[1]
Reigning Champion Driver Chris Armstrong and Navigator Wayne Clarke begin their title defence this Saturday (March 16) when the Barbados Rally Club’s (BRC) Chefette MudDogs Safari and Safari Novice Championships kick off for the 2013 season with the March Safari.
The pair won the opening round of last year’s Championship in their trusty Toyota Hilux and hope to repeat the feat at the weekend . . . but they will face some stiff opposition, including a number of previous Champions from the past decade.
Just 14 crews were confirmed for the March Safari at last night’s (Tuesday) Briefing Meeting at the Barbados Clay Target Shooting Association (BCTSA) Club House at Searles, Christ Church, but out-going MudDogs Chairman Warren Gollop believes there may be some additions before the weekend: “I’m hopeful of a couple more entries, as people are waiting on vehicles to be repaired in time. While we are a little short on quantity, there is no shortage of quality in this entry.”
Leading the attack on Armstrong and double Champion Navigator Clarke will be Leslie Alleyne and Chris O’Neal in the Simpson Motors/Rimula Lubricants/Spirax Lubricants/Sol Isuzu D-Max. Alleyne has won the Champion Driver title three times in the past seven years – his most recent triumph came in 2011 - and can always be counted on to present a strong challenge, as can the Champion Driver and Navigator of 2007, Mark Western and Robin Hinds in the Kar Parts Store/GWS Nissan Patrol.
Other experienced crews in the mix are Audley and Jeremy Croney (Arthur’s Electrical/CC Motorsports Suzuki Vitara) and Noel Edwards/Jason Downey (Esso Barbarees Hill/GWS Nissan Patrol), while the Champion Novice Driver of last year, Dominic Straker, is now promoted to the Pro Class, where he will drive a Land Rover Discovery with Ben Norris, the 2010 Champion Novice Driver switching seats to become Navigator.
Among the Novice crews, last year’s second-placed Driver Damien Johnson (Western Union Suzuki Samurai) now has Corey Williams as Navigator, while Nicholas Pinto (Jeep Grand Cherokee) is partnered by Jamal Brathwaite, who has the unique distinction of having won both the highest-placed Novice Driver and Navigator titles in the seasons before the separate Novice Championship was launched.
The first crew is scheduled to leave the start at Chefette Six Roads, St Philip at 3.31pm for route one in the eastern parishes of the island; the Dinner Stop will be at the Country View Bar, St George, with crews then heading west towards the Finish at Chefette Warrens, at approximately 11.30pm. The route-setter is Gary Mendes.
The Prizegiving for the BRC MudDogs March Safari will be held at the BCTSA Club House next Monday (March 18), once results are made final.
Chefette MudDogs Safari Championship
& Chefette MudDogs Safari Novice Championship
Round 1 - March 16 - March Safari
Novice Class
1 Nicholas Pinto/Jamal Brathwaite (Jeep Grand Cherokee)
8 Joshua Plaza/Rashid Nakhuda (Boston Jerk Pit/Auto Solutions Suzuki Samurai)
9 Damien Johnson/Corey Williams (Western Union Suzuki Samurai)
Pro Class
2 Leslie Alleyne/Chris O’Neal (Simpson Motors/Rimula Lubricants/Spirax Lubricants/Sol Isuzu D-Max)
3 John Pinto/Nicholas Branson (Amsoil Suzuki Jimny)
4 Audley Croney/Jeremy Croney (Arthur’s Electrical/CC Motorsports Suzuki Vitara)
5 Chris Armstrong/Wayne Clarke (Toyota Hilux)
6 Gregory Dickenson/Rorie McConney (Toyota Hilux)
7 Adrian Sinckler/Andre Murrell (Suzuki Samurai)
10 Wayne Manning/Willie Hinds (AMAT Trading Suzuki Samurai)
11 Warrick Eastmond/Trina Griffith (Daihatsu Feroza)
12 Mark Western/Robin Hinds (Kar Parts Store/GWS Nissan Patrol)
13 Noel Edwards/Jason Downey (Esso Barbarees Hill/GWS Nissan Patrol)
14 Dominic Straker/Ben Norris (Land Rover Discovery)
Forthcoming events
Round 2 - April 13 – Chefette April Safari
May Day MudFest - May 1
Round 3 - June 29/30 – Sol Go Further June Safari
Round 4 - September 15 - BRC MudDogs September Safari
Round 5 - November 10 - Nassco November Safari
For media information only. No regulatory value.
For further media information, robin@bradfax.com [2]
Web sites: www.barbadosrallyclub.com [3], www.muddogsbarbados.com [4]
