Sean Gill and the Simpson Motors/Shell V-Power/Automotive Art/Monster Energy Drink Suzuki SX4 WRC were the class of the field when competitors in the Barbados Rally Club’s (BRC) 2012 Virgin Atlantic Championship gathered at the popular Black Bess course in St Peter on Sunday for the BRC Autumn Gravel Sprint.
The double-header, Rounds 8 and 9 of the championship, was run in conditions more suited to the off-roaders of the BRC’s MudDogs division, for such was the havoc wrought by the rain which had started well before sunrise and continued on and off throughout the day.
More than three seconds faster than the field on both the uphill easterly run in the morning and the downhill afternoon run, Gill beat Paul Bourne (Chefette/LIME/Slam 101/MQI/Banks/Castrol Ford Focus WRC07) into second place twice, Bourne returning to the loose for the first time in two years.
Roger Hill (Esso/Nassco/MotorMac Toyota Corolla WRC) and Dean Serrao (Sugar Ultra Lounge/Rush Restaurant Subaru Impreza WRC S9) finished third in the morning and afternoon, respectively.
“The car worked reliably after its engine was rebuild and allowed me to have a pretty good lead-up to Rally Jamaica,” Gill said.
“The water on the stage was the most challenging part as it really took a lot more to drive the car today compared to last year.”
Bourne echoed Gill’s comments about the water, adding: “It took me some time to settle in for the morning runs but I felt much more comfortable in the car in the afternoon.”
Despite the conditions, all 22 cars on the provisional entry list turned out, although not all ended the day unscathed.
After some disappointments this season, Mark Hamilton returned to form, winning Production 4 on both runs, finishing fourth and fifth overall, while fellow Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX driver Geoff Noel, the reigning Champion Driver, damaged his suspension on a rock.
Points leader in the Champion Driver title chase before the weekend, Daryl Clarke, in his Honda Civic, did not have a good day, sharing class wins with Edward Corbin, who was driving a Toyota Corolla RunX. However, the spirit of camaraderie in Modified 7 came through in his post-event remarks.
“The event was not that good but it was still fun. The car did not like the water on the course as it cut out, costing me time, but I still wasn’t too far off Edward.
“In the last morning run, aiming to overhaul him, I broke my axles on the way up the hill,” Clarke said.
“For the afternoon I got the car fixed and then let Edward do a run in my car after his car broke down. We both had to call it a day when the axles broke again.”
Logan Watson (BMW M3), the fastest two-wheel-drive up the hill, was one of Clarke’s challengers for the Champion Driver title. Watson won his class in both runs, helping his championship hopes.
In the afternoon, he was pipped to the 2WD victory by six-tenths of a second by a delighted Jamal Brathwaite, who has suffered several issues this year with his Mitsubishi Mirage RS.
Brathwaite shared the Modified 6 class wins with Neil Corbin in a Toyota Starlet, another contender in the Champion Driver title chase that will not be resolved before the final event of the season. (PR)