Thousands of spectators lined the stages, and they were not disappointed in the least when it came to action and excitement. With the official launch of the Simpson Motors Rally Team being the night before, everyone's eyes would be on the red, white and blue machines as they rocketed through the stages. One noticeable absentee however was the Texaco/Michelin/McEnearney Quality/Consolidated Finance/Carib Ford Escort WRC of Roger "The Sheriff" Skeete. His inability to take part was due to him waiting on parts for his machine. Bourne, Manning and Mayers weren't the only ones poised for battles. There were also battles between Barry Mayers (Automotive Art/Shell Helix Toyota Starlet) and Cliff Roett (Michelin/Nassco/Lucky Horseshoe/Roett's Garage Toyota Starlet), Jonathan Still (Nescafe/Phillips Lighting/Castrol BMW M3) and St.Elmo Cumberbatch (F Taylor Associates/Michelin/St.Elmo Supermarket BMW E36) and Geoff Noel (Citgo/Napa/Pirelli/AutoZone Mitsubishi Evo VI) and Harold Morley (Sunbeach Communications Inc Subaru Impreza STI). With all these contests going on within the main body of rally competitors, fans were assured non-stop excitement.

In the morning, drivers were cautious, not trying to push too hard. This was as a result of the roads being dusty, hence resulting in insufficient grip. Trevor Manning (right) said, "I'm not really on the throttle. The roads are quite dusty and there isn't much grip." This was evident at the Ellesmere stage, with some drivers having some close encounters with the scenery. One stage with particular interest, which would have a significant bearing on the outcome of the event, was the Wilson Hill to Malvern stage. In the morning, the stage was a hive of activity, with drivers having to make the turn uphill infront of the wall. Trevor "Electric Micey" Manning made these 2 turns look quite simple, especially the first one: offsetting his Evo as he approached and scandying up the hill. While going up the hill, his car was already set up to slide through the bend, which he did with nonchalant execution. Cliff Roett was another crowd pleaser as well, doing the same thing as Manning, the only difference being that it was done in rear wheel drive fashion. Approaching the corner with a great deal of speed, Roett flicked the Starlet uphill, and then repeated the process through the preceding bend. Paul Bourne and Roger Mayers were content to keep it clean and consistent. At SS6 (the final stage before the lunch stop), Roger Mayers was considerably quicker than the rest of the field as he got his second stage win. It was also on this stage that Sean Gill (right) (NP/Sunbeach/Kerridge/ Pirelli/Simpson Motors Rally Team Suzuki Ignis) had a run in with a signpost. The Ignis didn't sustain any major damage and Gill continued on.

The cars and crews then headed back to Kendal Plantation for the lunch stop and service. Up until that time, Bourne, Mayers and Manning each had 2 stage victories. In Group N, Harold "Doc" Morley was in the lead, with Geoff Noel and Brain "The Iceman" Gill poised to make an assault after lunch. The 2 BMWs of Jonathan Still and St.Elmo Cumberbatch were close, so too, were the Starlets of Barry Mayers and Cliff Roett. The afternoon stages were going to be very keenly contested; the possibility of the rally being decided at the last stage was very evident.

With the stages being run in the reverse direction, some drivers decided to push the limits. Geoff Noel, after having rectified some set-up experiments from the morning's stages, attacked the stages, thus placing pressure on Harold Morley who was leading the group. Barry Mayers retired due to clutch failure. This was somewhat a disappointment for both Mayers and the fans, as it was a thrill to see him driving the Starlet aggressively. As stated in a previous paragraph, SS8 at Malvern would be a turning point in the rally.

As a result of the dust which was swept onto the stages during the morning runs, the section by Malvern Great House was made even trickier. This section being the right 90 going down hill into the left 90 at the junction. Paul Bourne (left) was first into the stage. As he proceeded to slide through the right 90, his car lost grip in the dust, got very sideways and drifted towards the wall. Fortunately for Bourne, he was able to avoid hitting the wall, and continued on his way. The next driver through the stage, however, wasn't to be so lucky. Roger Mayers approached the right 90 and was the recipient of some very sideways movement and drift. His rear left wheel went down in to the slight embankment and slapped the wall. The momentum of this threw his car into the air, and it snapped around and the front hit the wall. When the car came to a halt, Mayers and his co-driver Max Ferri were out of the car. The rear left wheel was broken and the front bumper came off. This spelt the end of the rally for Mayers. This wasn't the only incident which changed the face of the rally. Trevor Manning was next through the stage. As a result of Mayer's car blocking the road, Manning couldn't pass. Soon afterward, Sean Dowding and Brian Gill came through. They were all red flagged and proceeded to the next stage. Unable to complete the stage, they would all be given a "plus time". This, no doubt cast serious doubts on Manning's victory charge. Roger "The Ninja" Hill (Mobil 1/Nassco/Michelin Motormac Toyota Celica GT4) came through next, and he too, hit the wall. There was just minor damage to the rear of his car, and he continued without any major hindrance. The dust in the corner, both corners actually, caught out many drivers

With all the drama being played out on the first run through Malvern in the afternoon, fans could hardly wait for what would happen in the second. Bourne was more cautious this time, and slowed down considerably on his approach. Sean Dowding did the same, so too, did Roger Hill. Next came the man who the entire crowd wanted to see…Trevor "Electric Micey" Manning. Manning was flawless in his execution of utilizing both sliding and drifting in the first corner, however, he was a little too quick going down the hill. Manning overshot the corner, but instead of stopping, he made an amazing 360° spin and continuing through the stage (left: 3.90 MB Video). If having a "plus time" on SS8 hindered his chances, that spin on SS11 certainly confirmed him for a sure second place. Cliff Roett was quite spectacular as he tossed his Toyota Starlet through both corners. He left fans in awe of his amazing car control, using the accelerator and steering wheel to evoke some "attitude" from the Starlet.

At the end of the event, Paul Bourne with co-driver Luis Venezia (right) placed 1st, with Trevor Manning and James Betts placing 2nd and 3rd place going to the pair of Roger Hill and Graham Gittens. With respect to the various groups: Bourne and Venezia won Group M9, Manning and Betts won M8, while P4 honours went to Geoff Noel and Leslie Alleyne. Open Modified and P3 merged 1st place went to Cliff Roett. Greg Cozier and Antonio DaSilva (Carib/Valvoline Oil Ford Escort RS2000) won M7. This was under protest, however, by Edward Corbin (Automotive Art/Corbin's Garage/Klark- Odio Toyota Corolla SR). Sean Gill and Michael Cummins were M6 winners, while his teammate Neil Barnard with co-driver Ryan Rodriguez won Group M5.

It was a well-planned and well-run event, with a minimum of hiccups and delays. Congratulations once again to Paul "The Surfer" Bourne on yet another win. His driving was flawless and clean. He was consistent, and for this he was rewarded with yet another comprehensive victory. We can only imagine that the best is yet to come. Congratulations go out to all other competitors and group winners. Kudos must be given to the marshals and members of the Royal Barbados Police Force who assisted in the smooth running of the event.