FINAL SAFARI SHOWDOWN

All the leading contenders in the Barbados Rally Club’s (BRC) 2007 Safari Championship appear on the entry list published today for Sunday’s (November 11) final round, so competition promises to be fierce . . . an appropriate end to the Club’s 50th Anniversary season.
Twenty-five crews have entered the November Safari, with another encouraging turn-out in the Novice class, numbering 14; novice crew Rory Gray and Brian Fernandes (Land Rover 110) will lead competitors away from the 8.00am start at the Vaucluse Raceway in St Thomas for the event which will decide the 2007 Championship.
Reigning Champion Andrew Croney leads the Navigator standings by just six points from Robin Hinds, with Neil Barnard a further six points adrift; their respective Drivers are the leading trio in that Championship table, Derek Gill six points ahead of Mark Western and 12 ahead of Barry Gale. Placed fourth in the Driver standings is Paul Marshall, who will be competing with his third navigator of the season, his daughter Tiffany.
Although they have yet to win a Championship round in 2007, Croney and Gill have been consistent, finishing second in the Toyo Tires February Safari in their Suzuki Jimny, then fifth in both the Esso Courtesy Garage 50th Anniversary June Safari and the September event in the Mitsubishi Pajero which replaced it. They have 162 points.
The second- and third-placed crews have both been responsible for setting an event this year, something which Croney and Gill did in 2006; while the route-setters do not take part in the event they set, they are rewarded with a points score equal to their best in the other championship rounds.
Hinds and Western (Yardman/Kar Parts Store Suzuki Samurai) finished fourth in February and seventh in September, so adding in the points equivalent to another fourth-placed finish gives them totals of 156; Champion Navigator and Driver of 2005, Barnard and Gale (Mitsubishi L200) finished fifth and eighth in February and June respectively, so collected another fifth-place tally for setting the September event, making their totals 150. A finish on Sunday higher than their existing best result would accrue additional points for either of these crews, however, so the situation presents many variables.
Fifth overall are the leading Novice Navigator and Driver Dustin Edwards and Ryan Corbin (Toyota Hilux), who have an advantage of 22 points over their closest challengers for the Novice awards, Kreigg Yearwood and Sean Mottley (Suzuki Vitara). Prior to the September event, there had been a gap of just two points between these crews, each have finished leading Novice crew once, but Edwards and Corbin not only won the Novice Award, but also the September Safari overall, to significantly increase their advantage.
The route setter for Sunday’s event is Leslie Alleyne, with assistance from Biddy Barber. The November Safari will start from the Vaucluse Raceway in St Thomas at 8.00 am, with a stopover at approximately 11.30am; the finish is scheduled for the BCTSA Clubhouse, Searles, Christchurch at around 4.30pm. During the two routes, crews will be using a mix of Tulip, BRC and straight-line navigation methods, and route-setter Alleyne has promised competitors some exciting challenges.

BRC November Safari, November 11
2007 BRC Safari Championship – round 4

Entry list - Pro class
2 Chris Beckley/Warren Gollop (Essco Mitsubishi Pajero)
7 Nicholas Lorde/Robert Warren (Suzuki Vitara)
8 Darrin White/Adrian Crane (Nissan Frontier)
10 Derek Gill/Andrew Croney (Insurance Solutions Inc Mitsubishi Pajero)
11 Mike Ward/Willie Hinds (Niccolls & Edghill Construction Jeep Wrangler)
15 Brett Barber/Warrick Eastmond (Autozone Inc/Biddy's Information Centre Daihatsu Feroza)
17 Barry Gale/Neil Barnard (Mitsubishi L200)
19 Paul Marshall/Tiffany Marshall (Mitsubishi L200)
20 Mark Western/Robin Hinds (Yardman/Kar Parts Store Suzuki Samurai)
21 John Sealy/Geoffrey Goddard (Land Rover Defender)
22 Doug Armstrong/Jeremy Croney (Armag/Hankook Tyres Toyota Land Cruiser)

Novice class
1 Rory Gray/Brian Fernandes (Land Rover 110)
3 Raymond Parris/Ryan Wood (Toyota Hilux Surf)
4 Dominic Brooker/Stephen Dear (SDRR Hydraulics/Joe Brooker’s Building Ltd Toyota Hilux)
5 Edson Arthur/Renne Mings (Arthur's Building Materials Toyota Hilux)
6 Ryan Corbin/Dustin Edwards (Corbin's Catering/Sweet Temptations Toyota Hilux)
9 Dean Springer/Renata Roett (Suzuki Vitara)
12 Gregory Dickenson/Timothy Wells (Toyota Hilux)
13 Stuart Tippleston/Carl Blenman (Suzuki Samurai)
14 Sean Mottley/Kreigg Yearwood (Suzuki Vitara)
16 Michael Charles/Patric Charles (Suzuki Samurai)
18 Kirk King/Tricia King (Suzuki Samurai)
23 Anthony King/Dave Sealy (D & N Rentals & Taxi Services/Dynamic Limo/Quality Tyre Toyota Hilux)
24 Daniel Bethell/Ryan Marshall (Toyota Hilux)
25 Adrian Sinckler/Winston Drakes (Suzuki Samurai)

For further information, robin@bradfax.com