SOL RALLY BARBADOS HIGHLIGHT OF CHAMPIONSHIP

Championships will have reached their half-way point. With three rounds run to date, some patterns are already emerging . . . and, with three more to run off at Shell V-Power King of the Hill and Sol Rally Barbados – each day is a separate round – island competitors are preparing for the high-pressure highlight of their season.
Paul Bourne (Subaru Impreza WRC S9) lost his early lead in the Driver’s Championship, based on overall results, when he crashed out of last weekend’s Automotive Art Shakedown Stages; Roger Hill (Toyota Corolla WRC) and Neil Armstrong (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI) have both passed him, Hill also assuming the lead of Modified 8-WRC, with Bourne and Barry Gale (Evo VI) tied for second, 13 points behind.
Armstrong leads M8-A by 17 points from Kirk Watkins (Evo V), who missed the opening round, while fourth in the Driver’s Championship, Geoff Noel (Evo IX) has a 100 per cent success rate in Production 4; he is 14 points ahead of Harold Morley (Impreza N14), although stronger class competition is promised from David Williams and Dean Serrao in their older Imprezas.

SuperModified 11: only Jonathan Still (BMW M3) and Nick Gill (Mazda 3) have contested all three rounds, with the score two-one to Stillo, victory in last weekend’s higher-scoring rally extending his advantage from one to 10 points. Mark Hamilton (Ford Escort MkII) moved up from SM10 for the first time, splitting Still and Gill, promising lively action for the rest of the year.
SuperModified 10: again, just two drivers have a 100 per cent attendance record, Ian Warren (Suzuki Swift) also enjoying a 100 per cent win-rate, placing him 15 points ahead of Rhett Watson (Escort MkI). Cliff Roett (Toyota Starlet) made an impressive entrance at the weekend, beating the Swift on a couple of stages in the afternoon.
SuperModified 9: best-supported class of the year so far, with eight points-scorers. James Betts (Opel Corsa) has been dominant, three wins earning him the biggest cushion of any class-leader, currently 33 points, over Stuart White (Starlet). Former Champion Josh Read (Starlet) was already playing catch-up before gearbox failure last weekend dropped him even further behind.
Modified 7: another well-supported class, seven having scored, but much closer-fought. Adrian Linton (Vauxhall Astra GSi) would have a maximum score, but for having to share the route bonus points last weekend with second-placed Greg Cozier (Escort RS2000), on his first outing of the season. In the table, Linton leads the consistent Freddie Gale (Toyota Corolla RunX) by 14 points.
Modified 6: joint class-leader before the weekend, Edward Corbin (Daihatsu Charmant) opened up a six-point advantage over Danny Williams (Ford Fiesta) with victory over Sunday’s stages. Shareef Walcott (Corolla) is the only other points-scorer.
Modified 5, P3 & P2: Sean Cox (Suzuki Swift GTi) is the only driver from these groups to have done the full season, comfortably leading M5 from Dave Sealy (Starlet); Sean Field (P3 Peugeot 306) and Fabien Clarke (P2 Suzuki Ignis Sport) are hoping for some competition.

Virgin Atlantic BRC Driver’s Championship
– after Round 3
1st Roger Hill (M8-WRC Esso/Nassco/Motormac Toyota Corolla WRC), 42 points
2nd Neil Armstrong (M8-A Simpson Motors/Hankook/ Shell V-Power/Gunk Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI), 32pts
3rd Paul Bourne (M8-WRC Banks/LIME/Virgin Atlantic Subaru Impreza WRC S9), 30pts
4th Geoffrey Noel (P4 Globe Finance/DeWalt Tools/Essco/Sunbeach/Automotive Art Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX), 22pts
5th equal Roger Skeete (M8-WRC Michelin/Da Costa Mannings Auto Centre/Warrens Motors Subaru Impreza WRC S9) & Sean Gill (M8-WRC Simpson Motors/Shell V-Power Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VIII), 16pts
7th Ian Warren (SM10 Simpson Motors/Shell V-Power Suzuki Swift), 15pts
8th Harold Morley (P4 Subaru Impreza N14), 14pts
9th Barry Gale (M8-WRC Autolink/VP Racing/Bella Beauty Supply/Pro Pac Dog Food Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI), 13pts
10th Trevor Manning (M8-WRC All-Terrain Plus/Garbage Master/Bess Block Ford Escort WRC), 12pts
etc

