[1]Edwards and Corbin are 2010 Mud Dogs Champions
The final round of the Barbados Rally Club’s (BRC) Mud Dogs Safari Championship – the Nassco October Safari – brought the season to a successful conclusion last Sunday (October 17) as “surprised” Novices Adrian Sinckler and Andre Murrell (Suzuki Samurai) became the fifth different winning crew in as many events.
For Championship leaders Dustin Edwards and Ryan Corbin (Blockman/Corbin’s Catering Services/Mahogany Ridge/Crane & Equipment/SDRR Hydraulic & Industrial Spares Toyota Hilux) – winners of the 2009 Nassco Safari - second place this year was sufficient to secure the title, also the $500 cash prize as the highest-placed Toyota crew.
Third place on the day left 2008 Novice Champions, Damian Brooker and Derek Edwards (Joe Brooker's Building/SDRR Hydraulic & Industrial Spares Toyota Hilux) third in the standings, while a fourth top four finish for Shelbury Construction June Safari winners, Chris Armstrong and Wayne Clarke (Toyota Hilux), left them just 10 points shy of the title-winners at year-end in second place. These crews also collected Nassco cash prizes of $300 and $200, as second- and third-place Toyotas respectively.
Murrell, who is the 2010 Champion Novice Navigator, said: “The win was a surprise; it had some tricks and you had to be on your guard - route one was better, as the straight-line in route two was challenging.” Sinckler added: “Concentration and confidence paid off.” They had been on the ball from the start, third on route one, from the Barbados Clay Target Shooting Association (BCTSA) Club House at Searles, Christ Church to Pool Plantation, St John, just 24 penalties behind Brooker and Edwards.
Early leaders were Michael Ward and Willie Hinds (Country Notions Maintenance/Jammin Catamaran Cruises/Maxxis Tyres Suzuki Samurai), whose advantage at the stopover was 16 penalties; they fell foul of an accident on route two, however, when hustling to make up time after finding (in common with many others) the straight-line navigation at the start of the route very challenging.
Route two led the crews back to the start, via a timed Dexterity Challenge at Kendal Quarry and a not-for-points Driver Challenge around the pond, over a muddy patch and up a steep, slippery incline at Searles; Wayne Manning was fastest in the first Challenge, but the Black Bess Quarry/Huzier/Mahindra Motorsports Mahindra Pik-Up shut down shortly after, forcing retirement, while the second Challenge provided a crowd-pleasing end to the season as competitors pitted their skills and strategy against the obstacles.
Sinckler and Murrell were nearly 100 penalty points ahead of Edwards and Corbin in the second route, with Brett Barber and Warren Gollop (Biddy’s Information Centre/JE Security Mitsubishi Pajero) third. Gollop noted: “It was a good rally, with a few tricks, but the straight-line was very, very, very challenging. You really had to have your head on.”
Judged against their win in last month’s Regional Fire & Security September Safari, the Novice crew of Ben Norris and Darnley Rayside (Glacial Ice/Electric Avenue/Pitbull Energy Drink/Ace Engineering Land Rover Discovery), did not have such a good day, although he Norris was one of the stars of the Driver Challenge: second novice crew on both routes, 13th and seventh overall respectively, the result was nevertheless sufficient for Norris to reach year-end as Champion Novice Driver.
At the Prizegiving at the BCTSA Club House on Monday (October 18), in addition to the cash prizes for the three highest-placed Toyotas, Nassco boss Roger Hill presented trophies and Toyota mugs and hats to the top three overall and the top three in the Novice class, also Toyota pens and openers to the winners of each route.
Renata Roett, who finished 10th with Edson Arthur, was the highest-placed female competitor, while the Mud Dogs was pleased to welcome another Novice crew to the final event of the year, rally regular Sean Field and Jennifer Reader (Field Insurance Brokers/Castrol/Ackee Tree/Landscapes in Harmony Mazda B2500). First-timer Reader said: “That was not a way to enter Mud Dogs. It was baptism by fire! We had lots of fun, though.”
Nassco October Safari – October 17
Mud Dogs BRC Safari Championship, round 5
Results
1st Adrian Sinckler/Andre Murrell (Suzuki Samurai), 548 penalties
2nd Dustin Edwards/Ryan Corbin (Blockman/Corbin’s Catering Services/Mahogany Ridge/Crane & Equipment/SDRR Hydraulic & Industrial Spares Toyota Hilux), 731pens
3rd Damian Brooker/Derek Edwards (Joe Brooker's Building/SDRR Hydraulic & Industrial Spares Toyota Hilux), 736pens
4th Chris Armstrong/Wayne Clarke (Toyota Hilux), 855pens
5th Brett Barber/Warren Gollop (Biddy’s Information Centre/JE Security Mitsubishi Pajero), 882pens
6th Kerry Renee/Jason Downey (Suzuki Samurai), 965pens
7th Gregory Dickenson/Peter Bradshaw (Toyota Hilux), 1168pens
8th Matthew Ward/Warrick Eastmond (High Gear Maintenance/Mellotec Suzuki Samurai), 1235pens
9th Ben Norris/Darnley Rayside (Glacial Ice/Electric Avenue/Pitbull Energy Drink/Ace Engineering Land Rover Discovery), 1305pens
10th Edson Arthur/Renata Roett (Toyota Hilux), 1330pens
Route 1
1st Michael Ward/Willie Hinds (Country Notions Maintenance/Jammin Catamaran Cruises/Maxxis Tyres Suzuki Samurai), 58pens;
2nd Brooker/Edwards, 74pens;
3rd Sinckler/Murrell, 98pens;
Route 2
1st Sinckler/Murrell, 450pens;
2nd Edwards/Corbin, 549pens;
3rd Barber/Gollop, 556pens;
Novice class
1st Sinckler/Murrell
2nd Norris/Rayside
3rd Meghan Campbell/Gary Mendes (G & G Sales and Service/LG Trading/Lunatics Inc/Appleby Filling Station/Barbados Muffler Centre Isuzu D-Max), 2316pens – 11th o/a
4th Nicholas Pinto/Jamal Brathwaite (Suzuki Samurai), 2703pens – 12th o/a
5th Simon Parravacino/Christian Duncan (Sweet Temptations Inc Toyota Hilux), 4514pens – 14th o/a
6th Sean Field/Jen Reader (Field Insurance Brokers/Castrol/Ackee Tree/Landscapes in Harmony Mazda B2500), 4875pens – 15th o/a
Route 1
1st Sinckler/Murrell, 98pens;
2nd Norris/Rayside, 426pens;
3rd Pinto/Brathwaite, 457pens;
Route 2
1st Sinckler/Murrell, 450pens;
2nd Norris/Rayside, 879pens;
3rd Campbell/Mendes, 1317pens;
For further media information, robin@bradfax.com [2]
NASSCO OCTOBER SAFARI RESULTS [3]
2010 MUD DOGS CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL RESULTS [4]
EVENT PHOTOS [5]
