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With the dust barely settled after the record-breaking success of last weekend’s Sol Rally Barbados 2012, the Barbados Rally Club’s (BRC) blue riband event, preparations are in high gear for the 55th Anniversary June Safari. Taking the Club right back to its roots in navigational rallying, the event runs off over the weekend of June 23/24.
The successful running of the first June Rally on June 16, 1957 was the catalyst to the founding of the BRC, and it remains the oldest-established motor sport event in the region with a continuous history. The title was changed to Safari in 2000, reflecting the transition to off-road events, and this year’s ‘June’ is round three of the BRC MudDogs Safari and Chefette MudDogs Novice Safari Championships.
Competition is expected to be tough at the top. Points are tied at 116 in the battle for overall Driver (Chris Armstrong and Ryan Corbin) and Navigator (Wayne Clarke and Dustin Edwards), with Ben Norris and Darnley Rayside, respectively, just four points behind. In the Chefette Novice standings, there’s just a handful of points spread across the leading players.
The route-setters are Peter and Judy-Ann Bradshaw, plus Renata Roett, with some tricks also promised from Kenny Croney; re-checkers are Audley and Jeremy Croney. The first crew is scheduled to leave the start of the 55th Anniversary June Safari at Haggatt Hall, St Michael, at 2.01pm on Saturday, June 23, with the finish at Mahogany Ridge, St Thomas, at approximately 9.00am the following morning.
The June is the longest Safari of each season, but this year’s will have a slightly different format, as BRC MudDogs Chairman Warren Gollop explains: “In response to some feedback from last year, we have increased the rest stops along the route, to allow teams to be fully refreshed for each of the four shorter routes. So, while the rally will be a couple hours longer overall, this is all rest time.
“Thank you very much to our team of route setters, whose ideas and tricks promise a very exciting - and gruelling - June Safari, entirely in keeping with the illustrious history of the Club’s oldest event.”
Entries are open at Motorsport Services in Haggatt Hall and will close on Tuesday, June 19, at Noon; the Briefing Meeting will be at 7.00pm the same evening, at the Barbados Clay Target Shooting Association (BCTSA) Club House at Searles, Christ Church, after which the entry list will be released. The Prizegiving for the 55th Anniversary June Safari will be held at the same venue the following Monday (June 25), once results are made final.
BRC MudDogs Safari Championship
Positions after round 2
Navigators
1st equal Wayne Clarke (Toyota Hilux) & Dustin Edwards (Corbin’s Catering Services/Mahogany Ridge/Crane & Equipments/SDRR Toyota Hilux), 116 points
3rd Darnley Rayside (Electric Avenue Land Rover Discovery), 112pts
4th equal Willie Hinds (Suzuki Samurai) & Jeremy Croney (CC Motorsports/Sweet Temptations Suzuki Samurai), 104pts
6th Andrew Croney (Sweet Temptations Suzuki Samurai), 100pts
7th Robin Hinds (Yardman/Kar Parts Store Nissan Patrol), 98pts
8th Rorie McConney (Toyota Hilux), 94pts
9th Jason Downey (Suzuki Samurai), 84pts
10th equal Warrick Eastmond (Niccolls & Edghill Construction/Comfeet/Sam Lorde’s Activity Centre Land Rover Discovery) & Nyere Jones (Toyota Hilux), 74pts
Drivers
1st equal Chris Armstrong (Toyota Hilux) & Ryan Corbin (Corbin’s Catering Services/Mahogany Ridge/Crane & Equipments/SDRR Toyota Hilux), 116pts
3rd Ben Norris (Electric Avenue Land Rover Discovery), 112pts
4th equal Michael Ward (Suzuki Samurai) & Audley Croney (CC Motorsports/Sweet Temptations Suzuki Samurai), 104pts
6th Simon Parravicino (Sweet Temptations Suzuki Samurai), 100pts
7th Mark Western (Yardman/Kar Parts Store Nissan Patrol), 98pts
8th Gregory Dickenson (Toyota Hilux), 94pts
9th Dominic Straker (Nissan Patrol), 88pts
10th Kerry Renee (Suzuki Samurai), 84pts
Chefette MudDogs Safari Novice Championship
Positions after round 2
Navigators
1st Nyere Jones (Toyota Hilux), 114pts
2nd Nicholas Pinto (Nissan Patrol & Suzuki Samurai), 112pts
3rd Nick Branson (Suzuki Jimny), 104pts
4th Shane Defreitas (Nissan Patrol), 60pts
5th Trina Griffith (Green Leaf Design/Midas Magic Auto Valet Suzuki Jimny), 58pts
6th equal Chris Choat (ACE Engineering/Amalie Oil/Quik Liners VW Baja Manx) & Curtis Grazette (Atlantis Seafoods/Betta Computers Suzuki Samurai), 54pts
Drivers
1st Dominic Straker (Nissan Patrol), 120pts
2nd Aswad Bannister (Toyota Hilux), 114pts
3rd equal Damien Johnson (Suzuki Samurai) & Johnny Pinto (Suzuki Jimny), 104pts
5th Matthew Durant (Green Leaf Design/Midas Magic Auto Valet Suzuki Jimny), 58pts
6th equal Justin Inniss (ACE Engineering/Amalie Oil/Quik Liners VW Baja Manx) & Theo Waite (Atlantis Seafoods/Betta Computers Suzuki Samurai), 54pts
For further media information, robin@bradfax.com [2]
Web sites: www.barbadosrallyclub.com [3], www.muddogsbarbados.com [4]
