SOL?RALLY?BARBADOS?and former British national rally champion Paul Bird heads an impressive list of starters for tomorrow’s Scotiabank King of the Hill from Fairfield, St Lucy to Luke Hill, St Peter.
The biggest number of entries in the World Rally Car classes ever assembled in the region will be preceded by scrutineering for all competitors at the Simpson Motors complex, Warrens today and will be the first hurdle for all the starters in the event.
Bird, who won both King of the Hill and Sol Rally Barbados last year, will be at the wheel of a potent Ford Focus WRC08, looking to repeat that performance this year.
His strongest challenges should come from a cadre of in-form local drivers such as former winners Roger The Sheriff Skeete, Paul The Surfer Bourne and newcomer to the group, Neil Armstrong.
But another battle is on for two-wheel drive supremacy with the likes of Josh Read, who moved up to SM10 last year after four SM9 titles ,and Roger His Hotness Mayers, who was ninth overall and SM9 winner last year. Mayers now has an 1800 engine in the WR Starlet, and has moved up to SM10.
The results of the King of the Hill are used to seed the Sol RB13 and cars which do not compete will be seeded behind the last car in their class, unless safety considerations dictate otherwise.
Notable absentees tomorrow include Jamaica’s Jeff Panton, who said the Caribbean Motor Racing Championship (CMRC) first round will cause him to miss King of the Hill, and Ireland’s Joe McQuillan, who is entered in his Group A Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII.
Two popular regular visitors, Ireland’s Glenn Campbell and Allan Mackay from Scotland, are back. Campbell will be at the wheel of a two-litre former rallycross championship-winning Nissan Micra, while Mackay returns with his familiar Ford Anglia WRC.
The practice run is slated for 10.15 a.m. tomorrow followed by three official runs, the fastest of which will decide competitors’ finishing positions. Cars will run in reverse seeding order, from Clubman up to WRC-1, and the top 10 after the first official run will be held back and re-seeded in reverse order to run at the end of the field.
The St Lucy/St Peter venue for the event is the fifth venue used since the inaugural event at Turner’s Hall in 2008, followed by Stewart’s Hill and Sailor Gully, before Hangman’s Hill was used for the past two years.
Bourne won in 2008 and 2010, Skeete in 2009 and 2011 and Bird triumphed last year.
