Regional interest in Sol Rally Barbados (June 4/5, 2011), the Caribbean’s biggest annual motor sport international, remains high. Two returnees from Trinidad & Tobago, one a former National Champion, are among the early entries received on-line at the Barbados Rally Club’s (BRC) official event web site,www.rallybarbados.bb.

Currently without a permanent circuit racing facility, the twin-island state is enjoying a resurgence in rallying; entry levels of a decade ago have more than doubled, and the Trinidad & Tobago Rally Club’s (TRC) premier event, Rally Trinidad, attracted eight crews from Barbados in 2010, plus triple British Rally Champion, Mark Higgins.

Trinidad Rally Champion in 2006, Vishal Dhanraj will be making his fourth appearance in Barbados, driving a Gulf Motor Oil/Lucozade Energy/The Dispensary/Automan Ltd/Worldclass Coatings/V3 Rally Team Toyota Starlet. For 2011, he will have a new co-driver, Douglas Stampfli – although new to the left-hand seat, he is familiar with the BRC’s blue riband event, having been a spectator in Barbados for the past five years, and has been involved in the management and development of the team. In 2008, Dhanraj was 35th overall and sixth in Modified 8-A in the Subaru Impreza, in which he finished runner-up in the TTRC 4WD Championship in the same year; then he acquired the Starlet, formerly rallied by David Williams in Barbados, where the car still resides – 10th in SuperModified 9 in the Starlet in 2009, Dhanraj improved to sixth in SM9, 41st overall, last year. After switching between two- and four-wheel-drive, Dhanraj, who has also won three team awards back home since 2006, has decided to concentrate on the former. He says: “I have officially switched to the two-wheel-drive class this year to chase that title in Trinidad & Tobago with a Mitsubishi Lancer Mivec.”

Former circuit racer David Coelho made his Sol Rally Barbados debut last year driving the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX campaigned in 2009 by John Powell; having finished all six of the TTRC Championship events he contested last year, he ended his first season in rallying second in the 4WD class (to his car’s former owner, Powell) and fifth overall.
While he had finished seventh overall and third in Group N in Rally Trinidad earlier in the season, he failed to achieve an overall finish in Sol Rally Barbados 2011 – his engine expired with five stages to go – but was placed fifth in Group N. With a further season of competition under his belt, it is expected that he and co-driver James Harris will make more of an impression second time round in the Total and Subway-supported entry.

‘Birdy’s hat-trick at the Cartersport Jack Frost Stages

Runner-up in Sol Rally Barbados for the past two years, former UK National Rally Champion Paul Bird started his 2011 season on a high, completing a hat-trick of wins in the Cartersport Jack Frost Stages Rally, contested in slippery conditions on Sunday (January 16) at the Croft Circuit in North Yorkshire.
With Scottish co-driver Kirsty Riddick in the www.supercasino.com/Vent Axia Ford Focus WRC08, shod with DMACK tyres, his margin of victory was 1min 17secs over the 40 stage-mile event. Out of action since last August, Bird was beaten on the first two stages by Chris Wise and Tracey Taylor-West in the ex-Roger Mayers MG Metro 6R4; leading by 19 seconds after SS3 – the opening stage had been cancelled following a timing fault – they were disappointed to retire with front diff failure. Afterwards, Bird said: “I’ve not driven the car for five months, so I’d forgotten what half the stuff did but as soon as we got into the swing of things, it all started to come together. The car has run faultlessly again and the DMACK tyres were awesome, we had no problems with grip all day despite the slippery conditions.” While ‘Birdy’s plans for the whole season are not yet clear, he will definitely contest the first two rounds of the BTRDA Championship, the Wyedean Rally (February 12) and the Malcolm Wilson Rally (March 5).

Sol Rally Barbados (June 4/5, 2011) and Shell V-Power King of the Hill (May 29) are organised by the Barbados Rally Club, which celebrated its 50th Anniversary in 2007; Sol RB2011 is the 22nd running of the Club’s annual International All-Stage Rally and marks the start of a second three-year term of title sponsorship by the Sol Group, the Caribbean’s largest independent oil company.

