[1]Narrowest margin of victory for five years
Ryan Corbin and Dustin Edwards won Saturday’s (April 14) Chefette April Safari in the Corbins Catering Services/Mahogany Ridge Toyota Hilux, beating the similar pick-up of Chris Armstrong and Wayne Clarke by just four penalty points, the narrowest margin of victory in the Barbados Rally Club’s (BRC) navigational championship for five years.
Corbin and Edwards became the second winners of the Audley Croney Memorial Trophy, first awarded last year in honour of a long-standing member of the BRC and an enthusiastic and skillful competitor in navigational events. With son Jeremy, Croney had played a part in the closest-ever result in the championship, when they lost the 2013 Chefette April Safari by just one point to Mark Western and Robin Hinds. Since then, there has only been one winning margin in single figures.
Jean-Marc Cozier and Andrew Croney (Country View Bar/Market Hill Farms/Westside Security Services Honda Pioneer) could not repeat their March Safari victory, although Cozier did win both Driver Challenges to put him in a strong position in the Shelbury Construction Trophy standings after two rounds. Richard Hinkson and Kevin-Jon Manning (Windforce Tyres Suzuki Samurai) finished an impressive fifth overall and won Class B.
Cozier and Croney were on top of their game in the first route, which started at Chefette’s newest location at Lancaster, St James, at 2.00pm, incurring just 171 penalty points on the daylight route. Corbin and Edwards were second (222 pens), Willie Hinds and Wayne Manning third (256 pens) in the Black Bess Group Suzuki Samurai and last year’s Chefette April Safari winners, five-time Champions Leslie Alleyne and Chris O’Neal (Simpson Motors/Shell Spirax/Shell Rimula/Maxxis Isuzu D-Max), fourth with 335 penalties. Armstrong and Clarke were seventh on 545 penalties.
Cozier maintained his strong form in the first Driver Challenge, at Hopewell, St Thomas, Hinds finishing second and Stephen Mayers third, with David Reece the navigator in his Toyota Hilux. After the dinner halt at Chefette Charles Rowe Bridge, St George, the crews set off into the night for the first time this season, route two leading them to the finish shortly before midnight at the Country View Bar, Market Hill in the same parish . . . but not before a night-time Driver Challenge at Searles Quarry, Christ Church. While Cozier was again the winner, he was soon to withdraw, troubled by an exhaust manifold problem; Tristan Hoyos finished second, with Samuel Manning in the Garbage Master Ltd Toyota Hilux, Mayers third again.
Although they were suffering with a leaking rear differential, which needed a regular top-up, Armstrong and Clarke came to the fore in route two, 915 penalties incurred, more than 300 fewer than the nearest crew . . . but still a handful short of a winning score; a switch of positions on the second Driver Challenge between Armstrong and Corbin would have reversed the result, however, so narrow was the margin. Corbin/Edwards and Alleyne/O’Neal tied for second on route two on 1234 penalties, securing the former crew victory and the latter third place.
Route-setters for the Chefette April Safari were Michael Ward and Warrick Eastmond, with Brett Barber co-ordinating the Driver Challenges, all of whom drew praise from competitors at Tuesday night’s (April 17) Prizegiving at the Country View Bar. During the evening, Ricky Holder, Chairman of the BRC’S MudDogs committee, presented a sponsor appreciation award to Chefette Restaurants, which was received by Advertising Manager Lisa Carter and Marketing Office MarQuest Clarke-Griffith, who had earlier assisted with the presentation of awards.
Chefette April Safari - April 14
Chefette MudDogs Safari Championship, round 2 Overall
1st Ryan Corbin/Dustin Edwards (Corbins Catering Services Mahogany Ridge Toyota Hilux), 1456 penalties 2nd Chris Armstrong/Wayne Clarke (Toyota Hilux), 1460pens 3rd Leslie Alleyne/Chris O'Neal (Simpson Motors/Shell Spirax/Shell Rimula/Maxxis Isuzu D-Max), 1569pens 4th Trevor Manning/Derek Gill (Garbage Master Ltd Mitsubishi L200), 2012pens 5th Richard Hinkson/Kevin-Jon Manning (Windforce Tyres Suzuki Samurai), 2634pens 6th Willie Hinds/Wayne Manning (Black Bess Group Suzuki Samurai), 2707pens 7th Stephen Mayers/David Reece (Toyota Hilux), 2764pens 8th Ian Warren/Robert Warren (Land Rover Defender), 3205pens 9th Jean-Marc Cozier/Andrew Croney (Country View Bar/Market Hill Farms/Westside Security Services Honda Pioneer), 3792pens 10th Damien Johnson/Justin Lynch (Dre Tuned Toyota Hilux), 4059pens etc Route 1: 1st Cozier/Croney 171pens; 2nd Corbin/Edwards 222pens; 3rd Hinds/W Manning 256pens; 4th Alleyne/O’Neal 335pens; 5th Mayers/Reece 353pens; etc Route 2: 1st Armstrong/Clarke 915pens; equal 2nd Alleyne/O’Neal & Corbin/Edwards 1234pens; 4th T Manning/Gill 1321pens; 5th Hinkson/K-J Manning 1926pens; etc Class B 1st Hinkson/K-J Manning, 2634pens 2nd Johnson/Lynch, 4059pens 3rd Tristan Hoyos/Samuel Manning (Garbage Master Ltd Toyota Hilux), 4302pens 4th Yosuf Patel/Abdullah Patel (Aquarius Faucets/ToolCraft Mitsubishi L200), 4435pens 5th Corey Walkes/Ronnie Cummins (Vehicle Aesthetics Management Ford Ranger), 4825pens Route 1: 1st Johnson/Lynch 665pens; 2nd Hinkson/K-J Manning 708pens; 3rd Patel/Patel 948pens; etc Route 2: 1st Hinkson/K-J Manning 1926pens; 2nd Hoyos/S Manning 3262pens; 3rd Walkes/Cummins 3307pens; etc Shelbury Construction Trophy, round 2 1st Cozier 14 points; 2nd equal Hinds, Hoyos & Mayers 4pts
Chefette MudDogs Safari Championship: Round 1 - March 11; Round 2 - April 14; * MudFest - May 1; Round 3 - June 23/24; Round 4 - September 16; Round 5 - November 11. * non-championship event
