STRONG ENTRY FOR SEASON’S FIRST TARMAC RALLY

Posted on April 7th, 2006.

More than 30 cars are entered for the Barbados Rally Club’s (BRC) Carnival Warm-up Tarmac Rally, the first of the season and a shakedown event for Rally Barbados. Slated for a 9.00am start from McEnearney Quality Inc’s premises in Wildey on Sunday (April 9), the event is the second round of the Texaco BRC Rally Championship.
The Carnival Warm-up Tarmac Rally comprises 12 stages at two venues - Woodland Plantation to Featherbed Lane and Mapps to Stewarts Hill – both of which will run in the reverse direction after lunch. Organisers are urging spectators, particularly those heading for the popular ‘Esses’ by the pond opposite the entrance to Kendal Plantation, to arrive early.
A development under way for the landowners has drastically reduced the available space for spectators and their cars; coming from Woodland, the spectator areas lost include the first corner of the Esses, also the popular field on the exit - corresponding parking space has been lost in those areas, too.
The BRC is hoping spectators will be in place no later than 8.30am and marshals and security staff will be on hand from early to assist them to park and establish themselves in a timely fashion, so the event will not be delayed.
BRC vice-chairman Barry Gale notes: “This rally is important to us as a shakedown for Rally Barbados. Among the issues we will be watching carefully is that of the spectator areas at Kendal – we are extremely grateful to those landowners who continue to allow our use of their property, and it would be very unfortunate if that relationship were to be endangered.”
Paul Bourne currently leads the Texaco BRC Rally Championship standings, having won the opening round, the BRC March Gravel Challenge at the Black Bess Plantation, in his Warrens Motors Subaru Impreza WRC. He is not entered on Sunday, however, so a new championship leader is almost a certainty.
Those in with a chance of grasping the advantage include Gale (VP Racing/Nishikoi Fish Foods Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI), who finished second to Bourne, Kirk Watkins (Abacus Builders Inc/Planned Maintenance Evo V) and Geoff Noel (Subaru Impreza WRC), who finished fifth and sixth respectively.
In terms of victory on Sunday, however, they will also have to contend with Roger Skeete, who starts at number 1 in the Texaco/Michelin Peugeot 306 S16.
Winner of the trophy as highest-placed finisher in a two-wheel-drive car at Black Bess was Adrian Linton (Ravensden/Crane & Equipment/Garbage Gobbler/West Coast Garden Centre/Edwin Clarke Furniture Vauxhall Astra GSi), who placed seventh overall.
He will find myself under greater pressure on Sunday, however, not only from Skeete, but also Jonathan Still, who retired his Hitachi Power Tools/Philips Lighting/Warrens Motors/VP Racing/Crane & Equipment/Autolink BMW M3 from the Black Bess event with a gearbox problem, Mark Hamilton (Consolidated Finance/McEnearney Quality Inc Ford Escort MkII) and St Elmo Cumberbatch (Michelin/Carib Supply/F Taylor Insurance BMW E36).
A familiar two-wheel-drive car with an unfamiliar driver will be watched with keen interest by fans, as talented young Jamaican Tarik Minott will compete for the first time in the ex-Sean Gill Simpson Motors Suzuki Ignis JWRC. Already a winner at home this year in his Toyota Starlet, Minott is missing a championship event in Jamaica this weekend to concentrate on his preparations for Rally Barbados.
Meanwhile, a good fight is in prospect for the highest-placed crew including a female competitor, with three co-drivers fitting the bill – Megan Blades (with Neil Barnard), Melissa Blades (with Ryan Hutchinson) and Natasha Farnum (with Jeremy Gonsalves.

