MUDDOGS MAKE READY FOR CHEFETTE APRIL SAFARI

  The Barbados Rally Club’s (BRC) MudDogs Chairman Warren Gollop is urging crews to enter early for the Chefette April Safari, which will run off on Saturday, April 14. The second round of the BRC MudDogs Safari and Chefette MudDogs Novice Safari Championships comes just four weeks after the 2012 season’s curtain-raiser.   With the busy Easter weekend just around the corner and Friday and Monday both public holidays, Gollop’s message is clear and simple: “Remember - to win, you must first enter! There’s no rest for the wicked or for Rabid Rally-ists! It’s almost time for the Chefette April Safari, and we hope to see some more of our regulars returning with their finely-tuned machines that were not quite ready for our first event last month.”   Entries are open at Motorsport Services in Haggatt Hall and will close on Tuesday, April 10, at 1.00pm; the Briefing Meeting will be at 7.00pm the same evening, at the Barbados Clay Target Shooting Association (BCTSA) Club House at Searles, Christ Church, after which the entry list will be released. The Prizegiving for the Chefette April Safari will be held at the same venue the following Monday (April 16), once results are made final.   Crews have little indication of what to expect in the second of five points-scoring Safaris this year, as the route-setters are giving little away. As Gollop explains: “Apart from the fact that the first crew will leave the start at Chefette Wildey at 2.01pm on Saturday, April 14, and that the Stop-Over will be at Chefette Charles Rowe Bridge, I know nothing more than any prospective competitors!”   The route-setters in question are Sean Dowding and Kirk Watkins, both well-known in the local motor sport community as rally drivers, although neither has seen action in that discipline in recent seasons; when seen at an event, Watkins tends to have a camera in hand, rather than a steering wheel, while Dowding is one of the Deputy Clerks of the Course for Sol Rally Barbados.   They have been an effective pairing in MudDogs, however, with regular top 10 finishes, allied to their route-setting talents. As former MudDogs Chairman Leslie Alleyne remarked when they were route-setters for the 2009 Regional Fire & Safety September Safari: “The event included more map-work than has been customary in recent times. Kirk and Sean did a marvellous job in setting the event.”   Crews this year look set to be in for a similar task. Gollop adds: “Kirk and Sean have been working tirelessly on getting a challenging rally set out. Given Kirk’s love of the 1:50,000, I would think that competitors will be in for a fun challenge!”   BRC MudDogs Safari Championship Positions after round 1 Drivers & Navigators 1st Chris Armstrong/Wayne Clarke (Toyota Hilux), 60 points 2nd Ben Norris/Darnley Rayside (Electric Avenue Land Rover Discovery), 58pts 3rd Simon Parravicino/Andrew Croney (Sweet Temptations Suzuki Samurai), 56pts 4th Michael Ward/Willie Hinds (Suzuki Samurai), 54pts 5th Audley Croney/Jeremy Croney (CC Motorsports/Sweet Temptations Suzuki Samurai), 52pts 6th Mark Western/Robin Hinds (Yardman/Kar Parts Store Nissan Patrol), 50pts 7th Gregory Dickenson/Rorie McConney (Toyota Hilux), 48pts 8th Dominic Straker/Shane Defreitas (Nissan Patrol), 46pts 9th Kerry Renee/Jason Downey (Suzuki Samurai), 44pts 10th Judy-Ann Bradshaw/Peter Bradshaw (Land Rover Defender 110), 42pts   Chefette MudDogs Safari Novice Championship Positions after round 1 Drivers & Navigators 1st Straker/Defreitas, 60pts 2nd Matthew Durant/Trina Griffith (Green Leaf Design/Midas Magic Auto Valet Suzuki Jimny), 58pts 3rd Aswad Bannister/Nyere Jones (Toyota Hilux), 56pts 4th Theo Waite/Curtis Grazette (Atlantis Seafoods/Betta Computers Suzuki Samurai), 54pts 5th Damien Johnson/Nicholas Pinto (Suzuki Samurai), 52pts 6th Derek Pinto/Jamal Brathwaite (Jeep Grand Cherokee), 50pts     Forthcoming events Round 2 - April 14 - Chefette April Safari MudFest - May 1 Round 3 - June 23/24 - BRC MudDogs June Safari Round 4 - September 16 - BRC MudDogs September Safari MudFest - October 20 Round 5 - November 11 - BRC MudDogs November Safari   For further media information, robin@bradfax.com Web sites: www.barbadosrallyclub.com, www.muddogsbarbados.com