For further media information: e-mail - robin@bradfax.com
web site: www.rallybarbados.bb

The Jamaica Millennium Motoring Club staged the 2009 renewal of the Raynor King Memorial Rally at Lydford, St. Ann, on Sunday, August 16, on the old bauxite roads of the Jamaica Bauxite Mining Company. The first rally of the 2009 season after the two previously scheduled tarmac events did not materialize; this event was a must for the popular rally sport club, with fans braving the elements to see their stars in action.

Fastest on the day was the rally team of Richard Rerrie/Winston Dawson in the KIG/Puma/Leroy’s Auto Glass/Cal Doors/ B & B Auto/Pit Bull Subaru Impreza WRX Sti, with Rerrie winning the event named in his uncle’s honor for the first time after numerous attempts. Driving in the JA8 class, the team was pretty much unchallenged for the win, posting an accumulated time of 31 minutes 15:997 seconds over the eleven stages run on the day.

Team Tropical Battery driver Natasha Chang driving the Castrol/Goodyear/Forza/Full Throttle Energy drink/Blue Code Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution V had Liguid Lightning’s emerging icon Matthew “The Magnet” Gore calling the notes for her on the fast marl stages, and the pair worked well to earn second place overall and first in class JN8 with a time of 35 minutes 2:261 seconds.

The most committed team on the day may well have been Jordan Powell/Gina Tomlinson driving the Goodyear/ Gunk/Lloyd’s of Montego Bay/Performance centre/Add-Vantage Auto Parts Toyota Corolla FX, who were scorching the stages from early on, setting fastest 2 wheel drive times on many of the stages. Despite getting a 30 second penalty on Special Stage 1 as a result of incorrect pace notes which was also to affect the team of Dean Corrodus/Pernell Fitz-Coy and Chang/Gore, third place overall was still the result for the young man from Montego Bay who was eager to finish this event well, as he was first introduced to the sport through the person who was being remembered by this event. The team also won fastest in Class JA2 in addition to being the fastest 2 wheel drive entry.

Fourth overall and first in Class JA4 was 2008 National Rally sport Driver’s champion Thomas “Cruz” Hall and co driver Andre Gordon in their Xsomo/Sunoco Fuels/Advantage Performance Parts Toyota Starlet turbo. This was the team’s second event after returning to competition after a major mishap on last year’s Rally Jamaica not far from where these stages were run. Despite having visibility problems like most of the other competitors when it started to rain in the afternoon and having to slow drastically when the windshield fogged up, the team still managed to soldier on through the elements to post an elapsed time of 36 minutes 5.441 seconds.

“Miserable” was the word chosen to describe the conditions when it started to rain in the afternoon for the team of Dean “Duct Tape” Corrodus and Pernell “ 20 valve” Fitz-Coy in the Tropical Battery/Kumho Tires/Performance Centre/Add-vantage Auto parts Honda Civic Type R. Already about 30 seconds down to the field when a wrong pace note caused them to run off and stall the car before regaining the road on the very first timed run of the day, they slowly clawed back a major portion of the time throughout the day, but were again to go 30 seconds down when penalized for making a mistake on the reverse run of the same stage! Nevertheless, they managed to finish first in Class JA3 and 5th overall, with the Horse P Racing built VTEC engine singing a song that echoed across the hills and valleys for miles around as the team attacked the stages in earnest.

Dion Gardner and Julian Gordon had a frustrating event as the Petcom/Autosource Mitsubishi Mirage suffered from the start with a lack of power and a consistent misfire, but they were still able to place 2nd in Class JA3. Son of Raynor, Daryl King took to the stages of the event with Rameses McGregor by his side to continue the King tradition in motorsport, and was rewarded with a 2nd place finish in the JA2 class in his newly built Rory’s Texaco/Ankara Auto Toyota Starlet. Jeremy Groves/Sean McDonald in a turbo charged rear wheel drive Impact Industries Toyota Starlet were quite the crowd pleasers with their signature sliding sideways driving action, but suffered a punctured tire on one of the morning stages that dropped them down the leader board before a last stage problem which saw them lose a great deal of time, but were still able to be classified as finishers of the event. Two teams failed to finish the day: That of Noel Sloley/Dorian Dolphy (left the road) and Salvador Solis/Nigel Lyn (broken driveshaft), both teams fielding Mitsubishi Lancer Evolutions in the JN8 class.

