[1]Nassco marks 10th year of support for November Safari
After a hard-fought season, with three different crews winning the four events so far, the Barbados Rally Club’s (BRC) Chefette MudDogs Safari Championship reaches a conclusion on Sunday (November 12) with the November Safari, sponsored by Toyota dealer Nassco for the 10th consecutive year. Jean-Marc Cozier and Andrew Croney (Honda Pioneer) have a two-point lead in the standings over Leslie Alleyne and Chris O'Neal (Simpson Motors/Shell Spirax/Shell Rimula/Maxxis Isuz D-Max), who are the route-setters for the final showdown.
Cozier and Croney kicked off the 2017 season with victory in the March Safari – Alleyne and O’Neal were third – then finished second to the four-time Champions in April and June; in September, it was the turn of 2010 Safari Champions Ryan Corbin and Dustin Edwards (Mahogany Ridge/Corbin's Catering Services Toyota Hilux) to claim a victory, their first since the March Safari of their title-winning season, when Edwards was Champion Driver and Corbin Champion Navigator.
With the 2012 MudDogs Champions Chris Armstrong and Wayne Clarke (Toyota Hilux) also on the entry list confirmed at Monday’s (November 6) Briefing Meeting, along with Michael Ward and Warrick Eastmond (Regional Fire & Security/Quality Tyre/McChlery Designs Suzuki Jimny) and the crew of Trevor Manning and Derek Gill (Garbage Master Ltd Toyota Hilux), the outcome of Sunday’s event is not easy to predict.
The first crew will leave the start at the Country View Bar in Market Hill, St George, at 8.00am, to tackle two routes in the island’s central parishes; after the lunch halt at Chefette Welches, at around 11.30am, crews will head towards the finish back at the Country View Bar at approximately 4.30pm.
Route setter Alleyne says: “We are very excited and pleased with what we have for the guys. In order, we pass through St George, St Michael, St Thomas, St Joseph and St John, then back to St George. There will be a nice Driver Challenge near the finish in front of the Country View Bar at around 4pm and an undisclosed challenge in Route 1, which will require team effort! There are four other exciting spots, if we get rain . . . but I have to see what the weather does first.”
MudDogs Chairman Ricky Holder said: “From what I have heard, Leslie and Chris have come up with something special to end the season, just as Wayne Manning and Willie Hinds did last year. As ever, thanks to the route-setters, our eager band of volunteer marshals, our title sponsor Chefette and, of course, Nassco, which is now in its 10th year of sponsorship for the November Safari; without the involvement of all these individuals and organisations, we simply wouldn’t have a championship, so a big shout-out to them all. Good luck to all the crews at the weekend.”
Sunday’s event is the last of five staged between March and November to make up the 2017 Championship. Crews are required to compete in four out of the five Safaris to be eligible for year-end Championship points; if they compete in all five Safaris, then their best four scores will count. The Nassco November Safari Prize-giving will be next Tuesday (November 14) at Country View Bar.
Chefette MudDogs Safari Championship & Chefette MudDogs Safari Novice Championship Round 5 – November 12 –
Nassco November Safari Novice Class
1 Yousuf Patel/Abdullah Patel (Aquarius Faucets/ToolCraft Mitsubishi L200)
Pro Class
2 Michael Ward/Warrick Eastmond (Regional Fire & Security/Quality Tyre/McChlery Designs Suzuki Jimny)
3 Ryan Corbin/Dustin Edwards (Mahogany Ridge/Corbin's Catering Services Toyota Hilux)
4 Chris Armstrong/Wayne Clarke (Toyota Hilux)
5 George Mendes/Garry Mendes (G & G Sales & Services Mitsubishi Sportero)
6 Richard Hinkson/Kevin-Jon Manning (Windforce Tyres Suzuki Samurai)
7 Trevor Manning/Derek Gill (Garbage Master Toyota Hilux)
8 Jean-Marc Cozier/Andrew Croney (Honda Pioneer)
9 Kerry Renee/Andre Murrell (Suzuki Samurai)
10 Nicholas Lorde/Brett Barber (Konstruk Caribbean/Comfeet/NL Engineering/First Steps Property Services Land Rover Discovery)
11 Dean Springer/Bridget Garity (Eastern Veterinary Clinic/Toyo Tyres Ford Ranger)
12 Willie Hinds/Wayne Manning (Black Bess Group Suzuki Samurai)
Chefette MudDogs Safari Championship Positions after round four:
1st Cozier/Croney, 232 points
2nd Leslie Alleyne/Chris O'Neal (Simpson Motors/Shell Spirax/Shell Rimula/Maxxis Isuz D-Max), 230pts 3rd Corbin/Edwards, 222pts 4th Armstrong/Clarke, 208pts 5th Ward/Eastmond, 204pts 6th Mendes/Mendes, 184pts etc
