The father and son combination of Audley and Jeremy made it a family affair in Sunday’s Redlinefuels.com September Safari.
Competing in a Suzuki Vitara, they made off with the Barbados Rally Club’s Chefette MudDogs Safari Championship event with 152 penalties, the first win for them since coming together as a pair in 2009.
To date their record reads 14 safaris, finishing lower than sixth only once, and in the top three five times before this first victory.
Derek “Driller” Gill and Andrew Croney in a Mitsubishi Pajero finished second with 182 penalties. The fancied pair of Leslie Alleyne and Chris O’Neal in an Isuzu D-Max was third with 204 penalties.
After Monday’s prize-giving at the Barbados Clay Target Shooting Association Clubhouse at Searles, Christ Church, the Croneys, said timing was the key as their victory came toward the end of the event which attracted 16 pairs.
“We went around Harrow when others got stuck, and won that way,” the senior Croney noted.
The pair was in contention from the first route, which started with a dexterity test at Simpson Motors. They collected 90 penalties and took third place, behind Alleyne and O’Neal who had 32 penalties and route winners Derek Gill and Andrew Croney in a Mitsubishi Pajero with 12 penalties.
After the lunch stop at the Sand Dunes Restaurant on the Ermie Bourne Highway, route two was characterized by many vehicles getting stuck in the mud as crews went through the eastern parishes to the finish at Three Houses Plantation.
The younger Croney said the safari was a lot better than they had expected.
“We thought it would be muddier but timing was the key. Though the route was simple, it was a clean rally,” he said.
The victory, the first for the senior Croney since returning to competition in 2005, also confirmed them among Barbados’ top navigational crews.
When dropped scores are taken into account, it puts them on equal points with Alleyne and O’Neal, with one round to go in the Nassco November Safari on November 10.
Gregory Dickenson and Andre Murrell, in a Toyota Hilux, took fourth spot with 279 penalties.
Among the Chefette Novice Championship Derek Pinto and Jamal Brathwaite, in an Isuzu D-Max, were victorious. Despite getting stuck in St Philip, they were still good enough to place ninth overall ahead of Dave Gibson and Andy Williams, who finished second among the novices with 1 502 penalties for 12th position overall.
Noel Edwards and Jason Downey, who competed in a Nissan Patrol, won the Sportsmanship Award.
High performance diesel, gasoline and fuel additives were the prizes for the top three overall and novice crews, while Barry Gale of Redlinefuels.com presented female co-driver Trina Griffith, a regular top 10 finisher, with a full beauty treatment as the highest-placed female competitor.
