Rally Finale 2006 - 4th November 2006
Photography by Devi Nath & Gerrard Wilson
Article courtesy Barry Mckenzie and Jacqueline Alexis

Rallymac/ Castrol EVO 6 wins Rally Finale

The 2006 Rally Season came to a close in fine style in its unofficial home at Preysal on Saturday 4th November with 11 competitors registered to compete in the Famous Snake Run and the Zig Zag Superspecial.

The rally started at 3.08pm with Car “0” driven by Jerome Lum Hung and co-piloted by Simon Rodriguez. Car “0”’s job is to ensure that the course is safe for the competing cars to follow, normally going at 70 % of the speed of the rest of the Competitors. They were followed by the Ainsley Lochan and Scott Sheppard team in the Stag / NP/ Josef’s Evo6 with a spectacular launch on the start line and they posted a run of 1 min 46 sec, setting a challenging target for the other cars. .

Colin Khan and Richard Ramsingh in the Esso/ Listerine / Flowertime Subaru were looking for glory on Snake run, which is undoubtedly the most challenging albeit dangerous stage in the Rallyclub line up. They posted a time of 1min 50 sec. Next up was the Castrol Evo3 of Fawaz Mohammed and Adrian Ali  (1min 51 sec )  and they were followed by another Castrol sponsored Car, this time an EVO6  driven by Barry Mckenzie and co-driver Justin Wallace, posting a time of 1 min 42 sec to lead the 4WD class. Barry and Justin would continue to dominate the 4 runs on the Snake.

The other Esso Sponsored Subaru team of Vishal Dhanraj and Ian Rouse was having its share of mechanical problems and was at the end of the snake run, behind the foreign team of Steven Ollivierre and local co-driver Stephen Vail in the Empire / TSI sponsored EVO 8, who was now tied for third position with the Castrol EVO 3 of Fawaz Mohammed.

An interesting battle was developing in the 2 Wheel drive class with the unsponsored teams of Darrel Ramesar / Anand Awai in the FWD Lancer and Rezan Mohammed / Arshad Mundro also in another FWD Lancer. They traded stages at random on the Snake runs with Darrel getting the best of now seasoned driver Rezan who has won the last 6 stages back to back - finally some competition in the 2 Wheel Class.

Fun Runs were the order of the day and a larger fan base turned out for the chance to be driven in a Rally car on the stages. The Fun event, although untimed, ran with all safety issues checked and doubled checked to ensure the participants’ safety. FUN they did have, with 20 fans each experiencing the thrill of sideways driving, the mark of a good rally driver.

The Night Stages got on the way at 7.30 pm with a well lit Superspecial. Lanterns danced in the light night breeze inviting our drivers to come out and play and that they did. Ainsley’s  EVO was spectacular as usual on the tight turns; the large crowd cheered loudly showing their appreciation for his dancing skills. The Zig Zig did have some casualties with Colin Khan’s Subaru having major gearbox problems but he was still able to finish the event. Fawaz Evo 3  hit a tree and lost some time on the stage. Vishal Dhanraj was not that lucky though losing his exhaust from the turbo down and having to retire from the event, Darrel Ramesar hit a bump on the course and bent the left front cradle, but his team was able to repair in time for the next stage and he clinched the win in the 2WD class ahead of Rezan Mohammed.

Steven Ollivierre / Stephen Vail in the Empire / TSI EVO 8 gave away the third spot in 4WD class after hitting the inner bank on the Loop in the Zig Zag Stage and bending his Oil Cooler onto his Tires .He returned on the next stage but penalties accrued for missing a stage, left him out of the top 3 spots.
Barry Mckenzie and Justin Wallace in their Castrol EVO 6 had the measure of the NP/ Stag / Josef’s EVO6 and cruised home in First position in Class 3A and First Overall. Barry and Justin were declared the Winner of the Stag/ NP Rally Finale bringing to a successful close, the TTRC Stages Competition for 2006.

The post-rally party went on till late into the night. The rains came but didn’t damper the Celebrations of the Rally Folks and their Supporters.

Our annual prize giving function is being held at Lynx Restaurant and Bar in Chaguanas on 25th November. Tickets are going for $200.00 each inclusive of a sumptuous inner and light Refreshment, Dress Code Elegantly Casual.

Tickets available from any committee member (log on to our website www.rallytrinidad.com for the contact numbers)  or call 663- 9715 to reserve your seat.

Group 3A

Group 1-4

OVERALL

The Fun Run from the PRO’s personal perspective

The TTRC closed its 2006 High Speed Stages season with a big bang at Preysal on November 4th. In appreciation of their supporters and well-wishers, the TTRC treated them to free rides with the drivers.  Each interested individual signed a waiver, which was placed in a box, from which the drivers selected in pick-a-pan style. 20 lucky people got the opportunity to ride in the rally cars, driven by some of the most successful TT high-speed stages drivers.

Justin Wallace, navigator for Mr. Barry Mckenzie, of the Castrol / Rallymac / Sweet Tamarind EVO 6 fame, selected this PRO’s form. When I heard my name being called out, I screamed ‘YES! YES! ’ while jumping up and down, amid the crowd’s laughter and  good-natured shouts of ‘Not Fair!’ and ‘Voter Padding!’.

Dressed to the nines in a rally suit (thanks to Kevin Mohammed), a helmet on my head and securely strapped in the seat (thanks to Max Jallai - safety is a serious matter), ‘One Oot’ Mckenzie drove to the starting point and waited as Ainsley Lochan performed doughnuts on the stage with his lucky passenger, accompanied by elated screams from the many spectators on  STAG Hill.

Soon it was our turn. I asked Mr. Mckenzie, ‘Will you be holding back?’ – his shrugged reply was ‘No, I’m going hard as usual’.  My heart was still beating normally until he launched the Evo 6 and simultaneously, it also kicked into gear. The car vibrated as it literally flew on the Zig Zag stage and I saw the high grass whizzing past me in a blur. The car lights caught Devi Nath of Zorce Magazine/trinituner taking photos as the Evo flew round the curves. When we hit the straight stretch, Barry slowed down very briefly to navigate around two chicanes and I was thrown forward hard but strapped tightly by the seat belts. I held on to the shoulder straps throughout the entire ride for dear life and as we neared the end of the stage, Barry pulled the car hard right, shouting ‘Yahoo’. I saw only the tips of the high grass in front of me, felt the car list to the left and the two right wheels were off the ground.... and I’m thinking ‘My first ride, we’re going to roll !!’  … but the car righted itself.

I cannot describe the feeling, there is no other like it !! You have to experience the tremors of the car at those high speeds, the whoosh of blurred scenery whizzing by, the rush of the adrenaline while in the car and long after the ride has ended, your heart in your mouth even as you place implicit trust in the driver and his skills. For me, it was a once-in-a-lifetime ride and of course, being driven by Barry Mckenzie, was an honour.

As PRO, I thought I qualified for another and Rezan Mohammed, 6-time 2006 winner in the 2wd category, accommodated me in his turbo-charged Mitsubishi Lancer for a brief spin near the service park and it was no less exhilarating! 

Ainsley .. I’m applying to you next !! .. and if I play my cards right, I should get rides from all the drivers …

What a fitting end to Rally Finale !! …

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