McCartney and Walcott claim Bushy Park hat-tricks

Devan McCartney and Andre Walcott each claimed a hat-trick of class wins as Bushy Park Motor Sport Inc (BPMSI) opened its 2017 Championship at Bushy Park Barbados on Sunday (March 26), while Kyle King overcame a 10-second jump-start penalty to win the Hilti Handicap on his circuit racing debut. The St Philip facility staged the island’s first-ever joint event for horsepower and pedal-power, as BPMSI combined with the Barbados Association of Dragsters & Drifters (BADD) and the Barbados Cycling Union (BCU).

  Driving the Zephirins Bakery/C & A Autobody Repair Honda CRX, McCartney qualified on pole position for Group 1/Class 2, ahead of Derek Edwards (D & A Mechanical Services BMW 318ti Compact) and class champion for the past two years, Adrian Bailey (SRG Eng/M Y Bhana Everything Store/Bliss Water Sports/Tropicana Jewellers/Pro Sales/Lucid Consulting/Tint ‘R’ Us Peugeot 205).

  Walcott (Courts iFinance/M-Grafix Suzuki Swift) was the fastest in Gp1/C1 qualifying, ahead of William Jones (H & B Hardware & Lumber Inc Datsun B310), while neither Darren Lashley (SRG Engineering/Full Line Racing Parts/C & A Autobody Repairs/RJ’s Towing Services Peugeot 205XS) nor Kevin Armstrong (Armstrong Auto Datsun 120Y) made it out for qualifying.

  The two Group 1 classes ran together in the opening race, which made for some lively racing, as McCartney and Walcott, despite running in different classes, had been close in Qualifying. Although McCartney took the overall lead on lap two, it was nip and tuck all the way, McCartney just four-tenths ahead at the flag. Lashley and Armstrong finished second and third to Walcott, after Jones retired, not seen for the rest of the day. Bailey eased ahead of Edwards – another evenly-matched pair – to finish second to McCartney.

  Despite running with the higher Groups for the remaining races making the track rather busier, Walcott and McCartney still prevailed to claim class hat-tricks; Lashley was the only other finisher in Gp1/C1, as Armstrong retired from race two and failed to start race three. In Gp1/C2, the best-supported class on the day, Edwards finished second twice, Bailey and Ross Callender (Full Throttle Garage/C & A Autobody Repair/Cheese Auto Glass Finishes/Crane & Equipment/SAFE Security/Ullyetts Machine Shop Service/Percy King Auto Parts Daihatsu Charmant) sharing the final podium places.

  There were only three contested classes among Groups 2, 3 & 4: Mark Thompson (Glassesco/NKM Clothing/Slam 101.1FM/Bio Beauty/Automotive Art Toyota Starlet) and Ripley Greene (Huntes Auto Spares/Hilti/Full Line Racing Parts Toyota Corolla) shared the Gp2/C1 wins 2-1; Andre Forde (Percy King Auto Parts/Forde’s Vending Machines Toyota Starlet) snatched the first Gp2/C2 victory after Tremaine Forde-Catwell (Cheese Auto Glass Finish/CCT Paints/Mark’s Auto Spares/Rezults/Hilti Daihatsu Charmant) ran wide at the final corner, but Forde-Catwell won the other two encounters; in Gp3/C2, Jason Harewood (Mark’s Auto Spares/SDRR/HiHi/JVM Signage/Gaskin’s Garage/Image Vault/Starboy Performance Toyota Starlet) only had competition in race two, where he finished ahead of Kyle King (Automotive Art/Percy King Auto Parts Toyota Starlet).

  In the 10-lap Hilti Handicap for Cars, after scratch starter Callendar retired, Joe Troulan (Barbados Villa Services/TRU BMW 318ti Compact) held the lead until King passed him on lap five, driving the Starlet formerly raced by his father Steve, the Bushy Park Handicap Champion in 2011. He needed to negate a 10-second jump-start penalty, however, to claim the win, which he achieved a couple of laps from home, finishing ahead of Walcott and Edwards.

BPMSI Championship, round 1 March 26 - Results

Group 1/Class 1 – Race 1: 1st Andre Walcott (Courts iFinance/M-Grafix Suzuki Swift); 2nd Darren Lashley (SRG Engineering/Full Line Racing Parts/C & A Autobody Repairs/RJ’s Towing Services Peugeot 205XS); 3rd Kevin Armstrong (Armstrong Auto Datsun 120Y) Race 2: 1st Walcott; 2nd Lashley Race 3: 1st Walcott; 2nd Lashley Gp1/C2 – Race 1: 1st Devan McCartney (Zephirins Bakery/C & A Autobody Repair Honda CRX); 2nd Adrian Bailey (SRG Eng/M Y Bhana Everything Store/Bliss Water Sports/Tropicana Jewellers/Pro Sales/Lucid Consulting/Tint ‘R’ Us Peugeot 205); 3rd Derek Edwards (D & A Mechanical Services BMW 318ti Compact); etc Race 2: 1st McCartney; 2nd Edwards; 3rd Ross Callender (Full Throttle Garage/C & A Autobody Repair/Cheese Auto Glass Finishes/Crane & Equipment/SAFE Security/Ullyetts Machine Shop Service/Percy King Auto Parts Daihatsu Charmant); etc Race 3: 1st McCartney; 2nd Edwards; 3rd Bailey; etc Group 2/Class 1 – Race 1: 1st Mark Thompson (Glassesco/NKM Clothing/Slam 101.1FM/Bio Beauty/Automotive Art Toyota Starlet); 2nd Ripley Greene (Huntes Auto Spares/Hilti/Full Line Racing Parts Toyota Corolla) Race 2: 1st Thompson; 2nd Greene Race 3: 1st Greene Grp 2/C2 – Race 1: 1st Andre Forde (Percy King Auto Parts/Forde’s Vending Machines Toyota Starlet); 2nd Tremaine Forde-Catwell (Cheese Auto Glass Finish/CCT Paints/Mark’s Auto Spares/Rezults/Hilti Daihatsu Charmant) Race 2: 1st Forde-Catwell; 2nd FordeRace 3: 1st Forde-Catwell Group 3/Class 2 – Race 1: 1st Jason Harewood (Mark’s Auto Spares/SDRR/HiHi/JVM Signage/Gaskin’s Garage/Image Vault/Starboy Performance Toyota Starlet) Race 2: 1st Harewood; 2nd Kyle King (Automotive Art/Percy King Auto Parts Toyota Starlet) Race 3: 1st Harewood Grp4/2wd – Race 1: 1st Mark Maloney (Digicel/Automotive Art/Maloney Racing Team Mazda RX-3) Race 2: 1st Maloney Race 3: no starters Hilti Handicap for Cars: 1st King; 2nd Walcott; 3rd Edwards; 4th Bailey; 5th Troulan; no other finishers