Jamaica’s Jeffrey Panton won the final two rounds of the 2014 Barbados Rally Club (BRC) Driver’s and Class Championships yesterday (Sunday) at the double-header Winter Tarmac Sprint in St Lucy. Champion Driver contenders Rhett Watson and Stuart White maintained their 100 per cent records for the year with two more class wins, while Daryl Clarke won in the first run, then elected to sit out the second.
Driving the KIG / Rubis / Blue Orchids Hotel Ford Focus WRC06 in which he won the Motoring Club of Barbados Inc’s Rally of the Sun & Stars a month ago, Panton was only beaten on one run all day, the first practice run from Josey Hill to Lamberts. Thereafter, he led the field throughout, improving his time on every run, to finish on 1m 15.23s (1.2 secs to the good) in the first direction, then 1m 14.12s (1.7secs up) in the reverse.
Using island events as part of his preparation for next month’s Rally Jamaica, Panton said: “The extra seat time with the car has really been paying off and I wish Sol Rally Barbados was next week! The sprint layout made for a very relaxed atmosphere, a big difference from the usual stressful rally! We were on the limit from the start, as we knew there could be no slacking with The Sheriff and the ‘WRC Hunters’ around!”
Although he twice finished second to Panton, Roger ‘The Sheriff’ Skeete (Sol / LIME / Simpson Motors / Williams Trading Inc Subaru Impreza WRC S12) was suffering from a familiar problem: “I had launch control issues once again and struggled with the unpredictability of the system, only getting a few good launches. Jeffrey was definitely quick and put in a good drive.”
Trinidad’s John Powell (Intercontinental Shipping / Trinidad Mooring & Launch Services Ford Focus WRC08) finished third twice, although he completed only one official run in the reverse direction after the water pump belt failed, leading to overheating.
The ‘WRC Hunters’ were led by Barry Mayers, putting the family WR Starlet to good use in the absence on holiday of brother Roger; he finished fourth in both directions, winning SM10 ahead of the Starlets of Neil Armstrong – the first outing for the ‘PitBull’ in two years – and Cliff Roett. Andrew Jones was an impressive fifth overall in the first part, with just half-a-second covering his SM11 Ford Escort MkII, Watson and Armstrong.
For Watson (Power King Batteries / Carter's Pit-stop / Gliptone / Stihl / Packaging Centre / The Unknown Entity / In support of Little Pink Gift BMW M3) two clean runs were vital: “With the title so close between Daryl, Stuart and I, it was definitely a nervous morning. Maximum concentration was the order of the day and push from the start. After the first two runs, I checked the pace as, with Brian Gill and Justin Campbell in the mix, it was bound to be a fight to the end. As planned I managed to keep in front of them on both directions.”
Stuart White claimed two Historic class wins in the 39 Steps Wine Bar / Hunikom Swim Wear / UpBeat Wholesale / Makita / Guava Tech BMW 325 . . . but it was not easy: “Wayne Archer was fast and I had my own personal issues, like meeting two pickups on the stage, so I really had to settle my head and drive my drive and not take on the distractions of the day.”
The third contender for the Champion Driver title, Daryl Clarke (Roberts Manufacturing / P & N Hardware / Valvoline / Amir’s Chicken / MQI Quality / Mum’s Pasta Honda Civic), was ninth overall in the morning run, ahead of four of the four-wheel-drive runners, but opted to sit out the afternoon with some car issues: “There was some pressure, as I knew the only chance I could win the title was if Rhett came second at some point which I knew wasn't likely, so I went out and had some fun and set some fast times.”
The event ran smoothly, but for a couple of incidents: Jeremy Sisnett rolled his Ford Fiesta ST on the final morning run, while Mark Thompson made a rather greater impression on the scenery in his Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX on the final run of the day, both drivers shaken, but otherwise uninjured.
After a successful day, BRC Competition Secretary Neil Corbin said: “I would just like to say thanks to our loyal competitors for such a terrific turn-out for our final event of the year, to our marshals and officials, who ran a very slick event, and finally to the hundreds of spectators who turned out to cheer us on; their enthusiasm plays such an important part in everything that we do.”
