A HEAD-TO-HEAD battle appears to be on the cards for today’s Barbados Rally Club (BRC) Winter Gravel Sprint double-header event at Black Bess St Peter.
The action is slated to start at 9 a.m.,but a new section that has been added to the course, on the grass field adjacent to the gravel hill, could provide major challenge.
Competition secretary Neil Corbinsaid all was ready for the staging of the event, but pointed out that the course could be a test for the drivers.
“We will be running the hill, headingEast, in the first sprint, then coming down the hill in the second. The course has been lengthened and technicality increased, especially in the reverse directionand drivers going downhill shouldfind it to be a good, exciting and challenging course,” Corbin said.
According to the competition secretary,Black Bess is the kind of course on which drivers could let their machines ‘hang out’ a little bit more while enjoying themselves and trying to shore up their respective positions in the race for the Virgin Atlantic Driver’s and Class Championships.
The 3.5 kilometre course is the last opportunity drivers will have to enhance their chances in the championship tableand keen competition is expected.
Most eyes will be on Conor Roachin the Chattel House Realty Peugeot 106 who holds a slight advantage over 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. The two are tiedon 120 points at the top of the table after seven rounds, but after each driver’s lowest score is dropped – 13 and 15 respectively, Roach has slipped ahead.
Each has a full compliment of competitors in their respective classes for the event and can score maximum points for their efforts, but winning will not be easy.
Roach, competing in the Clubman Class, will have to contend with drivers such as Jeremy Croney at the wheel of the Club Warren’s Lubricants/SRG Engineering/Sign Station/Sweet Temptations Peugeot 206, Trevor Mapp in the Valvoline Lubricants/Chicken Pen Racing/Mackeson Mitsubishi Mirage RS and Andrew Skeete driving the Sweet Temptations/Fasteners Barbados Mitsubishi Lancer.
Watson, competing in SuperModified 12, will share the car with Sean Corbin, while trying to hold off Allan Maynard who will also run in the class in the Marshall Trading/Roberts Manufacturing/Lubriguard Lubricants Toyota Starlet.
Another driver within striking distanceof Roach and Watson is Geoff Noel in the Kick Energy Drink/Sentry Insurance Brokers/Automotive Art/CIAC Air Conditioners/Mix 96.9FM/Dewalt Tools Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX.
He is three points behind after dropped scores are taken into account but a low turnout in his group for the event,means he will score reduced pointswhich will hamper his chances of closingin on the front runners.
Competitors are expected to arrive at Black Bess by 7.30 a.m. and will allowed a drive-through of the course before the first practice run and three official runs, the format for the day’s event.
Competitors have been warned thatif they arrive late they may not be ableto face the starter.
