Second again.
The top prize at last weekend’s PetCom Rally Jamaica has eluded the Barbadian pair of Sean Gill and Michael “Zippy” Cummins.
After being locked in a see-saw three-way battle on the final day, Gill and Cummins in the Simpson Motors/Shell V-Power/Automotive Art//Digicel Suzuki SX4 lost the top spot on the penultimate stage of the rally and finished second with a total elapsed time of one hour, 32 minutes, 14.934 seconds.
Pride of place went to John “Penti” Powell and Nick Telfer who returned a time of one hour, 32 minutes, 03.742 seconds in their Subaru Impreza S14.
Last year’s winners Gary Gregg and Hutchinson in a Ford Focus took third spot with a time of one hour, 36 minutes, 12.457 seconds.
“We had been in a good position from early in the rally but lost third gear as we went to lunch on Saturday. But our engineers replaced the gearbox and after lunch we were able to fight our way back to the top and regained the lead by the overnight stop,” Gill said.
On Sunday the battle with Powell and Telfer continued but on the high-speed stage at Bernard Lodge, the Barbadian pair lost the initiative and compounded the problem on the downtown super special.
Gill said he and co-driver Cummins gave it their best, backed up by the excellent work of their technical crew.
He added that they were undaunted by the result and would be back.
“Powell has more experience on high-speed stages than I have, so he had the edge at Bernard Lodge,” said Gill.
“But we were more comfortable with the car this time around. It worked well due to the level of preparation undertaken by our sponsors and engineers and we are looking forward to the 2012 season.
“We plan to do the full circuit which, apart from the local itinerary, will include Rally Trinidad in March, Sol Rally Barbados and cap it with Rally Jamaica next December,” he added.
The other Barbadian entrant, Harold “Doc” Morley, and Jamaican co-driver Mark Nelson in a Subaru Impreza took fifth spot with a time of one hour, 48 minutes, 12.322 seconds.
Former winners Jeff Panton and Mike Fennell, in a Mitsubishi Lancer, were fourth with one hour, 38 minutes, 05.565 seconds.
The highest placed woman in the rally was co-driver Marcia Dawes who with driver Alan Chen in a well-prepared Toyota Corolla, finished ninth overall and second in Group JA 4. Their total elapsed time was one hour, 52 minutes, 53.858 seconds.
Of the 26 cars from Scotland, Ireland, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados and hosts Jamaica which started the gruelling 24 stage rally, only 13 were classified as finishers.
