TTRC Rally - 'Zig Zag Challenge'
20th July 2008
Photography by: Wayne Lee, Karen Pinhiero, Candace Bhagirath, Gerrard Wilson, Devi Nath and Duane Boodasingh
Article by Jacqueline Alexis, PRO, TTRC

'Father and Son Teams Debut at Preysal', 'Rally Mud Hogs Day Again at Zig Zag', 'Hundredths of Seconds Separate Winners', 'Round and Round the Tyres', 'TTRC Championship Still Tied', any one would be an apt title for TTRC's ULTRA/STAG/ILLUMINAT 4th Championship High Speed stages event on Sunday 20th July. After a 3-month dry spell from Stages (due to navigation rallies), TTRC came back to roost at the Preysal grounds with a 3.2 kilometre stage.

You can never predict the winners of a High Speed Stages Rally ... until the very end. That's one of the reasons why this motor sport is so exhilarating. The difference in aggregate times of the winners are in seconds and in one case, hundredths of seconds!!!

The motor sport of rallying is growing as the Rally Club welcomes more competing new comers to its folds. This event saw the entrance of not one, but two father/son teams.  Shelford Robinson, a rally veteran of some 22 years and driving their PAINT MASTERS sponsored Nissan 2000cc Sentra, showed his son – Darryll Robinson –  what high speed was like. Daddy Robinson said that "...Darryll was keen on navigating and I was instructing and training him along the route"

We call him 'Tony, the wrecker man' but on Sunday, Anthony Heerah left the wrecking to another as he donned his rally suit and introduced his son Michael Heerah and their national flag-sporting Subaru to the Preysal crowd.  Young Heerah was inspired by Shelford Robinson whom he first saw rallying about 5 years ago in Waterloo.  He feels a sense of accomplishment and has these words to offer – " ...(rallying) has to be a passion .. you will have challenges but you must also have the will and commitment. It was a bit relaxing driving with Dad.". On the other hand, Anthony Heerah "... is accustomed to speed but I was still careful .. I enjoyed the rally but I need better tyres.  Afterwards I was bit emotional as I felt very proud of Michael..."

The first draft of the planned stage that was architected by Barry Mckenzie – Chairman, Stages Sub Committee - last Wednesday was changed on Saturday afternoon as the rains played havoc with the carefully charted course. "Rally on Regardless" is the rally song of the drivers as slushy conditions greeted them on Sunday morning ... once again, the weather had literally rained on their parade. Ryan Peyrau and Graveney Dindial in Car 00 led the teams in a necessary drive thru on the amended route, which had touches of dexterity as we had to make the most of the drivable areas – this took them round and round the tyres laid out in full view of the spectators.

James Betts and Dean Serrao, 2 of our Bajan competitors from Rally Trinidad 2008, enjoy our gravel rallying so much that they have been participating in our local events also.  Betts and Jeremy Gonsalves bested the local boys by a differential of .819 seconds in his white 4 wheel drive class 2-N Subaru to take 1st place in his class and Overall Winner of the day with accumulated time of 19 minutes and 2.778 seconds.

Local driver team Barry Mckenzie and Barry Samaroo was 1st in 3-A class and 2nd place Overall with total time of 19 minutes 3.597 seconds driving their ULTRA/RALLYMAC/SWEET TAMBRAN sponsored EVO 6.  Mckenzie ploughed through the stages, clocking the fastest times on 3 out of the 6 stages - 3 minutes flat on the 2nd forward stage, 3 minutes .494 seconds on the penultimate reverse stage and 2 minutes 56 seconds in the last reverse stage. Is this a record in the making ?

His ULTRA team-mate - Ainsley "Mr. Action" Lochan with co-driver Robert Dumas, broke the drive shaft of his STAG/ULTRA/OAKLEY/JOSEF's sponsored EVO 6 on the 2nd stage and could not claw back his times. In spite of the problems, they claimed 2nd place in 3-A class with their accumulated total time of 20 minutes 3.948 seconds, capturing also 3rd place Overall.

Pilot "Bench" Lum Hung and Kevin Mohammed debúted his JOSAR LTD/ROYAL PURPLE OILS sponsored closely-kept-secret Subaru on Sunday.  However, he drove the course without his 2nd gear. Co-driver Mohammed said they knew of their mechanical problems on Saturday evening when they took down the transmission but decided to run minus this gear.  Regardless, this team grabbed 3rd place in the group 3-A.

Robert Cadiz and Randy Lee Young in their Tropical Power sponsored Hyundai Scoupe upset the 2-4 group by besting Rezan "Consistent" Mohammed in 21 minutes and 48.676 seconds to claim 1st  place honours. The competition between these two drivers on the day was amazing as they kept an eye on each other for the entire event. Cadiz threw down the gauntlet early by driving the 1st stage in 2.505 seconds faster than Mohammed.

Rezan Mohammed left Miami and touched down on Sunday morning to rally with Arshad Mondro in their Vigourade sponsored MIVEC. Running close on Cadiz's heels with 21minutes and 52.055 seconds, Mohammed was glad to bow to Cadiz who took 1st place with a differential of 3.379 seconds.  He experienced both mechanical and traction problems in the first half  but pulled ahead of Cadiz by 13.056 seconds on the first reverse special stage as the conditions began to dry out with the sun beaming hotly overhead.  He was winning up to the 5th stage... but alas, the last was his downfall – no brakes at the penultimate 90 degree left and he overshot the corner, losing a precious 8 seconds.

Driving very well, the Roger Mckenzie/Max Jallai team achieved podium finish in 2-3 class with 22 minutes and 47.751 seconds in their CASTROL/RALLYMAC sponsored naturally aspirated Toyota RunX, just 33.234 seconds from the 3rd placed Turbo charged competitor.

Vishal Dhanraj with new co-driver Ronald Rollock did pretty well considering that they lost the left wheel (yes they finished the stage on three wheels!) of their SCOTIABANK/LUCOZADE/ESSO Subaru Impreza early on the 2nd reverse stage and had to sit out the last one.

The other Bajan competitor - Dean Serrao with Trinidadian co-driver Wesley Nandoo – drove the ex- Harold Morley Blue Subaru and his close encounter with the drain in the 2nd reverse stage, left them out of the last one.

Other competitors included Ansel Ali and Roger Smith in their Sherwin Williams/Hydratite sponsored Mazda 323, Glenn Pontiflex and Scott Knaggs enjoying themselves in a black Lancer.  Ali was penalised in the first stage as he missed one of the loops round the tyres.  Pontiflex had told the PRO the previous Saturday that he may be late but will be there to enjoy the rally, hoping that the car will hold out.

James Harris and Anand Awai did not appear until afternoon as the Nissan B13 was still being worked on.

The TTRC wishes to thank MCs Ryan Peyrau and Franklyn Seegobin, Results Marshals – Dr Surendra and Shelley Ann Dhanraj, all other officials and marshals, sponsors and medical personnel without whom the rally would not be a success.

Rezan Mohammed and Ainsley Lochan have been tying in Championship points since the first rally and with 4 behind us, they still remain in this Siamese twin status. Will they separate?

The Rally Club asks their supporters and fans to stay tuned for more news on their August event, which may have some even more exciting elements.