Driver Age and experience, coupled with vehicle reliability, will be brought to the fore as an impressive list of competitors head to the start line for today’s Historic Rally, the main event of this year’s Barbados Historic Rally Carnival.
Twenty-six pairs are entered to contest the 15-stage event, the most notable being five-time British Rally champion Jimmy McRae, who would have long-time co-driver Ian Grinrod in a Tuthill-prepared Porsche 911. They are entered in Group 3C, along with another former top British pair Francis Tuthill and Jason O’Neil, who will also be competing in a Porsche 911. The pair of Alan Courtney and Joseph McGrath will be in a Porsche 928 S while Barbadians Ryan Wood and Raymond Parris will be in a BMW 323i.
McRae and Grinrod finished second in last year’s event and are no doubt looking to take top honours this year, but having finished down the field in the SuperSprint last Saturday are eager to make amends tomorrow.
Barbadian organizer Greg “Hotty” Cozier and Jamie Marsh in the Ford Escort RS are seeded car No.1, ahead of McRae and Grinrod and the pair of Tuthill and O’Neil. The pace is expected to be hot from the start.
But much interest should be centred on Group B, where the fastest cars are entered. The group included Andrew Jones and Kurt Ward in the Ford Escort MkII who returned the fastest time at last week’s SuperSprint and runners-up Ralph White and Joe Troulan in the Toyota Starlet. White and Troulan will be banking on the power of a Formula Atlantic 1600cc engine from Hasselgren Engineering, supported by the latest Pectel ECU and packaged with six-speed sequential dog box.
So serious are their intentions that they have a new suspension and brakes on the front end and have done some tweaks to improve the rear suspension.
White called it a “work in progress” as they were still developing the package and would be using Hankook tyres in the hope these changes would be able to regain some reliability for the rigours of rallying.
Group B is the largest group in the 12-hour rally, and also includes the Guyana and Barbados four-wheel drive lap record-holder Roger “His Hotness” Mayers who will have Stuart White as co-driver. This will heighten the level of the competition, not only in the group, but in the overall rally.
The rally will start at noon at Hopewell, St Thomas, and competitors will tackle the first stage of Route One – Hangman’s Hill to Mt. Misery – a 7.2 kilometre twisty layout, before heading to St Peter for the 4.7 kilometre stage laid out from French Village to Hope Road, St Lucy.
Competitors will tackle the day stages three times each before the dinner stop at Hopewell around 6 p.m. The rally will restart from Hopewell at 7:30 p.m., and competitors will settle the two routes of the night stages starting from Hope Road to Pickerings.
Six stages will be decided before the rally ends at midnight at the starting point.
The presentation of trophies and prizeswill take place on the Jolly Roger pirate ship in the Careenage from noon tomorrow.
