ARMSTRONG AND CLARKE BACK IN WINNERS’ ROW

Former Champions win Country View Bar & Grill Safari

Former Champions Chris Armstrong and Wayne Clarke returned to winners’ row for the first time in nearly four years last Sunday (September 16) when they won the Country View Bar & Grill September Safari, the fourth of five rounds in the 2018 Chefette MudDogs Safari Championship last Sunday. The 2012 MudDogs Champions incurred a total of 3202 penalties in their Toyota Hilux to emerge victorious from a tight three-way battle for supremacy, despite some mechanical issues early in the day.

The navigational rally veterans have always been at the sharp end of island competition, regularly finishing in the top three; although they had not won an event since the November Safari in 2014, their record shows five second places and two thirds since then. Sunday’s victory came by a margin of 265 penalties over the 2010 Champions, Ryan Corbin and Dustin Edwards (Corbins Catering Services Mahogany Ridge Toyota Hilux), these two crews respectively winning routes one and two.

Five-time Champions Leslie Alleyne and Chris O’Neal (Simpson Motors/Shell Spirax/Shell Rimula/Maxxis Isuzu D-Max) finished third, just 224 further penalties adrift, finishing second in route one and third in route two. At Tuesday evening’s (September 18) Prizegiving at the Country View Bar, where the awards were supplied by RL Seale & Co and KG Enterprises, crews reported having enjoyed a well-set event, although Clarke said that he and Armstrong had some challenges at the start, as the Toyota kept cutting out. That did not stop the overall winners also coming out on top of both the Driver Challenges, which count towards the year-end Shelbury Construction Trophy.

There were new winners in Class B, as John Pinto and Adam Hunte pushed on in the Structural Systems/Amsoil GMC Sonoma to finish sixth overall with 7989 penalties, coming home just 120 penalties clear of Class B points-leaders Damien Johnson and Justin Lynch (Dre Tuned Toyota Hilux); Richard Hinkson and Kevin-Jon Manning in the Windforce Tyres Suzuki Samurai finished third.

Route-setters for Sunday’s event were Jean-Marc Cozier and regular Navigator Andrew Croney, who won this year’s March Safari; after a 7.00am start from the Country View Bar & Grill, St George, crews followed a circuitous route towards the east coast, via the first Driver Challenge at Vaucluse, St Thomas. From the Lunch Halt at Dinah’s Restaurant in Bathsheba, St Joseph, the afternoon route included the second Driver Challenge at Golden Grove, St Philip, as crews headed back to the finish at Country View Bar & Grill.

Country View Bar & Grill September Safari, September 16
Chefette MudDogs Safari Championship – round 4

1st Chris Armstrong/Wayne Clarke (Toyota Hilux), 3202 penalties
2nd Ryan Corbin/Dustin Edwards (Corbins Catering Services Mahogany Ridge Toyota Hilux), 3467pens
3rd Leslie Alleyne/Chris O'Neal (Simpson Motors/Shell Spirax/Shell Rimula/Maxxis Isuzu D-Max), 3691pens
4th Willie Hinds/Wayne Manning (Black Bess Group Suzuki Samurai), 6160pens
5th Ben Norris/Kirk Watkins (Toyota Land Cruiser), 6208pens
6th John Pinto/Adam Hunte (Structural Systems/Amsoil GMC Sonoma), 7989pens
7th Damien Johnson/Justin Lynch (Dre Tuned Toyota Hilux), 8109pens
8th Dean Springer/Bridget Garity (Toyo Tires/Eastern Vet Clinic Ford Ranger), 8992pens
9th Richard Hinkson/Kevin-Jon Manning (Windforce Tyres Suzuki Samurai), 9335pens
10th Christopher King/Warrick Eastmond (Nissan Frontier), 11,896pens
etc

Route 1: 1st Armstrong/Clarke, 2528pens; 2nd Alleyne/O'Neal, 2780pens; 3rd Corbin/Edwards, 2853pens; 4th Norris/Watkins, 4107pens; 5th Johnson/Lynch, 4582pens; etc
Route 2: 1st Corbin/Edwards, 614pens; 2nd Armstrong/Clarke, 674pens; 3rd Alleyne/O'Neal, 911pens; 4th Hinds/W Manning, 1539pens; 5th Norris/Watkins, 2101pens; etc

Class B
1st Pinto/Hunte, 7989pens
2nd Johnson/Lynch, 8109pens
3rd Hinkson/K-J Manning, 9335pens
4th Yosuf Patel/Abdullah Patel (Aquarius Faucets/ToolCraft/Goodyear Tyres Mitsubishi L200), 12,338pens
Route 1: 1st Johnson/Lynch, 4582pens; 2nd Pinto/Hunte, 4955pens; 3rd Hinkson/K-J Manning, 5683pens; 4th Y Patel/A Patel, 5788pens
Route 2: 1st Pinto/Hunte, 3034pens; 2nd Johnson/Lynch, 3527pens; 3rd Hinkson/K-J Manning, 3652pens; 4th Y Patel/A Patel, 6550pens

For media information only. No regulatory value.

For further media information, robin@bradfax.com
Web sites: www.barbadosrallyclub.com, www.muddogsbarbados.com