Europeans back in force for Digicel Williams International

One of England's most successful sports and saloon car drivers, with more than 500 career wins, will compete in the Digicel Williams International Race Meet slated for August 28/29, bringing to five the number of European entries, a record for Bushy Park since 1975.

By July 18 this year, Rod Birley had clocked up no fewer than 515 outright or class victories at 16 road race circuits and 13 hot rod ovals, and won countless class and overall championship titles, most recently last year's Dunlop Motorsport News Saloon Car Championship, which he won in his Ford Escort WRC.

Delighted by the response from Europe, Barbados Auto Racing League (BARL) Chairman Adrian Mayers said: "Attracting a driver like Rod is a feather in the cap for Barbados motor racing, and the island - I am told that the '500' Club doesn't have too many members. Not only is he one of England's most successful drivers, but he is also a regional Chairman of the British Automobile Racing Club (BARC), Britain's top race organisation. From our initial contact, we believe this is a relationship that can grow, as the cars that compete in championships under his remit are well suited to our regulations."

The BARC has been involved with Bushy Park in the past: its Executive Director Dennis Carter conducted training sessions for marshals and officials in advance of the reopening of the circuit in 1992, while the Club's recent international commitments have included providing the 350 officials and marshals necessary to run the inaugural Abu Dhabi Grand Prix last year, all still under the direction of Carter.

Birley combines his voluntary BARC work with a continuing race programme; since he started racing at the age of 17 in 1973 in a Hillman Imp (he won a Scottish saloon car title in that first season, commuting more than 800 miles for each race) he has raced more than 50 types of car. The scope has been immense, from Mini to Mercury Cougar – of the cars he's driven, Birley says: "The best-handling was Rob Cox's BDA-engined, Caterham 7-based 'Black Brick' and the fastest a Ford Sierra with a Porsche 956 engine, which was capable of more than 180mph on the old pit straight at the Zandvoort circuit in Holland."

Thanks to technical issues, his Escort has not made the trip, but he will share the Audi TT of Steve Hall; originally built for autocross in Germany, it is powered by a 250bhp 2-litre 16-valve Vauxhall engine and is one of few cars to have beaten Birley's Escort. Former hot rod racer Hall – his weapons of choice in the 1980s were Ford Escorts and a Toyota Starlet, before switching to circuit racing - has won England's Intermarque League Championship for the past two years in the Audi, and leads again in 2010, aiming for a hat-trick of titles.

The final member of the international contingent is Nick Williamson, who brings the 580bhp Escort Cosworth in which he has become a force to reckon with in the Ajec AWD Academy Saloon Cup, with three wins to his credit already this year; four-wheel-drive circuit racing in the UK is a comparatively new thing, although Germany's Frank Biela did win eight races and the 1996 British Touring Car Championship in an Audi A4 Quattro, similar to the car now campaigned in the Caribbean by Bajan veteran Doug Maloney, the only driver who will race at Bushy Park this year, who was also there in the 1970s.

Williamson started racing in 1981, and spent 15 years on motorcycles before switching to modified saloon car racing in 1996; he won a hat-trick of Modified Production Championship titles between 2002 and '04, then enjoyed class wins in the 2005 Track & Race Cars Saloon Championship, the 2008 Euro Saloons Championship, and outright in the 2009 Dunlop Motorsport News Championship.

BARL's pre-event build-up continues on Friday (August 20) with the final weekly after-work lime opposite H & B Hardware at Warrens, St Michael; cars will be on display from around 4.00pm, refreshments will be on sale, and there will be a chance for fans to hear what Barry and Roger Mayers think about the upcoming International.

Digicel Williams International Race Meet timeline

Friday, August 20 – 4:00pm: Meet the Drivers promo, Warrens, St Michael
Saturday, August 28 – 1:00pm: Qualifying, Bushy Park, St Philip
Sunday, August 29 – 8.00am: Digicel Williams International Race Meet
Monday, August 30 – 7.00pm: Prize giving