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VRMSC Sunbeach RallySprint Cup, Rnd 2
Vaucluse Raceway,
Sun, May 4, 2003
 
Index
Intro Page 1 2 3 4 5
 
News From The Vaucluse Raceway Motor Sports Club
 
Gill Storms to Lead of RallySprint Cup
Incidents aplenty in first counter-clockwise races

Sean Gill

Sean Gill is the new leader of Sunbeach RallySprint Cup 2003 after trouncing the opposition in an action-packed second round at the Vaucluse Raceway on Sunday (May 4). After winning his Group in the NP/Sunbeach/Kerridge/Pirelli/Simpson Motors Suzuki Ignis, he then picked off his opponents in the end-of-day KnockOut Handicap to collect three valuable extra points, taking his total to 34.

In assuming the series lead, Gill demoted team-mate Trevor 'Electric Micey' Manning (Mitsubishi Evo V), who had dominated the season-opener in April. Although he was the fastest man on the track once again - despite the St Thomas facility being raced counter-clockwise for the first time - Manning fared badly in the points-scoring head-to-head knockout runs, losing his heat to Sean Dowding's similar car.

Although he beat Brian Gill (Banks/Pirelli/Texaco/Williams Industries Subaru Impreza WRX) in the third-place run-off, the 10 points scored bring his total to only 27, so Manning slips to third equal in the table with his fellow crowd-pleaser Geoffrey Ullyett (Ullyett's Machine Shop Nissan 140Y).

It was another good day for the recently-launched Simpson Motors Rally Team, with Neil Barnard also claiming a Group win in the NP/Sunbeach/Kerridge/Pirelli Opel Corsa. Although Barnard beat him in the Group final, however, veteran racer Freddie Gale remains second in the overall standings with 28 points scored in the Gale's Hatcheries Toyota Starlet Turbo.

Kirk WatkinsOn his way to Group victory, Gill had beaten Kirk Watkins (right) (Sunbeach Communications Inc Toyota Corolla GTI), who wrote his name in the Vaucluse Raceway record books as the only driver to have contested all 12 RallySprint events staged there since August 2000. Before Sunday, both he and Greg 'Hottie' Cozier had taken part in them all, but a gearbox problem for Cozier in the previous weekend's Barbados Rally Club one-day tarmac event meant his car was laid up.

Alex WhiteheadEarlier in the day, group wins were also claimed by motor sport newcomer Alex Whitehead (right) (Budget Datsun), Ullyett, Martin Atwell (Westfield Megabusa) and Dowding. The final KnockOut Handicap of the day was between Gill and Atwell, the Ignis and Westfield so evenly matched that it was impossible to determine a handicap. With an even start, therefore, these two experienced racers provided the crowd with a thrilling climax to the best part of seven hours of track action, Gill crossing the line less than half a car's length ahead.

Unlike the April event, at which there was only one incident of note, the first-ever use of the Vaucluse Raceway in a counter-clockwise direction caused plenty of dramas. Those to fall foul of the new layout included Paul 'Surfer' Bourne (right), who ploughed into the tyres at the southern hairpin on his first qualifying run in the Banks/Pirelli/Texaco/ Williams Industries Subaru Impreza WRC, while Chan Geberdhan rolled one of the Budget Datsuns and Graham Gittens inverted the NASSCO and Mobil 1-backed Toyota Starlet Turbo he shares with cousin Lindsay Farmer. No-one was injured, but their cars looked the worse for wear.

Round 3 of Sunbeach RallySprint Cup 2003 is the International event that starts off the Barbados Rally Carnival; organisers anticipate the largest entry ever seen at the Vaucluse Raceway; there will be practice and qualifying on Saturday, May 31, with a full day of racing on Sunday, June 1.

Sunbeach RallySprint Cup 2003 - after round 2

1st Sean Gill (NP/Sunbeach/Kerridge/Pirelli Simpson Motors Rally Team Suzuki Ignis), 34 points
2nd Freddie Gale (Gale's Hatcheries Toyota Starlet Turbo), 28 points
3rd equal Trevor Manning (NP/Sunbeach/Kerridge/Pirelli Simpson Motors Rally Team Mitsubishi Evo V) and Geoffrey Ullyett (Ullyett's Machine Shop/Goodyear Tyres/Argent Lubricants/Sikkens Nissan), 27 points
5th Kirk Watkins (Sunbeach Communications Inc Toyota Corolla GTI), 25 points
6th Barry Gale (Toyota Corolla GTI; Mitsubishi Evo V), 24 points

Sunbeach RallySprint Cup 2003 - round 2 results

Group 1:
• 1st Alex Whitehead (Budget Nissan);
• 2nd Stephen Moore (Budget Nissan); 3rd Orville Blackman (Nissan 120Y);
• no other starters
Group 2:
• 1st Geoffrey Ullyett (Budget Nissan);
• 2nd Shaun Alleyne (Toyota Starlet);
• 3rd Tristan Gibbs (Kumho Datsun 160J);
• 4th Owen Proverbs (Budget Nissan)
Group 3:
• 1st Neil Barnard (NP/Sunbeach/Kerridge/Pirelli Simpson Motors Rally Team);
• 2nd Freddie Gale (Gale's Hatcheries Toyota Starlet Turbo);
• 3rd Roger Marshall (Photo Finish One Hour Photo/Agfa Film Toyota Starlet);
• 4th John Corbin (Corbin's Garage/Klark-Odio Toyota Corolla)
Group 4:
• 1st Sean Gill (NP/Sunbeach/Kerridge/Pirelli Simpson Motors Rally Team Suzuki Ignis);
• 2nd Lindsay Farmer (Nassco/Phillips Lighting/St James Travel/Mobil 1 Toyota Starlet Turbo);
• 3rd Kirk Watkins (Sunbeach Communications Inc Toyota Corolla GTI);
• no other finishers
Group 5:
• 1st Martin Atwell (Pro Pac/Super Pets Mart/Mike Atwell Exports Inc Westfield Megabusa);
• 2nd Geoffrey Ullyett (Ullyett's Machine Shop/Goodyear Tyres/Argent Lubricants/Sikkens Nissan);
• 3rd Jonathan Still (Nescafe/Phillips Lighting/Castrol BMW M3);
• no other finishers
Group 6:
• 1st Sean Dowding (Globe Finance/NPK Construction Mitsubishi Evo 5);
• 2nd Barry Gale (Mitsubishi Evo 5);
• 3rd Trevor Manning (NP/Sunbeach/Kerridge/Pirelli Simpson Motors Rally Team Mitsubishi Evo V);
• 4th Brian Gill (Banks/Pirelli/Texaco/Williams Industries Subaru Impreza WRX)

Group winners KnockOut Handicap: Whitehead beat Barnard; Gill beat Ullyett; Gill beat Whitehead; Atwell beat Dowding; Gill beat Atwell

 
 
Index
Intro Page 1 2 3 4 5
 
 
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