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BRC Rally Barbados 2004,
Island Wide,
May 29 & 30, 2004
 
Index
Intro Page 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 Team Report
 
Team Report: (Dri) Barry Mayers (Nav) Adam Heart
(MO Trivial Pursuit™ Toyota Starlet)
 

WHAT A RALLY!!

On Saturday morning it looked like the weather was going to be a major issue during the event, and heavy rain on Friday night would make the stages very tricky and tedious.

We started the first three stages very cautiously as we knew the stage conditions were very unpredictable, and this technique paid off (especially in Pickerings!) In Pickerings we came around a fast right hand corner and met some standing water taking up ¾ of the road and before I knew it the car was hydroplaning towards a mud embankment. But with some luck the car caught traction at the last minute and I was back in control.

After the first three stages the conditions started to dry out so we changed to slicks. I realised then that Barry Gale, the fastest group N competitor, had only put about 3 seconds on us, despite the wet conditions. So at this point I decided to step up the pace a notch and to try to compete with Barry (Gale).

By the lunch stop I had got back the 3 seconds from Barry and also put another 3 on him, and we also then heard that my brother Roger was leading the rally, so everyone was in high spirits in the M & M Racing team.

In the last couple stages of the night we only had two minor problems, both of which occurred in Canefield stage: In the first run of Canefield it was not dark enough to see properly with the fog lights, which made me hesitant going into many of the corners. This resulted in us being slow in some of the corners but too quick in others.

The second problem we had was in the last run of Canefield, stage 15. We were approaching the 90 left by Vaucluse when we noticed John Powell off in the canes. I tried to slow the car down but the wheels locked due to the wet mud covering the road, so I came off the brakes and back on them, and with luck we slowed down enough to get around the 90 with no major incidents. I admit for a moment when the wheels locked I thought I was going to be joining John Powell in the canes. This incident could have turned out a lot worse, but luckily it didn't. Despite this slight hiccup we were pleased with the time we set as it was the third fastest overall time.

After the Saturday stages were over we came home to find out surprising news about Roger's car, that after him doing so well in the Rally a freak occurrence had stopped the oil pump from working which meant his rally was over. By Sunday morning the whole atmosphere in the M & M Racing team was just devastating.

But hats off and a HUGE thanks to my father, Stephen (Peb) Mayers, who lifted the spirits in the camp and also serviced my car for the whole day on Sunday, despite him not having a minute's sleep for the night due to trying to fix my brother's car.

On arriving at Six Roads for the morning service we got the results of the rally and realised we had a 30 second lead over Barry Gale and only about 20 seconds separated me from the two competitors in front of me, Roger Hill & Kevin Proctor.

At this point I decided that I had nothing to lose and that I would chase Hill & Proctor. The conditions stayed dry for the day, which played into my hands; also the car worked fantastic and gave no trouble for the day. However, unfortunately my battle was cut short as six stages in total were cancelled that day, and even though out of the 9 stages we did drive I had beaten both Hill & Proctor equally in 5 of the stages, it was just not meant to be.

So we finished in the end a very satisfied 6th overall and 1st in class, but who knows what it could have been if the last 6 stages were not cancelled….

Most importantly, I would like to thank Trivial Pursuit for coming on board with us at the last minute and also McEnearney Quality Motors for the help and support they have provided to the M & M racing team. Lastly, I would like to hugely thank all the marshals for coming out and making this event possible, as they had much harder conditions than any of the drivers, as they stood up in the blistering heat and sometimes the poring rain to let this event run smoothly.

Barry Mayers

 
 
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