VIRGIN ATLANTIC CHAMPIONSHIP STILL WIDE OPEN

With three rounds to run in the 2012 Barbados Rally Club (BRC) Virgin Atlantic Driver’s and Class Championships, the chase for the Champion Driver title is far from over. While Modified 7 leader Daryl Clarke (Honda Civic) is hot favourite to win the Overall title, thanks to a perfect score so far, battle resumes on Sunday (September 23) with the BRC Autumn Gravel Sprint, a double-header at the popular Black Bess course in the northern parish of St Peter.
 
As the Championship draws to a close, however, two important variables can easily shake up the order: first, the Overall title is based on class results, with each driver dropping the season’s worst score, while this is also the time of year when some classes are not fully-subscribed – that means fewer than three cars - resulting in a lower points haul for those competitors who do turn out.
 
Currently, the top six are all class leaders: Clarke has a total of 128 points, with Neil Corbin (M6 Toyota Starlet) second on 123 and reigning Champion Geoff Noel (Production 4 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX) tied in third place on 120 with Logan Watson (SuperModified 11 BMW M3). Jeremy Croney (Clubman Peugeot 206) and Paul Bourne (M8-WRC Ford Focus WRC07) are joint fifth, with 110 points each.
 
Applying the dropped-score rule to the current totals does not affect the gap between Clarke and Corbin, as each currently has a lowest score of 15, but it does bring Watson (lowest score 10) up to second place, three points behind Clarke, and more than halves the gap from first to fourth from 13 points to just six.
 
In the BRC 4wd and 2wd Championships, there is no dropped-score rule: Bourne looks increasingly secure in the 4wd table, with a 24-point advantage over Noel, while Neil Armstrong (Toyota Starlet) broke the tie with Watson at the head of the 2wd at the Summer Nights Tarmac Stages last month, now leading the BMW driver by five points, with no others in realistic striking distance.
 
Competitors are expected to arrive for Scrutineering on Sunday by 8.00am, with the event slated for a 9.30am start. As before, service will be on the grassy area under the trees on the western approach to Mangrove Plantation. Entries opened at Motorsport Services, Haggatt Hall, last Friday (September 14) and will close at noon on Thursday (September 20).
 
After a drive-through to allow competitors to see the approximately three-kilometre course, there will be one practice run, followed by three official timed runs before lunch – almost certainly, the morning runs will be from west to east. Following a one-hour break, a second run-through is planned, as various stage furniture such as chicanes will have been moved, after which there will be a further practice run and three official runs in the opposite direction.
 
BRC Competition Secretary Neil Corbin says: “As any competitors who drove the gravel events last year would know, the stage at Black Bess offers excellent conditions and it is quite easy on the car . . . so we look forward to some good, fun, driving! Competitors should note that, if they arrive late to the event, they may not be able to take advantage of the drive-through.”

Virgin Atlantic BRC Class Championship
Provisional positions after round 7:

Modified 8-WRC: 1st Paul Bourne (Chefette/LIME/Slam 101/MQI/Banks/Castrol Ford Focus WRC07), 110pts; 2nd Roger Skeete (Sol/Michelin/Da Costa Mannings Auto Centre/Simpson Motors Subaru Impreza WRC S12), 91pts; 3rd equal Sean Gill (Simpson Motors/Shell V-Power/Automotive Art/Monster Energy Drink Suzuki SX4 WRC) & Roger Hill (Esso/Nassco/MotorMac Toyota Corolla WRC), 78 points; etc

Modified 8-A: 1st Avinash Chatrani (Electric Avenue/Hankook/Solder Seal Gunk/Niagra Water/Sign Station Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI), 85pts; 2nd Graeme Finlayson (www.racedandrallied.com Mitsubishi Lancer Evo III), 37pts

Production 4: 1st Geoffrey Noel (Globe Finance/Sentry Insurance Brokers/Cargo Solutions International/Mix 96.9FM/CIAC Air Conditioners Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX), 120pts; 2nd Andrew Mallalieu (Terra Caribbean Subaru Impreza N10), 70pts; 3rd Mark Hamilton (CIBC-FCIB/Simpson Motors/MAXI Malta/PowerMaster/Boston Seasoning/Automotive Art Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX), 58pts

