There MIGHT BE FEW thingS more exciting to Barbadian motor racing fans than rallying in the dark and this was demonstrated when they braved the weather to enjoy some action Saturday night.
With the rain falling and the wind blowing, the conditions were more akin to a Wales Rally GB than a Bajan contest, but despite this the action was sweet, hot and fast in the Barbados Rally Club’s Summer Nights Tarmac Stages Rally.
The action started after 6 p.m under wet conditions and the first man of 29 to tackle the Hope Road to Pickerings stages was Paul “The Surfer” Bourne, who in his Ford Focus WRC pilot attacked as if the road was dry.
It is no secret that Bourne’s car hampered him these last couple of months. However, it seems that all the issues were resolved by Saturday, with the car answering his every request.
Bourne looked consistently fast thorough the narrow sections and the wet conditions did not seem to deter him at all.
Next up was Roger Skeete in the Subaru S12WRC. People used to think he had no hope in the wet or in the dark but on Saturday night the veteran proved that he and his car had stepped up. The Impreza looked a little “tail-happy” and it only served to excite the crowd even more.
The ever-consistent Roger “The Ninja” Hill seemed to be in his element under the dark skies.
His somewhat ageing Toyota Corolla WRC was proving it still had some fight in it yet. Hill was neat and tidy and at times spectacular in his efforts to chase down the more modern adversaries.
His quick gear changes and proper use of the hand brake excited the fans.
Also out in full force was Neil Armstrong in his Toyota Starlet. He was once again hot on the heels of the FWDs and even though his approach was akin to circuit racing, the mere presence of him and his car seemed the send the crowd into a frenzy.
There was no catching him on the night unless there was some kind of divine intervention or mechanical failure. It will be tough for other 2WD drivers to beat him.
Competitors included Andrew Jones in his Mark Two Escort and Rhett D’Andrade in his Daihatsu Charmant.
Brothers Logan and Rhett Watson battled with fellow BMW rival Martin Atwell for honours in Group SM11.
Daryl Clarke wrestled with Adrian Linton and the others from his class, while Josh Read and Ralph White battled in SM10 with Neil Armstrong.
The same weather that made the event more exciting turned out to be the undoing for some, Neil Corbin said on Facebook that “the timing computers were destroyed by the rain and there was also a safety concern due to a high volume of water flowing across the stage after the fourth stage”.
This meant that the last two stages were cancelled. However, enough of the stages were run to give a result and it appears that Bourne took away the winning points.