MANNING PREDICTS HOT ACTION IN 2007

Trevor ‘Electric Micey’ Manning is geared up for a season of hot motor sport competition in 2007. Despite losing out to Paul Bourne in the Barbados Rally Club’s (BRC) March Gravel Stages last Sunday (March 11), Manning remains upbeat about the prospects for the season.
Speaking mid-week, he said: “I think this is going to be a fantastic season. Paul and I are right on it, and I’m looking forward to the competition. Its one-nil to Paul at the moment, after last weekend, but I’m aiming to turn that round in the weeks to come, starting at Luke Hill.
“The car is working really well; it is in exactly the same set-up as it was in Jamaica in December, and it was working fantastic there, too. I think competition’s going to be real hot, and everyone should enjoy it.”
Bourne (Subaru Impreza WRC) and Manning shared fastest stage times equally in Sunday’s event, which was the opening round of the Texaco BRC Rally Championship; weather had its part to play in the results, however, a downpour resulting in a number of drivers going off the course on the third of five runs through the Yorkshire stage. The weather cleared later, however, and the final three stages at Searles were run in glorious sunshine.
Among those to go off were both Bourne and Manning, but it was Manning’s Shell V-Power Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VIII which suffered most; apart from the time lost to the unplanned excursion, Manning made contact with a fence post while trying to regain the course, which damaged the exhaust system, causing a loss of power. Manning, who had been leading the event after the first two stages, said: “Going forward was great, but going backwards wasn’t so good.”
With Kreigg Yearwood standing in for regular co-driver James Betts, Manning was just over 15 seconds behind at lunchtime, with Harold Morley and Geoff Goddard third, another minute behind in the Sunbeach Communications Inc Subaru Impreza WRC S9. Life got rather exciting for ‘Doc’ Morley later, however, as the car stuck in sixth gear a couple of times. Goddard said afterwards: “It looked as though it had cured itself, but then it happened again, so we had to stop.”
Despite some spectacular driving, Manning dropped further back during the afternoon, to end the day just under 40 seconds behind reigning Texaco Champion Bourne, who had Stuart Maloney co-driving.
After Morley’s demise, third-place points were claimed by Kirk Watkins and Rhett Watson in the Abacus Builders/Planned Maintenance Evo V, despite also being among those whose day was punctuated by an off-road excursion, not helped by their windscreen wipers not functioning.
Mark Hamilton finished fourth overall and highest-placed two-wheel-drive car, despite also going off and causing minor damage to the steering rack of his Ford Escort MkII, co-driver Megan Blades also rewarded as highest-placed female competitor; they were chased hard Jonathan Still and Heath Hazell in the ‘Jamaican BMW M3’, who finished the day only nine seconds behind. Nicholas Gill’s Mazda 3 retired from the battle with gearbox failure.
During a short prize-giving ceremony at the BCTSA Clubhouse in Searles, Christchurch, immediately after the event, the Texaco Star of the Rally Award was presented to Ryan Wood, for some spectacular handling of his Toyota Starlet, which had the spectators on their feet.
The second round of Texaco BRC Rally Championship is the Carnival Warm-up Tarmac Rally, slated for Sunday, April 22.

For further information, robin@bradfax.com

BRC March Gravel Stages, March 11
Texaco BRC Rally Championship – round 1

Results
1st Paul Bourne/Stuart Maloney (Subaru Impreza WRC), 27m 02.586s
2nd Trevor Manning/Kreigg Yearwood (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VIII), 27m 41.625s
3rd Kirk Watkins/Rhett Watson (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo V), 29m 56.740s
4th Mark Hamilton/Megan Blades (Ford Escort MkII), 30m 38.772s
5th Jonathan Still/Heath Hazell (BMW M3), 30m 47.825s
6th Freddie Gale/Kyle Proverbs (Toyota Corolla RunX), 31m 10.116s
7th Neil Barnard/Kevin Massiah (Suzuki Ignis Sport), 31m 38.334s
8th Josh Read/Mark Jordan (Toyota Starlet), 31m 44.551s
9th Stuart White/Brendon McKenzie (Toyota Corolla KP30), 33m 24.952s
10th Allan Kinch/Allan Maynard (Daihatsu Charmant), 34m 03.524s
etc