For more photos from this event please click here: http://www.racejamaica.com/2009/08/raynor-king-rally-09-photos/

Round 3 of the JMMC Taboo Sprint Championship will be held on Sunday June 7, 2009. Please see the additional supplementary regulations below:

This event is sanctioned by the Jamaica Millennium Motoring Club and held under the present Motor Sports Rules and Regulations of the JMMC/MBMC and is open to all members in good standing with the MBMC and its affiliated clubs.
PERMIT# JMSP2009-13
Name of Event: BAY WATA Time Attack (Sprint #3)
Date: Sunday June 7, 2009.
Type of Event: Tarmac sprint.
Location: Ironshore, Montego Bay.
Start: 8:45 a.m.
Sign in & Tech: 8.00 am. To 8.10 am. at start.
Inspection
Drivers Meeting 8.15 a.m. at start.
Timing: Electronic Timing with stop watch backup(s)
As per JMMC sprint Rules: Three 3 runs (2 laps each), One 1 Championship run (3 Laps)
Trophies As per JMMC/MBMC regulations.
License Competition License for 2009 must be presented at event.
Requirements MINIMUM JMMC PROVISIONAL LICENSE
Entry Fees $3,000.00/ All Cheques payable to MBMC
Entries Open Wednesday June 3, 2009.
To: Maurice Whittingham/Terry Hamilton @ Maurice’s Gas Barnett
Street Ph. 952-2000/1629
Or JMMC, Ferry Industrial Terrace, Mandela Highway, Kingston 11.
Ph. 934-1288
Entries Close Sunday June 7, 2009, 8.10 a.m. at start
Provisional Results After last Championship run at finish
Event Officials
Organizer Sean Williams 877-7324/Stephen Mahoney 388-1664
Secretary Liz Allen 297-3283
Stewards Larry Henriques, Chris Sunderland, David Neil Baugh
Clerk of the Course Colin Chambers 861-6369
Scorer Liz Allen/ Marcia Dawes-Lamey
Scrutineer Norman Bernard 434-7743
Ambulance Jamaica Red Cross 984-7860.
Medical Officer: TBA
Insurance Thwaites Finson Sharpe.
JMMC/MBMC Scrutineers, reserve the right to scrutineer any vehicle on
request.
MONTEGO BAY MOTORING CLUB (M.B.M.C)
72a Barnett street, Montego Bay, Jamaica, W.I.
Phone 952-2000/1629
Maurice Whittingham – President, Stephen Mahoney – Vice President,
Liz Allen- Secretary, Terry Hamilton – Treasurer
Directors- Sean Williams, Richard Rerrie, James March, Patrick Gore, Andrew Forsythe.

Planning for Rally Jamaica 2009 is already underway, and it is destined to be the best one yet! Keep checking http://RaceJamaica.com for more news and information on this event!

MEEKE AND NAGLE REPEAT SOL RALLY BARBADOS WIN
Bird describes event as “the best rally in the world”

Northern Ireland’s Kris Meeke and Paul Nagle won the Caribbean’s biggest annual international motor sport event, Sol Rally Barbados 2009, for the second time last weekend (May 29-31); driving the Digicel/Red Bull/ARMAG Subaru Impreza WRC S9 for the first time, Meeke’s winning margin was 16.75s, almost identical to last year.
After receiving their trophies from the Minister of Sport, Dr Esther Byer-Suckoo, at the Prizegiving at The Boatyard in the island’s capital Bridgetown yesterday (June 1), Meeke compared the experience with his ‘day job’ as Peugeot UK’s driver in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge, which he currently leads: “In the IRC, I get a real sense of satisfaction when I get home for a job well done, but here I actually enjoy it while I’m doing it.”
As last year, the second step of the podium was occupied by England’s Paul Bird and Ian Windress (SuperCasino.com/Vent Axia/VK Vodka Kick Ford Focus WRC07). ‘Birdy’ remarked: “It just doesn’t get much better than this, this really is the best rally in the world, the crowds, the enthusiasm, the people.”
Third, and highest-placed local crew, were former winner Paul Bourne and Stuart Maloney (Banks/LIME/Virgin Atlantic Subaru Impreza WRC S9), who finished a further 56 seconds behind Bird. Highest-placed regional crew were Jamaica’s Jeffrey Panton – another former winner – and Mike Fennell Jnr (Automotive Art/Bearings and Seals/Jamaica Freight and Shipping/Seaboard/Castrol/