[1]Jamaica’s Jeff Panton, who currently leads the Barbados Rally Club’s (BRC) Champion Driver title chase, tops the 31-car entry for Sunday’s (October 8) Winter Sprint in the northern parish of St Lucy. With no dropped-score rule in the 2017 BRC Driver’s and Class Championships, every point counts, as competitors prepare for a double-header, which could prove a turning point for some class battles.
After Scrutineering in the Service Park at the Chance Hall MTW Depot at 7.30am, the event is slated for a 9.00am start; there will be a 45-minute lunch break at around 11.30am and the organising team expect to be finished by approximately 2.30pm. There will be four runs in each direction – first from Josey Hill to Lamberts (Collins), then in the reverse; following the precedent set at Flow King of the Hill, there will be no practice run, so drivers will need to be on it from the start – the fastest of four runs will decide the result in each direction for rounds five and six of the seven-round BRC series.
Thanks to a dominant run of four straight WRC class wins, Panton (Rubis/Sandals Barbados/KIG Ford Focus WRC06) has accrued the maximum possible 75 points, three clear of SuperModified 1 leader Neil Corbin (Nassco/H Jason Jones/Emtage Electric/BG Products & Services/Auto Solutions/Valvoline/Sun General Insurance/Maxmeyer Paints Toyota Starlet); while Corbin also has a perfect record of class wins, SM1 was not fully-subscribed for the opening round – three starters are needed for full points to be scored - hence his three-point deficit.
The same will apply (twice) for Panton on Sunday, as his only opposition in the WRC class is Roger Hill (WRC Esso/Nassco/MotorMac/MaxMeyer/Pennzoil Toyota Corolla WRC), so reduced points will be awarded, but Corbin is not entered, so has effectively dropped out of the picture. The rest of the chasing pack will be there, however; a further four drivers are within 10 points of Panton’s total and each the leader of his respective group: BRC newcomer Stuart Garcia (C2 Intelligent Defence Systems/Smiths Engineering Works/Four & Twenty Bakery/Zaccios/Tropical Sunset BMW 318ti Compact) is third with 67 points, Wayne Archer (Hist Archers Hall Design Centre/RW Water/Arrow Woodworking/Arrow Construction/D & A Air Conditioning & Refrigeration BMW 325) fourth with 66, while Barry Mayers (SM2 Chefette/Rubis/Digicel/DHL/Hankook/Illusion Graphics Ford Fiesta) and Andrew Jones (SM3 Lucozade/Caribbean Powder Coating/AP Jones Pharmacy Ford Escort MkII) are tied on 65 in fifth place.
All but Archer will be competing in a fully-subscribed group on Sunday, with particularly close-fought battles expected in Clubman 2, where Derek Edwards (BMW 318ti Compact) will be hoping to close on Garcia; SM3, in which Jones will be up against the BMW M3s of Justin Campbell, who won the Group at Sol Rally Barbados and brothers Rhett and Logan Watson - like Edwards, they will be keen to make up for their problems of Sol RB17 – and in SM2, where Mayers will face brother Roger (WR Starlet).
Just inside the top 10 overall, Modified 2 leader Paul Horton of the Turks & Caicos Islands (Citroen DS 3 R3 MAX) can expect to have his hands full with reigning Champion Driver Daryl Clarke (Honda Civic), another looking to put the disappointments of Sol RB17 behind him.