BRC Carnival Warm-up Tarmac Rally
April 9
Texaco BRC Rally Championship, round 2

Running order:
1 Roger Skeete/Stuart Maloney (MO Texaco/Michelin Peugeot 306 S16)
2 Barry Gale/Ryan Rodriguez (M8 VP Racing/Nishikoi Fish Foods Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI)
3 Geoff Noel/Kreigg Yearwood (M9 Subaru Impreza WRC)
4 Jonathan Still/Heath Hazell (MO Hitachi Power Tools/Philips Lighting/Warrens Motors/VP Racing/Crane & Equipment/Autolink BMW M3)
5 Kirk Watkins/Graham Gittens (M8 Abacus Builders Inc/Planned Maintenance Mitsubishi Lancer Evo V)
6 Mark Hamilton/Lindsay Farmer (MO Consolidated Finance/McEnearney Quality Inc Ford Escort MkII)
7 Adrian Linton/tba (M7 Ravensden/Crane & Equipment/Garbage Gobbler/West Coast Garden Centre/Edwin Clarke Furniture Vauxhall Astra GSi)
8 St Elmo Cumberbatch/Owen Cumberbatch (MO Michelin/Carib Supply/F Taylor Insurance BMW E36)
9 Ian Warren/Matthew Staffner (M6 Peugeot 206GTi)
10 Neil Armstrong/Alan Maynard (M6 Bridgestone/Lubriguard/Nassco/Proauto Toyota Starlet)
11 Brett Clarke/Garry Clarke (M5 Shell Helix/Automotive Art Suzuki Swift GTi)
12 James Betts/Darnley Rayside (M5 Star Products/Champion Auto/QuikStart Auto/Kendal Sporting/L & N Workshop/Van Betts Marble Man/Hankook Tyres/All Terrain Plus/Undercover Awnings Opel Corsa GSi)
13 Ryan Hutchinson/Melissa Blades (P4 Auto Airtronic Services/Simple Green Toyota Celica GT4)
14 Josh Read/Mark Jordan (MO Automotive Art/Baram Services/Forever Flowers/D Blades Trophies Ltd Toyota Starlet)
15 Mark Thompson/Ross Lee Lum (M6 Glassesco/NKM Clothing/Bio Beauty Toyota Starlet)
16 Tarik Minott - JAM/Jason Cosier (M6 Simpson Motors Suzuki Ignis JWRC)
17 Roger Marshall/Bruce Lambert (M7 Photofinish.net Hyundai Accent)
18 Freddie Gale/Kyle Proverbs (M7 Gale’s Hatcheries/NASSCO/Nitrous Formula Octane Booster/Nishikoi Fish Foods Toyota Corolla RunX)
19 Rhett Watson/Logan Watson (M7 The Unknown Entity/New Media Advertising/Makita Power Tools/NF Nitrous Booster Ford Escort MkI)
20 Ryan Wood/Raymond Parris (M5 Sitemasters Toyota Starlet)
21 Jeremy Gonsalves/Natasha Farnum (M5 Kendal Sporting/QuikStart Auto/Champion Auto Wrecker/Yamaha/Star Products/Makita/Yusuf Auto Clinic/All Terrain Plus Suzuki Forsa GTi)
22 Neil Barnard/Megan Blades (P2 Shell Helix/Automotive Art Suzuki Ignis Sport)
23 Andrew Jones/Stuart White (MO McEmearney Quality/AP Jones Pharmacy Ford Escort)
24 John Corbin/tba (M7 Corbin’s Garage/Klark-Odio Toyota Corolla)
26 David Brewster/Robert Simmons (M7 SRG/Castrol/ACP The Tile Outlet Peugeot 205GTi)
27 Reggie Gill/Lyncoln Gill (MO SDRR Hydraulic & Industrial Spares Inc Vauxhall Chevette)
28 Daryl Clarke/Russel Brancker (M6 Mitsubishi Colt)
29 Shareef Walcott/Jamal Brathwaite (M6 Corbin’s Garage/Klark-Odio Toyota Corolla)
30 Ryan Corbin/Christian Sampson (P3 Caribtrans/Suntraders Peugeot 106XSi)
31 Tristan Gibbs/Andrew Gittens (P3 Rent-a-Tool/Scorpion Liners/Boyss Ltd/Algae X/Corrosion Block/Surfside Gym Toyota Starlet Turbo)
32 Daniel Williams/Nicholas Fields (P2 Ocean Mist/Chase Midway Clothing/Sunbury Plantation Peugeot 106)