Competitive Season Ahead For Rally Club
Class Championships promise close battles

Although only two rounds of the 2009 Barbados Rally Club (BRC) Virgin Atlantic Driver's and Class Championships have been run, some interesting patterns are already emerging, thanks, in part, to the Club's new points structure, which promises some close contests in the Class Championship.

In the Driver's Championship, based on overall results, Paul Bourne (Subaru Impreza WRC S9) leads with 30 points; he is eight ahead of Roger Hill (Toyota Corolla WRC) and 11 ahead of Neil Armstrong (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI). With a further 10 qualifying rounds - Sol Rally Barbados 2009 counts as two events - and each driver to drop the season's lowest score, however, there is still a long way to go.

In the Class Championships, the points structure has been changed so that those in less well-supported classes do not benefit unfairly, particularly early in the season when competitors are struggling to prepare their cars; winning a fully-subscribed class (three or more starters) gains you 15 points but, with only two entries you gain 12, if you're on your own, the maximum is 10. BRC PRO Neil Barnard says: "As we have reinstated the concept of an Overall Class Champion, this is a fair system to adopt, now that we no longer have merging of classes."

As expected, SuperModified 11 already looks set to continue the pattern established last year, with Jonathan Still (BMW M3) and Nick Gill (Mazda 3) ready for another year-long struggle for supremacy; they have claimed one win each so far, with Still now one point ahead, 25 to 24. And there are potential front-runners yet to appear. Life is even harder in Modified 6, another class which will attract growing support as the season wears on, with Edward Corbin (Daihatsu Charmant) and Danny Williams (Ford Fiesta) currently equal on 22 points, with one victory apiece.

At this early stage, four drivers would be in line for the Overall Class Champion title, each with maximum scores in fully-subscribed classes - Bourne, Geoff Noel (Production 4 Evo IX), Ian Warren (now contesting SM10 in the ex-Sean Gill Suzuki Swift) and Adrian Linton (M7 Vauxhall Astra GSi). What happens between now and early November, however, is anyone's guess.

Virgin Atlantic BRC Driver's Championship - after Round 2

1st Paul Bourne (M8-WRC Banks/LIME Subaru Impreza WRC S9), 30 points
2nd Roger Hill (M8-WRC Esso/Nassco/Motormac Toyota Corolla WRC), 22pts
3rd Neil Armstrong (M8-A Hankook/Gunk/Simpson Motors/Shell V-Power
Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI), 19pts
4th equal Sean Gill (M8-WRC Simpson Motors/Shell V-Power Mitsubishi
Lancer Evo VIII) & Geoffrey Noel (P4 Globe Finance/Dewalt Tools/Essco/
Sunbeach/Automotive Art Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX), 16pts
6th equal Trevor Manning (M8-WRC All-Terrain Plus/Garbage Master Ford
Escort WRC) & Harold Morley (P4 Subaru Impreza N14), 12pts
8th Michael Worme (P4 Cot Media Group/Speedline Performance Auto/
Dingolay/Details Car Valet/Mobil 1 Subaru Impreza STi), 10pts
9th equal Kirk Watkins (M8-A Abacus Builders/Hankook/Aqua Pur
Mitsubishi Lancer Evo V), Dean Serrao (P4 Subaru Impreza N12),
Nicholas Gill (SM11 Mazda 3) & Ian Warren (SM10 Simpson Motors/Shell
V-Power Suzuki Swift), 5pts
etc

Virgin Atlantic BRC Class Championship
- after Round 2

Modified 8-WRC: 1st Bourne, 30pts; 2nd Hill, 22pts; 3rd S Gill,
19pts; etc
M8-A: 1st Armstrong, 22pts; 2nd Watkins, 10pts
Production 4: 1st Noel, 30pts; 2nd equal Morley & Worme, 22pts; etc
SuperModified 11: 1st, Jonathan Still (Hitachi Power Tools/Ocean
Spray/Philips Lighting/Crane & Equipments BMW M3), 25pts; 2nd N Gill,
24pts; 3rd Andrew Jones (Rexona V8/McEnearney Quality Inc Ford Escort
MkII), 10pts
SM10: 1st Warren, 30pts; 2nd Rhett Watson (The Unknown Entity/MQI
Collision Repair Centre/Toshiba/Office Solutions & Supplies/Corbs
Workz Ford Escort MkI), 24pts; 3rd Logan Watson (The Unknown Entity/
MQI Collision Repair Centre/Toshiba/Office Solutions & Supplies/Corbs
Workz Ford Escort MkI), 11pts
SM9: 1st James Betts (All Terrain Plus/Makita/Champion Auto/Kendal
Sporting/Star Products Opel Corsa), 27pts; 2nd Josh Read (Automotive
Art Toyota Starlet), 12pts; 3rd equal Jeremy Gonsalves (All Terrain
Plus/Makita/Champion Auto/Kendal Sporting/Star Products Opel Corsa) &
Neil Corbin (Nassco/Jason Jones/Auto Solutions Toyota Starlet), 10pts
M7: 1st Adrian Linton (Ravensden/Morris Straker Construction/Garbage
Gobbler/Crane & Equipment Vauxhall Astra GSi), 30pts; 2nd Freddie
Gale (Gale's Hatcheries/Nassco/VP Racing Toyota Corolla RunX), 24pts;
3rd Gary Mendes (Lunatics Inc/G & G Sales & Service/L G Trading/
Barbados Muffler Centre/Appleby Filling Station/ACT Sand Blasting/
Techno Toy Tuning/Fast Lane Model Car Racing Toyota Starlet), 11pts; etc
M6: 1st equal Edward Corbin (Automotive Art/Klark-Odio/Corbins Garage/
JVM Signage Daihatsu Charmant) & Danny Williams (Ford Fiesta), 22pts
M5: 1st Sean Cox (Simpson Motors Suzuki Swift), 22pts; 2nd Dave Sealy
(Lunatics Inc/G & G Sales & Service/L G Trading/Barbados Muffler
Centre/Appleby Filling Station/ACT Sand Blasting/Techno Toy Tuning/
Fast Lane Model Car Racing Toyota Starlet), 10pts

Round 3: May 3 - Automotive Art Shakedown Stages