Weather an extra challenge for Sol Go Further June Safari
Navigational rally veterans Leslie Alleyne and Wayne Clarke will go head-to-head in next weekend’s Sol Go Further June Safari (June 27/28), each hoping to extend his record-breaking run of wins in the Barbados Rally Club’s (BRC) longest-running event. With victory last year, Alleyne joined Clarke on six wins, two more than anyone else on the 69-strong list of previous winners.
Alleyne's sixth win came 18 years after his first, as Navigator to Geoff Noel; he won again as Navigator to Trevor Manning in 2011, his other four victories coming in the driving seat, twice with wife Annalee, twice with Chris O'Neal. Clarke's six wins as Navigator spread from 1991 to 2013, the first two with Don Hunte, the other four with Chris Armstrong - both Armstrong and Hunte are four-time winners, along with Sean Gill, Andrew Mallalieu and Richard Rose.
‘The June’, as it is affectionately known, is the oldest-established motor sport competition in the region with a continuous history; this year’s Sol Go Further June Safari is the 59th running of the event and the third round of the BRC’s Chefette MudDogs Safari & Safari Novice Championships.
Route-setters are Stewart Gill and Derek Edwards, both experienced co-drivers and navigators of recent years. Gill is a former double winner of The June, as navigator for Michael Gill (1990) and Derek Roach (1998), while Edwards finished third in 2009, with Damien Brooker, and has also enjoyed success as co-driver to Trevor Manning. Their fathers David Edwards and Roger Manning also feature on The June’s roll of honour, as three-time winners, in 1981, ’84 & ’88.
MudDogs Chairman Ricky Holder said: “I think this will be an interesting weekend, because the weather will almost certainly play a part. Because of the long dry spell we have endured, the ‘Mud’ has rather been taken out of the MudDogs . . . but the weather has broken in the last few days and, if the rain continues, that would change things drastically. Weather permitting, a Driver Challenge is planned for St Thomas, on the slope between Vaucluse and the Dukes Plantation.”
The Sol Go Further June Safari, the only event in the Chefette Championship to run through the night, will feature three routes, with the first crew scheduled to leave the start at Sol Redmans, St Michael, at 2.00pm on Saturday. The dinner Stop is planned for Sol Speightstown, St Peter, at around 7.30pm, with the second route finishing at Sol Six Roads at 1.00 am, before route three heads for the finish at the Barbados Clay Target Shooting Association (BCTSA) Club House at Searles, Christ Church, at approximately 6.30am.
A total of 19 crews were confirmed at last night’s (Tuesday) Briefing Meeting at the BCTSA Club House. While a great deal of interest will focus on the record-breaking battle between Alleyne/O’Neal (Simpson Motors/Shell Spirax/Shell Rimula/Maxxis Isuzu D-Max) and Armstrong/Clarke (Toyota Hilux), there is also the Championship title chase to be considered.
Current leaders are Derek Gill and Andrew Croney (Insurance Brokers & Solutions Inc Mitsubishi Pajero), who won the March Safari, then finished fifth in April; Alleyne and O’Neal are joint second with Audley and Jeremy Croney (Mitsubishi L200), who have finished third and fourth so far this season, but are not entered for the coming weekend.
Chefette MudDogs Safari Championship
& Chefette MudDogs Safari Novice Championship
Round 3 – June 27/28 – Sol Go Further June Safari
Pro Class
1 Adrian Sinckler/Kerry Renee (Sunshine Optimist Club Suzuki Samurai)
2 John Pinto/Nicholas Branson (Amsoil/Paints Plus/Structural Systems GMC Sonoma)
3 Dean Springer/Renata Roett (Eastern Veterinary Clinic Ford Ranger)
4 Nicholas Lorde/Brett Barber (NL Engineering/Sam Lordes Inc Mitsubishi L200 Sportero)
5 Ben Norris/Kirk Watkins (Birdies Restaurant Ford Ranger)
6 Leslie Alleyne/Chris O’Neal (Simpson Motors/Shell Spirax/Shell Rimula/Maxxis Isuzu D-Max)
7 Wayne Manning/Willie Hinds (AS AutoStop/Zephrins/Quality Tyre Suzuki Samurai)
9 Nicholas Pinto/Mark Western (Impulse Services Inc Jeep Grand Cherokee)
10 Noel Edwards/Jason Downey (Rubis West Indies/Barbarees Service Station Toyota Tundra)
11 Derek Gill/Andrew Croney (Insurance Brokers & Solutions Inc Mitsubishi Pajero)
14 Julian Kirton/Dominic Straker (Kirts Connection Jeep Wrangler)
15 Jean-Marc Cozier/Peter Bradshaw (Country View Bar & Grill/Market Hill Farms Land Rover Defender)
16 George Mendes/Garry Mendes (G & G Sales & Services Inc Mitsubishi L200 Sportero)
17 Michael Ward/Warrick Eastmond (Regional Fire and Security Suzuki Jimny)
18 Damien Johnson/Brandon Johnson (Western Union Suzuki Samurai)
19 Chris Armstrong/Wayne Clarke (Toyota Hilux)
Novice Class
8 Derek Pinto/Adam Hunte (Impulse Services Inc Toyota Hilux)
12 Alvin Leon/Greg Gill (Suzuki Samurai)
13 Richard Hinkson/Kevin-Jon Manning (Flat 4's Barbados/Performance Imports Suzuki Samurai)
Chefette MudDogs Safari Championship
& Chefette MudDogs Safari Novice Championship
Round 4 - September 20 - BRC MudDogs September Safari
MudFest - October 4
Round 5 - November 8 - BRC MudDogs November Safari
For media information only. No regulatory value.
For further media information, robin@bradfax.com
Web sites: www.barbadosrallyclub.com, www.muddogsbarbados.com
