Top-Notch Entry for First Night International
New cars break cover at Vaucluse Raceway
Twelve four-wheel-drive cars head the entry list for the
Red Bull International RallySprint on Saturday (May 27) as
the opening event of the annual Barbados Rally Carnival runs
off at night for the first time. With an entry of more than
50 cars, an action-packed day is promised, with qualifying
slated for 10.00am.
The weekend's encounter is the final round of the Vaucluse
Raceway Motor Sport Club's (VRMSC) RallySprint Cup 2006, so
competition will be fierce as those in the running grasp their
last chance to score points. And, not only will they have
their regular opponents to contend with, but the overseas
drivers, too, a number of whom have performed well at the
St Thomas venue in the past.
International interest will centre on the Ford Focus World
Rally Car of British businessman Steve Perez, which heads
the largest-ever line-up at Vaucluse in the Modified 8 category;
the car, which has won two World Championship events in the
hands of Markko Martin, is being flown to the island in the
hold of the same Virgin Atlantic 747-400 which delivers the
bulk of the Rally Carnival competitors to Grantley Adams International
Airport tomorrow (Wednesday).
Perez has not competed at Vaucluse before, but the European
party also includes Kevin Procter, who is mounted in his fourth
different car in four years of contesting the two Rally Carnival
events; this year, he arrives with his trusty Subaru Impreza,
which should prove competitive in the Modified 8 classification,
where he will also run alongside fellow-Yorkshireman Fred
Davidson, who now drives Procter's former Ford Escort Cosworth.
Saturday's event will also be notable for the return to the
Vaucluse Raceway of the Simpson Motors Rally Team Mitsubishi
Lancer Evo VIII in which Trevor Manning holds the circuit
lap record. After extensive surgery at Harry Hockley Motorsport's
workshops in Britain, the car emerged from the Bridgetown
Port on Monday to undergo some testing and a change of livery.
Manning said at the weekend: "I'm hoping that we're
going to have a really competitive package now; a lot of time
has gone in to the efforts to improve the car, and I am really
looking forward to driving it. There isn't much time to get
prepared, so it will be a busy few days."
The 10-strong Modified 8 entry also includes Paul Bourne
(Subaru Impreza WRC), Barry Gale (Evo VI), Roger Hill (Toyota
Celica GT4), Harold Morley (Impreza WRC S9) Geoff Noel (Impreza
WRC) and Kirk Watkins (Evo V); a pair of Production 4 cars
will also be in the mix - St Vincent's Steve Ollivierre, who
has always gone well at the venue in front-wheel-drive cars,
now has an Evo VIII, while newcomer to Rally Carnival, England's
Andrew Johnson, has an Impreza.
But it is not just in the four-wheel-drive category where
the interest lies, particularly for those fans who follow
island motor sport closely. Also making its competition debut
on Saturday will be the new Suzuki Swift to be campaigned
by Manning's team-mate and triple VRW RallySprint Champion
Sean Gill. When Gill debuted the car's predecessor, the giant-killing
Suzuki Ignis, at the Barbados Rally Carnival in 2002, he won
his class in both events, and will be hoping for more of the
same.
Nick Gill will be another to watch out for - after a long
gestation period, his former Mazda 323 has been reborn in
the body of the current-model Mazda 3, in which he will return
to Vaucluse for the first time since March last year. He will
be running in the SuperModified 12 grouping, where his opposition
will include the BMWs of popular Englishman Martin Stockdale
and local ace Jonathan Still.
Tristan Gibbs leads the VRW RallySprint Cup after two impressive
outings in the ex-Freddie Gale Toyota Starlet Turbo; with
a total of 51 points, no fewer than six of them gained in
the all-important Group Winners' Handicap KnockOut, he has
five in hand over Josh Read (Toyota Starlet) and Ian Warren
(Peugeot 206GTi), who are tied in second place on 46. Greg
Cozier (Ford Escort RS2000) is fourth on 44, with a further
tie for fifth, another point behind, between Brett Clarke
(Suzuki Swift GTi) and Still.
Qualifying on Saturday is slated for 10.00am, with the Group
heats scheduled for a 5.00pm start; the sun will have long
set before the Group Winners Handicap KnockOut begins. A prize-giving
will complete the day's activities.
The Red Bull International RallySprint is organised by the
Vaucluse Raceway Motorsport Club; it is the third and final
round of the VRW RallySprint Cup 2006. The second Carnival
event is Rally Barbados 2006 (June 3/4), organised by the
Barbados Rally Club (BRC); it is rounds three and four of
the Texaco BRC Rally Championship and organised in association
with Armstrong Agencies, Automotive Art Shell, Da Costa Mannings
Autocentre, Digicel, DMS Distributors.com, McEnearney Quality,
Red Bull, Simpson Motors and Texaco West Indies. The event
is supported by The Boatyard, J E Security Systems & Services,
Nassco, Office Solutions & Systems, SBI Distribution and
Stoute's Car Rental.
VRW RallySprint Cup 2006
After two rounds:
1st Tristan Gibbs (Rent-a-Tool/Scorpion
Liners/Boyss Ltd/Algae X/Corrosion Block/Surfside Gym Toyota
Starlet Turbo), 51pts
2nd equal Josh Read (Automotive Art/Baram
Services/Forever Flowers/D Blades Trophies Ltd Toyota Starlet)
& Ian Warren (Subzero/Details Car Valet
Inc Peugeot 206GTi), 46pts
4th Greg Cozier (Citgo/Hyundai Commercial
& Industrial Ford Escort RS2000), 44pts
5th equal Brett Clarke (Shell Helix/Automotive
Art Suzuki Swift GTi) & Jonathan Still
(Hitachi Power Tools/Philips Lighting/Warrens Motors/Crane
& Equipment/VP Racing BMW M3), 43pts
7th Danny Williams (TransTech/All Connect/Sunbury
Plantation Peugeot 106), 42pts
8th Paul Bourne (Warrens Motors Subaru Impreza
WRC), 41pts
9th Adrian Linton (Ravensden/Crane &
Equipment/Garbage Gobbler/West Coast Garden Centre/Edwin Clarke
Furniture Vauxhall Astra GSi), 40pts
10th Simon Gillmore (SRG Engineering/Halton
Graphics Peugeot 205), 36pts
etc
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