A “party to remember” at Sol Rally Barbados
The Barbados Rally Club (BRC) promises “a party to remember” when it celebrates the 25th Anniversary of its premier event at Sol Rally Barbados 2015 at the end of the month (May 29-31). The provisional entry list of more than 90 crews has broken a raft of records: 44 overseas entries, 17 participating nationalities, 88 overseas participants (including 40 first-timers) and 15 female competitors (two drivers, for the first time).
Another record is the 26 cars in the four-wheel-drive classes, including six-time World Rally Championship podium finisher Toni Gardemeister (Red Bull Global Rallycross / Simpson Motors / Bushy Park Suzuki SX4 WRC) and double European Rally Champion Simon Jean-Joseph, who takes over the Ford Focus WRC08 of Trinidad’s John Powell.
They face a quality entry headed by island legend and 13-time winner Roger ‘The Sheriff’ Skeete (Subaru Impreza WRC S12), strong opposition from the UK, including Paul Bird (Focus WRC08), who won in 2012 & ’13, and last year’s runner-up Rob Swann (Impreza S11), while the region’s challenge is spearheaded by Jamaica’s Jeff Panton (Focus WRC06), whose off-stage excursion at the very first corner of Bushy Park on Friday night last year may well have cost him victory, based on his subsequent recovery drive.
Sol RB15 will start and finish on the unique Race Of Champions Parallel Track: from 5.30pm on Friday, the facility will play host to the first two of 22 special stages, competitors tackling the 1.8-kilometre course at one-minute intervals. While crews will be required to start Sunday’s SuperSpecial, slated for 3.00pm, in order to be classified as overall finishers, the times recorded will not be included in the official results for Sol RB, so a good deal of ‘free expression’ is anticipated.
Sol RB Chairman Mark Hamilton said: “The chance to use the ROC Parallel Track for its designed purpose of side-by-side racing is really too good to miss. We’re planning for a rally finish that will bring competitors, rally cars, service crews, supporters and spectators together up on The Hill, over-looking the SuperSpecial. I’m sure many will remember the 2008 SuperSpecial at Bushy Park with the bridge, when some drivers thought they were astronauts . . . once they relax and let their hair down, I think we may well see the same sort of thing again!” (Think Neil Armstrong, Evo VI!)
Reminders
Friday Evening - Gates open at 4.30pm. Racing starts at 5.30pm
Sunday afternoon - Gates open at 2pm. Super special starts at 3pm
Take advantage of the early bird ticket special and get your tickets in advance at our Sol ticket outlets, Automotive Art Store outlets and online at www.bushyparkbarbados
Gate prizes – All EARLY BIRD tickets are automatically entitled to stand a chance to win one of our many gate prizes*
All general spectator parking is in the south. General Spectators who have not pre-purchased their tickets need to pay at the south ticket booth on arrival.
VIP and Clubhouse parking is in the North and any VIP or Clubhouse patrons who do not have pre-purchased tickets can pay at the north ticket booth.
Xpress gate entry is available for those patrons who have pre-purchased tickets and have no coolers nor bags to be checked by security.
Kids U 12 are free in the General Spectator area and the Clubhouse.
If bringing a cooler – plastics only, no glass.
Cockspur Rum is the exclusive rum of Bushy Park.
Banks Beer is the exclusive beer of Bushy Park.
Fantastic Gate Prizes
Ticket holders who have pre-purchased tickets have a chance to win the following:
Hilti Prize Pack
2 Hilti Bag filled with Hilti gift items (Hilti hat, stainless steel mug, 30pc screwdriver bit set, work gloves, pens & pocket knife)
Ocean Two Resort & Residences
2 Nights for two adults at Ocean Two Resort & Residences in a One Bedroom Ocean Front Suite (Bed & Breakfast basis). Ocean Two is the best kept secret on Barbados. It boasts a stunning beachfront location on the south coast of Barbados and offers unparalleled luxury and service.
http://www.oceantwobarbados.com/
Sapphire Beach
3-nights at SAPPHIRE BEACH courtesy of Blue Sky Luxury
Valid for redemption between June 1st - Dec 14th, 2015
Apartment choice - Subject to availability. Maximum 6-guests occupancy.
http://sapphirebeach.blueskyluxury.com/
Port Ferdinand
A weekend getaway at one of the beautiful three bedroom marina front homes at Port Ferdinand Luxury Marina & Residences.
