Today’s Motoring Club Barbados Inc.’s (MCBI) Rally of the Sun and Stars will have an international flavour.
That’s because British-born Turks & Caicos Islands driver Paul Horton, at the wheel of the Sky Motorsports/Java Island/H Racing/Precision Racing Ford Escort MkI, will be among 62 drivers and co-drivers entered for the 12-stage event which will bring the curtain down on the 2013 calendar.
No stranger to Barbados, Horton, who will have Kristian Yearwood as co-driver, finished second in M7, in this year’s Sol Rally Barbados in the same machine. With that knowledge still fresh in his mind, he is expected to present a strong challenge to group winners Edward Corbin and Rodney Clarke in the Valvoline/Automotive ArtProsales/Klarkodio/Corbins Garage Toyota Corolla RunX.
The action is scheduled to start at 2:01 p.m. at Greenland Agricultural Station, St Andrew and will be the last hurrah for the drivers chasing group and overall honours in the club’s championship.
Among them are Rhett Watson, in the Oreo/Chips Ahoy!/Armstrong Agencies/Power King Batteries/Unknown Entity/Hankook Tyres/SpringBoard Marketing Platforms/In support of Little Pink Gift BMW M3, who heads the overall standings with 125 points, and Josh Read, in the Stihl/Gliptone/Hankook/SDRR/Weetabix/Royal Purple/EZone/Coffee Bean Toyota Starlet, who has 118.
Watson and Read are also locked in a battle for the two-wheel drive title.
The Warren brothers, Ian and Robert, in the Simpson Motors/Automotive Art Suzuki Swift, and Jamal Brathwaite, who up to press time had not named a co-driver, will help to heighten the competition which will see drivers tackle stages laid out at Diamond Corner, St Peter to Gays, St Lucy; Lamberts to Pickering, St Lucy and Sailor’s Gully to Welchtown, St Peter.
Head-to-head battles are also expected between arch-rivals Roger “The Sheriff” Skeete and Louis Venezia in the Sol/Michelin/Simpson Motors/DaCosta Mannings Auto Centre Subaru Impreza WRC S12; Paul “The Surfer” Bourne and Jermin Pope in the Chefette/Banks/LIME/Castrol Ford Focus WRC07; Dean Serrao (no co-driver yet) in the Sugar Ultra Lounge Subaru Impreza WRC S9 and Roger “The Ninja” Hill and Graham Gittens in the Esso/Nassco/MotorMac Toyota Corolla WRC, in the top class groups.
The rally has also brought out Trevor “Electric Micey” Manning, in the Oreo/Chips Ahoy!/Armstrong Agencies/Power King Batteries/Unknown Entity/Hankook Tyres/SpringBoard Marketing Platforms/In support of Little Pink Gift BMW M3, who will be partnered by Derek Edwards, as well as David Brewster and Alex Kirton in the SRG Engineering/Castrol/Innovative Security Solutions/Gittens & Company/Armstrong/USG Products Peugeot 205GTi.
Stuart White and Jason Cozier, Jeremy and Andrew Croney and Kenny and Kevin Cumberbatch will also be under starter’s orders.
Competitors are asked to arrive at Greenland Agricultural Station no later than 11 a.m. and those whose cars have not been checked for the year are asked to contact Adrian Linton.
The stage commanders are Ernest Brewster, Jeff Bovell and Roger Sergeant and clerk of the course will be Jefferson Russell.