BRC Winter Sprint - Sunday, October 8 Running order at October 6:
1 Jeffrey Panton – JAM (WRC Rubis/Sandals Barbados/KIG Ford Focus WRC06)
2 Roger Hill (WRC Esso/Nassco/MotorMac/MaxMeyer/Pennzoil Toyota Corolla WRC)
3 Roger Mayers (SM2 Chefette/Rubis/Digicel/DHL/Hankook/Illusion Graphics WR Starlet)
4 Barry Mayers (SM2 Chefette/Rubis/Digicel/DHL/Hankook/Illusion Graphics Ford Fiesta)
5 Rhett Watson (SM3 Chefette/Power King Batteries/Gliptone/Stihl/Gunk/Bajan Pure Water/The Unknown Entity, in support of Little Pink Gift BMW M3)
6 Daryl Clarke (M2 Automotive Art/Flow/Amir’s Chicken/MQI Collision Repair/Valvoline/eCarib Classifieds Honda Civic)
7 Andrew Jones (SM3 Lucozade/Caribbean Powder Coating/AP Jones Pharmacy Ford Escort MkII)
8 Mark Thompson (GpN Automotive Art/Stag Beer/Glassesco/NKM/Rock Hard Cement/SLAM 101.1FM Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX)
9 Andrew Mallalieu (GpN Terra Caribbean Subaru Impreza N10)
10 Avinash Chatrani (GpA Lenovo/PowerBass/Gunk/iShop Barbados/Copacabana/Genius Lynk Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI)
11 Justin Campbell (SM3 Republic Bank/Five Star Fast Track/Hilton Barbados/Automotive Art/Dream Solutions/Hilti/CRT/#RAY BMW M3)
12 Adrian Linton (M2 JAD Performance/Ravensden/Berkan Construction Vauxhall Astra SRi)
14 Logan Watson (SM3 Subzero Services Ltd/eCarib Classifieds/The Unknown Entity, in support of Little Pink Gift BMW M3)
15 David St Hill (SM3 Solar & Wind Energy Solutions/Charles Doc Inc/Tropical Touch Investments/The Beemer Specialist BMW M3)
16 Paul Horton - TCI (M2 Turks Head Brewery/Java Island/Sky Motorsports/H Racing Citroen DS 3 R3 MAX)
17 Kurt Thompson (M2 Glassesco/NKM Clothing/Bio-Beauty Day Spa/SLAM 101.1FM/Beacon Insurance/RA Mapp Honda Civic)
18 Jeremy Gonsalves (SM1 Sign Depot/Valvoline/Makita/John Hardman Engineering Opel Corsa)
19 Edward Corbin (M1 Valvoline/Hilti/Pro Sales/Express Imports Daihatsu Charmant)
20 Wayne Archer (Hist Archers Hall Design Centre/RW Water/Arrow Woodworking/Arrow Construction/D & A Air Conditioning & Refrigeration BMW 325)
21 Stuart McChlery (SM2 Lubriguard/Gunk/Lenovo/PowerBass Ford Escort MkI)
22 Clifford Cox (SM1 Snorkel/Deutz/Hilti/Williams Equipment/JLG/Biz Needz/MQ Multiquip/Yanmar/Hankook Toyota Starlet)
23 Philip Moe (SM1 Sunbay Hotel/Mark’s Auto Spares/Bajan Motors Toyota Corolla)
24 Derek Edwards (C2 D & A Air Conditioning & Refrigeration/Arrow Woodworking BMW 318ti Compact)
25 Paul Inniss (M1 Durex Barbados/Brydens Insurance/East Point Grill/Hugh Autobody/Chicken Stop/Tint Plus/Caribbean Villa Chefs/Autoderm/KTech Auto/JJ Racing Team Honda Civic)
26 Allan Kinch (C2 Jolly Roger/PrintMax/Pirates Cove BMW 318ti Compact)
27 Jermin Pope (C1 Good Time Snacks/Uniform Factory Outlet/Glassesco/NKM Clothing/SLAM 101.1FM Honda Civic)
28 Stuart Garcia (C2 Intelligent Defence Systems/Smiths Engineering Works/Four & Twenty Bakery/Zaccios/Tropical Sunset BMW 318ti Compact)
29 Trevor Mapp (C1 Sign Station/JSB Motorsport/Ellesmere Quarries Mitsubishi Colt Mivec RS)
30 John Corbin (Hist Valvoline/Hilti/Pro Sales Toyota Corolla)
31 Joe Troulan (C2 Barbados Villa Services/TRU Wear/Serenity Pest Control BMW 318ti Compact)
32 Luke Cozier (C2 BMW 318ti Compact)