http://www.portferdinand.com/
Bushy Park Karting Experiences
Need for speed? Come and enjoy life in the fast lane with Bushy Park’s Karting Experiences. Our karting experiences offer participants the chance to drive on a specially designed circuit in a Birel Kart capable of up to 50mph on straights. You can win one of the 5 karting experiences being given away this Sol Rally Barbados weekend at Bushy Park.
http://www.bushyparkbarbados.com/karting-experience
Bushy Park Caps
You can be the lucky winner of a Bushy Park cap signed by Toni Gardemeister of Finland, a former World Rally Championship contender, who will be driving the Red Bull Global Rallycross/Simpson Motors/Bushy Park Suzuki SX4 WRC car this weekend at Bushy Park. You can win one of these caps…
New leaders for Suzuki Challenge Series
With two race wins apiece, Ryan Peyrau (Trinidad & Tobago) and Stuart Maloney (Barbados) became the new leaders of the Swift Cup and SR3 Cup respectively, following the second round of the Suzuki Challenge Series on May 17. The Swift Cup has now risen to a 12-car grid, while both entry lists included new names.
Peyrau claimed the Swift Cup pole by a remarkable seven-tenths of a second, with the same margin covering the next seven cars, including Swift Cup newcomers Sean Gill, Jason Parkinson and multiple Jamaican Champion David Summerbell Jnr.
Peyrau won two of the day’s three races, while erstwhile points leader Mark Thompson endured a weekend to forget: after he was disqualified for his part in a clash with Ryan Wood in race one (in which he finished last), he fought through from the back of the field to finish second in race two, only to finish last in race three, with a gear linkage failure, a legacy of the earlier accident.
Wood joined Peyrau and Thompson on the roll of honour of Swift Cup race winners in the day’s second encounter, also moving to third in the standings. Summerbell is the highest-placed newcomers in eighth place, having greatly enjoyed his day: “This is a great series. All of the guys are within half a second of each other, so that makes for some close racing. The track is amazing. A facility like this in the Caribbean is wonderful. It's very technical, and it's been a lot of fun."
Sean Maloney claimed pole for the SR3 Cup, with brothers Mark and Stuart sandwiching Guyana’s Mark Vieira in third place and just half-a-second covering the four. Sean lost the lead to Stuart just before half-distance, and then spun on the final lap, creating a memorable first tri-nations podium in the SR3 Cup, with Stuart first, Vieira second and Ryan Gonsalves (St Vincent & The Grenadines) third.
Sean was not to be denied second time round, leading home Mark and Stuart, ahead of a career-best fourth place for David Simpson, with Stuart repeating his success in race three. He now leads the standings by 15 points from Sean, with Mark third.
Round 3 of the Suzuki Challenge Series will take place on 13th and 14th June. Tickets will soon be on sale online at www.bushyparkbarbados.com and at our Bushy Park ticket outlets – All Automotive Art locations and Sol Warrens and Speighstown.
http://www.suzukichallengeseries.com/
Follow us on Facebook
Follow us on Instagram
BADD action: ‘DMZ’ sets new benchmark
A healthy entry of nearly 30 assembled for the first round of the Barbados Association of Dragsters & Drifters (BADD) 2015 Drag Warz, with some newcomers joining the Club’s established names. With two practice sessions and qualifying interspersed with the circuit racing activity, the BADD action added variety to the programme.
In the under 7secs class, crowd favourite Matthew ‘DMZ’ Forde beat Steve Bruce, both in Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IIIs, to earn a place in the final against Doug Maloney (Audi A4), but he stripped third gear in the run against Bruce, handing victory to Maloney. DMZ set a new benchmark for the 1/8th during official practice, however, at 6.92s.
Under 8secs was won by Daniel Murray (Lancer, 7.979s), while 8.0-8.5secs came down to a showdown between the Subaru Imprezas of Anthony Morris and Andre Bryan; although Morris broke out in the final, Bryan red-lighted, handing Morris the win.
The battle of the Hondas in 8.5–9secs saw a run-off between Junior Moore and Barry Best, with Best best at 8.813s. The 9-9.5s & 9.5-10.0s brackets were merged, with the final also an all-Honda affair, Ryan ‘Wrecker’ Carrington coming out on top with a time of 9.073s. The merged 10-10.5s & 11.5-12s group resulted in a handicap run-off between Clifton Pilgrim (Suzuki Swift) and Anthony Mayers (Honda Civic), with Mayers chasing down Pilgrim for the win.
