The top six contenders for the prestigious champion driver’s title in the Barbados Rally Club’s (BRC) 2012 Virgin Atlantic Championship are all among the starters for the club’s Autumn Gravel Sprint double-header at Black Bess, St Peter today.
Some classes not being fully subscribed, resulting in a lower points haul for those competitors who do turn out, gives the event added importance as a one-day double-header where a fully subscribed class in the morning might lose a car or two for the afternoon session.
Only 16 points separate championship leader Daryl Clarke in the Ellco Rentals/Mom’s Pasta Products/MQI/Roberts Manufacturing Honda Civic and sixth-placed Jeremy Croney in a Clubman ReMax Lifestyles/Sweet Temptations/Sign Station/Gunk Peugeot 206, respectively, the leaders of the Modified 7 and Clubman classes, and since only one other competitor is entered in Clubman Class – the BRC’s only female driver, Shannon Kirton – Croney is at a disadvantage, while Clarke and the other front-runners should be able to score maximum points.
With a score dropped from each driver’s total, Clarke leads the standings with 113 points, from SM 11 leader, Logan Watson in the Oreo/Chips Ahoy!/Club Social/Formula1 High Performance Auto Care Products/Liquid Wrench/Sign Depot/The Unknown Entity/In support of Little Pink Gift BMW M3 on 110, with Neil Corbin in the Nassco/Jason Jones/Auto Solutions/Castrol Toyota Starlet third on 108 and reigning champion Geoff Noel in the Globe Finance/Sentry Insurance Brokers/Cargo Solutions International/Mix 96.9FM/CIAC Air Conditioners Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX fourth on 107 and Paul Bourne in the Chefette/LIME/Slam 101/MQI/Banks/Castrol Ford Focus WRC07 fifth on 101 – four points ahead of Croney.
After a drive-through to allow competitors to see the course, drivers will be allowed one practice run before three official runs in each direction of the three-kilometre Black Bess Autumn Gravel Sprint course which could prove to be the turning point of this year’s event, particularly if there is attrition in those classes which are starting the day with just three entries.
Following a one-hour break, a second run-through is planned, after which there will be a further practice run and three official runs in the opposite direction.
Competitors are expected to arrive for scrutineering by 8 a.m., with the event slated to start at 9.30 a.m.
The service area will be the grassy area under the trees on the western approach to Mangrove Plantation.