Virgin Atlantic BRC Class Championship
– after Round 3
Modified 8-WRC: 1st Hill, 43pts; 2nd equal Bourne and Gale 30pts; etc
M8-A 1st Armstrong, 40pts; 2nd Kirk Watkins (Abacus Builders/Hankook Mitsubishi Lancer Evo V), 23pts
Production 4: 1st Noel, 52pts; 2nd Morley, 38pts; 3rd Michael Worme (Cot Media Group/Speedline Performance Auto/Dingolay/Details Car Valet Subaru Impreza STi) 22pts; etc
SuperModified 11: 1st, Jonathan Still (Hitachi Power Tools/Ocean Spray/Philips Lighting/Crane & Equipments BMW M3), 47pts; 2nd Nicholas Gill (Mazda 3), 37pts; 3rd Mark Hamilton (PowerMaster Batteries/Automotive Art/MQI/Consolidated Finance Ford Escort MkII), 16pts; etc
SM10: 1st Warren, 52pts; 2nd Rhett Watson (The Unknown Entity/MQI Collision Repair Centre/Toshiba/Office Solutions & Supplies/Corbs Workz Ford Escort MkI), 37pts; 3rd Cliff Roett (Carters & Co/Nassco/Lucky Horseshoe/Roett’s Garage Toyota Starlet), 16pts; etc
SM9: 1st James Betts (All Terrain Plus/Makita/Black Bess/Yamaha/Champion Auto/Quik Start Auto/Kendal Sporting Opel Corsa), 49pts; 2nd Stuart White (3W’s/Flyin’ Fish/Aqua Pur Toyota Starlet), 16pts; 3rd George Gabriel (my11plus.com/El Tigre Catamaran Cruises/Dreamworks Toyota Starlet), 13pts; etc
M7: 1st Adrian Linton (Ravensden/Morris Straker Construction/Garbage Gobbler/Crane & Equipments Vauxhall Astra GSi), 51pts; 2nd Freddie Gale (Gale’s Hatcheries/Nassco/VP Racing Toyota Corolla RunX), 37pts; 3rd Greg Cozier (Hyundai Trucks/Citgo Oils Ford Escort RS2000), 17pts; etc
M6: 1st Edward Corbin (Automotive Art/Klark-Odio/Corbins Garage/JVM Signage Daihatsu Charmant), 44pts; 2nd Danny Williams (Chris’s Workshop/Sunbury Plantation House/Barbados Paragliding Association Ford Fiesta), 38pts; 3rd Shareef Walcott (Melwani’s/Auto Solutions/Spoons Custom Brokers & Trucking/Klark-Odio/SMS Management Toyota Corolla), 13pts
M5: 1st Sean Cox (Simpson Motors Suzuki Swift), 37pts; 2nd Dave Sealy (Lunatics Inc/G & G Sales & Service/L G Trading/Barbados Muffler Centre/Appleby Filling Station/ACT Sand Blasting/Techno Toy Tuning/Fast Lane Model Car Racing Toyota Starlet), 10pts
P3: 1st Sean T Field (AM Realty/Ackee Tree/Field Insurance Brokers/Landscapes in Harmony Peugeot 306), 15pts
P2: 1st Fabien Clarke (Barbados Business Listings/RCA Tours/Bovell Auto Repair Suzuki Ignis Sport), 15pts

Round 4: May 24 – Shell V-Power King of the Hill
Rounds 5 & 6: May 29-31 – Sol Rally Barbados 2009

Media enquiries: e-mail – robin@bradfax.com

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