive Art/Kerridge/Simpson Motors/Nishikoi Fish Food Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI), 37pts etc
Production 4
1st Noel, 71pts
Modified Open 1st Still, 82pts; 2nd Barry Mayers (MO Trivial Pursuit/Nassco Toyota Starlet), 51pts; 3rd Mark Hamilton (McEnearney Quality Inc/Consolidated Finance/Automotive Art Ford Escort Mk II), 40pts etc
Modified 7 1st E Corbin, 89pts; 2nd Roger Marshall (M7 Signia Financial/Western Union/Bill Express Hyundai Accent), 55pts; 3rd John Corbin (Corbin’s Garage/Klark-Odio Toyota Corolla), 40pts etc
Modified 6 1st Gill, 71pts; 2nd Steve Ollivierre - SVG (ECMIL/Empire Cigarettes Mitsubishi Mirage), 46pts; 3rd Joshua Delmas (Autolink Service Centre/Ideal Agencies Toyota Corolla Gti), 50pts; etc
Modified 5 1st W Manning, 60pts; 2nd Brett Clarke (Shell Helix/Courts/Automotive Art/Kerridge/Simpson Motors Suzuki Swift GTi), 57pts; 3rd James Betts (Champion Auto/KG Enterprises/Venture Marble/Hankook/Bridgestone/L & N Workshop/Kendall Sporting Opel Corsa GSi), 37pts etc
Production 3 1st Roach, 60pts; 2nd Noel Edwards (Daihatsu Charade GTti), 28pts; 3rd Sean Gibbs (Boardwalk Realty Nissan 120Y), 10pts etc
Production 2 1st Neil Barnard (Shell Helix/Courts/Automotive Art/Kerridge/Simpson Motors Suzuki Ignis Sport), 58pts; 2nd Gary Mendez (Toyota Starlet), 27pts; 3rd Carlos Humphrey (Toyota Starlet), 25pts
Production 1 1st Daniel Williams (Ocean Mist/Chase Midway Clothing/Sunbury Plantation Peugeot 106), 38pts