SuperModified 11: 1st Logan Watson (Oreo/Chips Ahoy!/Club Social/Formula1 High Performance Auto Care Products/Liquid Wrench/Sign Depot/The Unknown Entity/In support of Little Pink Gift BMW M3), 120pts; 2nd Stuart Maloney (Automotive Art/Sign Station/Valvoline Peugeot 306 Maxi), 61pts; 3rd Alex Whitehead (AM Electrical Solutions/Sign Station BMW 328i), 54pts; etc

SM10: 1st Neil Armstrong (Chefette/Lubriguard/Hankook Tyres/Nassco/Redline Fuels/ARMAG Rentals Toyota Starlet), 98pts; 2nd Ralph White (Barbados Villa Services/Island Safari/Amsoil Toyota Starlet), 74pts; 3rd Josh Read (Stihl/Gliptone/Hankook/EZone/Weetabix/SDRR/Royal Purple Toyota Starlet), 61pts; etc

SM9: 1st Carlos Edwards (Courts I-Finance/Enermax Toyota Starlet), 96pts; 2nd Allan Maynard (Marshal Trading/Roberts Manufacturing Toyota Starlet), 84pts; 3rd Roger Mayers (Chefette/Digicel/Delaware Dispensary/Illusion Graphics/Barbados Today WR Starlet), 63pts; etc

M7: 1st Daryl Clarke (Ellco Rentals/Mom's Pasta Products/MQI/Roberts Manufacturing Honda Civic), 128pts; 2nd Kyle Catwell (Chicken Pen Racing/Kumho/Valvoline/Mackeson/Ellesmere Quarries Volkswagen Golf GTI), 66pts; 3rd Adrian Linton (Ravensden/Barbados Yellow Pages/JAD Performance/Garbage Gobbler/Innovative Security Solutions Vauxhall Astra SRi), 64pts; etc

M6 & M5 merged: 1st Neil Corbin (M6 Nassco/Jason Jones/Auto Solutions/Castrol Toyota Starlet), 123pts; 2nd Jamal Brathwaite (M6 Valvoline/Mackeson/Kumho/Ellesmere Quarries/Codgi’s Customs Brokers/Chicken Pen Racing/AutoPlus Motors Mitsubishi Mirage RS), 68pts; 3rd Sean Cox (M5 Simpson Motors/Gliptone/Johnsen’s Suzuki Swift Gti), 62pts; etc

P2: 1st Fabien Clarke (Barbados Business Listings/RCR Tours/Bovell Auto Repair/Simple Trucking Suzuki Ignis Sport), 59pts

Clubman: 1st Jeremy Croney (ReMax Lifestyles/Sweet Temptations/Sign Station/Gunk Peugeot 206), 110pts; 2nd Shannon Kirton (Ullyett’s Machine Shop/Gomez & Western Services/Field Insurance Brokers/Cartique/Gatorade/Fritolay/Fingerprint Designs Datsun 120Y), 50pts; 3rd Rommell Martin (VV&K Rentals/B3 Imaging/Leroy Body Workshop/Dallas Catering Toyota Starlet), 33pts; etc

BRC 4wd Championship: 1st Bourne, 104pts; 2nd Noel, 80pts; 3rd Gill, 78pts; 4th Skeete, 76pts; 5th Hill, 72pts; 6th Chatrani, 55pts; 7th Mallalieu, 43pts; 8th Dean Serrao (M8-WRC Sugar Ultra Lounge/Rush Restaurant Subaru Impreza WRC S9), 39pts; 9th Finlayson, 21pts; 10th Hamilton, 15pts

BRC 2wd Championship: 1st Armstrong, 95pts; 2nd Watson, 90pts; 3rd Clarke, 72pts; 4th Maloney, 50pts; 5th Read, 49pts; 6th Mayers, 46pts; 7th Corbin, 44pts; 8th Ian Warren (SM10 Automotive Art/Simpson Motors/Degree Suzuki Swift), 41pts; 9th White, 33pts; 10th Linton, 28pts; etc

For further media information: e-mail - robin@bradfax.com
web site: www.barbadosrallyclub.com