BRC Winter Tarmac Sprint
Sunday, October 12
BRC Driver’s and Class Championships, round 7
1st Jeffrey Panton – JAM (WRC-1 KIG / Rubis / Blue Orchids Hotel Ford Focus WRC06), 1m 15.23s
2nd Roger Skeete (WRC-1 Sol / LIME / Simpson Motors / Williams Trading Inc Subaru Impreza WRC S12), 1m 16.37s
3rd John Powell – TRI (WRC-1 Intercontinental Shipping / Trinidad Mooring & Launch Services Ford Focus WRC08), 1m 16.62s
4th Barry Mayers (SM10 Chefette / Digicel / Illusion Graphics / Pennzoil WR Starlet), 1m 18.27s
5th Andrew Jones (SM11 AP Jones Pharmacy / Southern Surf Beach Apartments / Lucozade / Panadol / Precision Racing Ford Escort MkII), 1m 20.26s
6th Rhett Watson (SM12 Power King Batteries / Carter's Pit-stop / Gliptone / Stihl / Packaging Centre / The Unknown Entity / In support of Little Pink Gift BMW M3), 1m 20.46s
7th Neil Armstrong (SM10 Chefette / Lubriguard / Redline Fuel Toyota Starlet), 1m 20.76s
8th Cliff Roett (SM10 Nassco / Roett's Garage / Mark's Auto Spares / Flock it Electrostatic Coatings Toyota Starlet), 1m 21.22s
9th Daryl Clarke (M7 Roberts Manufacturing / P & N Hardware / Valvoline / Amir’s Chicken / MQI Quality / Mum’s Pasta Honda Civic), 1m 21.81s
10th Mark Thompson (GpN Glassesco Hardware / Stag Beer / NKM Clothing / Bio Beauty Day Spa / Valvoline Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX), 1m 22.45s
etc
WRC-1: 1st Panton; 2nd Skeete; 3rd Powell; etc
Group N: 1st Thompson, 1m 22.45; 2nd Andrew Mallalieu (Terra Caribbean Subaru Impreza N10), 1m 23.06s; 3rd Geoff Noel (Kola Kick / Sentry Insurance Brokers / Automotive Art / CIAC Air Conditioners / Dewalt Tools Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX), 1m 25.78s
SuperModified 12: 1st Watson, 1m 20.46s; 2nd Brian Gill (Coca-Cola BMW M3), 1m 22.55s; 3rd Justin Campbell (Hilton Barbados / Dream Solutions / Castrol Edge / C & C Auto Services / Acton Corporate Services / Transtech BMW M3), 1m 27.09s; etc
SM11: 1st Jones
SM10: 1st Mayers; 2nd Armstrong; 3rd Roett; etc
M7: 1st Clarke, 1m 21.81s; 2nd Edward Corbin (Valvoline / Prosales Toyota Corolla RunX), 1m 25.37s; 3rd Sean Field (Field Insurance Brokers / Castrol / Beacon Insurance Peugeot 306 GTi6), 1m 27.34s; etc
M6: 1st Neil Corbin (Nassco / Jason Jones / Auto Solutions / Valvoline / BG Products & Services Toyota Starlet), 1m 23.32s; 2nd Brendon Mckenzie (Mck Motorsport / Turbo Plus Drink Mix / Do-It-Best Quality Paints / Colour XL / PromoTech Computers Toyota Corolla), 1m 25.00s; 3rd Jeremy Gonsalves (Makita / SSP / Star Products / Yamaha Opel Corsa), 1m 27.87s
Hist: 1st Stuart White (39 Steps Wine Bar / Hunikom Swim Wear / UpBeat Wholesale / Makita / Guava Tech BMW 325), 1m 27.78s; 2nd Wayne Archer (Archers Hall Design Centre / Calvin Alkins Customs Services / Diamonds International BMW 325), 1m 28.87s; 3rd Jonathan Ince (Ocean Fisheries Ltd Daihatsu Charmant), 1m 33.48s; etc
Club: 1st Eric Allamby (Shelbury Construction / Scrap Man Recycling / MC Buccaneer Toyota Corolla), 1m 33.50s
BRC Driver’s and Class Championships, round 8
1st Panton, 1m 14.12s
2nd Skeete, 1m 15.83s
3rd Powell, 1m 17.51s
4th Mayers, 1m 17.98s
5th Watson, 1m 19.51s
6th Armstrong, 1m 20.37s
7th Roett, 1m 21.29s
8th Mallalieu, 1m 21.55s
9th Gill, 1m 21.62s
10th David Coelho – TRI (WRC-1 Total / Zanzibar / Kaizan Sushi / www.machinerysalestrinidad.com Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX), 1m 22.75s
etc
WRC-1: 1st Panton; 2nd Skeete; 3rd Powell; etc
Group N: 1st Mallalieu, 1m 21.55; 2nd Thompson, 1m 22.94s; 3rd Noel, 1m 24.72s
SuperModified 12: 1st Watson, 1m 19.51s; 2nd Gill, 1m 21.62s; 3rd Campbell, 1m 26.32s; etc
SM11: 1st Jones, 1m 22.98s
SM10: 1st Mayers; 2nd Armstrong; 3rd Roett; etc
M7: 1st E Corbin, 1m 25.04s; 2nd Jamal Brathwaite (Valvoline / Automotive Art / Mackeson / Ellesmere / Chicken Pen Racing Honda Civic Type-R), 1m 28.26s
M6: 1st N Corbin, 1m 24.10s; 2nd Mckenzie, 1m 24.94s; 3rd Gonsalves, 1m 27.81s
Hist: 1st White, 1m 26.25s; 2nd Archer, 1m 27.84s; 3rd Ince, 1m 33.58s; etc
Club: 1st Allamby, 1m 33.91s
Photo by Corey Reece