BPMSI action: Pope is Driver of the Day
Clubman 1 racer Jermin Pope (Toyota Starlet) was the Driver of the Day at the second round of Bushy Park Motor Sports Inc’s 2015 Championship, seeing off his class opposition three times, before finishing fifth in the Hilti Handicap. On two wheels, Kris Brathwaite (Suzuki GSX-R600) claimed a hat-trick, bringing his total of race wins at Bushy Park this year to five, although he retired from the Hilti Handicap, which was won by newcomer Jason Griffin (Yamaha R6).
Points-leader in Clubman 1 ahead of the May meet, Andre Walcott (Suzuki Swift), was on pole position, but pulled into the pits on the first lap of race one, which Pope won from Kevin Wiggins (Starlet). Walcott was back in action for the rest of the day, picking up two second places, while the class also produced some of the day’s closest and most entertaining action, as Shawn Boxill (Hillman Imp), William Jones (Nissan) and Darren Lashley (Peugeot 205) swapped places corner after corner, lap after lap. In Clubman 2, Adrian Bailey also claimed a hat-trick in the battle of the 205s with Jeremy Croney.
There was some spirited competition again in Modified Production 1, where Tremaine Forde-Catwell (Daihatsu Charmant) won races two and three, after retiring in the first encounter, which was won by arch-rival Quincy Jones (Starlet). With two second places and a third, however, Robert Gill (Starlet) enjoyed his best results for some time, class champion on the day.
Gill regains BKA Championship lead
Reigning Champion Nick Gill has regained the overall lead in the Barbados Karting Association’s (BKA) 2015 Frutee/Chefette Championship with his second perfect score of 100 for the season . . . but with just one round of the BKA’s First Season to go, anything could happen. Competitor numbers continue to rise, newcomers at the ‘Tiny’ Harrison Memorial round in May bringing to 46 the number of competitors for the year.
Gill comfortably topped the 310 Yamaha class, 32 points clear of his closest rivals, his brother Reggie and Kyle Proverbs, to bring his total to 378. However, he is just two points clear of Zane Maloney, who had been leading after round three; he again shared Easykart 100 honours equally with cousin Joshua, his only opposition.
Leader after round two, Mark Thompson has slipped back in the overall title chase, but still leads Easykart 125. After Simon Willis topped the points in April, it was Mark Kinch who turned up the pressure on his first competitive outing of the season in May, when no fewer than 16 karts contested the class.
Christian Hinds extended his advantage in the X30 class with four race wins, easing ahead of Ricky Kirton, who has twice been top scorer, while there was a change at the top of the hotly-contested the Easykart 60cc ‘Cadets’. Thanks to consistent driving, Kayleigh Catwell heads the points table for the first time, having demoted Sebastian Thompson, with Graham Bradshaw now third.
The final round of the BKA’s First Season is at the next Suzuki Challenge Series meeting on June 13/14, with the Second Season slated for a July 5 start.
Marshals enjoy Karting Experience as a thank-you
The Bushy Park Barbados Karting Experience, launched last month, is already proving hugely popular, with individuals and corporate clients greatly enjoying the chance to drive the 270cc Birel karts on the specially-designed 0.41-kilometre circuit . . . and the offering has recently been expanded to include evening as well as daytime sessions.
Every participant’s name is entered on the league table of fastest times, the top 25 of which are regularly displayed on social media.
After the Barbados Karting Association’s (BKA) May meeting, the Karting Experience was opened up as a ‘thank-you’ to the marshals, joined by some of the media who regularly cover activities at the facility, and some invited guests to let their hair down at the end of the day.
The marshals were Peter Anthony Alleyne, Rodney Barrow, Carl Bedford, David Carter, Selwyn Maloney, Nicole Nichols, Nigel Reece, David Russell and Robert Springer; media present were Sports Editor of the Barbados Advocate Corey Greaves, along with freelance photographers Charles Osborne, Corey Reece and Kevin Wood, while the invited guests included former Bushy Park racer Orville ‘Sluggy’ Blackman. Also on the roster were Dionna Holmes, Kim Richards and Kristina and Sabrina Thompson, as the facility encourages more girls to try karting – the BKA already has four girls regularly competing (one of whom is currently leading her class), but would like to see more.
For more information on the Bushy Park Karting Experience:
e-mail: karting@bushyparkbarbados.com
Tickets for this event are on sale NOW from www.bushyparkbarbados.com
