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click here »Written by [url=mailto:robin@bradfax.com]Robin Bradford[/url]By the time they arrived [at Simpson Motors Super Special], there were already thousands lining the SuperSpecial at Warrens, unaware of the drama that was unfolding, or that the rally was yet to be won, or lost . . . one slight slip on the roughly one-kilometre stage winding through the estate’s service roads, with sidewalks and kerbs at every turn, could spell disaster.
With all eyes on the Giant Daylight Screen, fans missed nothing: Skeete edged Bourne by seven-hundredths of a second on the first run then, while Bourne went nearly a tenth faster, Skeete found a whole second, to claim a memorable victory, his 11th on the island’s premier event, his first since 2004. Bird was 11th on the first run, then split Skeete and Bourne on the second, to finish third by just under 13secs; he was also the highest-placed international competitor and co-driver Riddick the highest-placed female.
The rest of the top six remained unchanged – Powell (highest-placed regional crew), Gill and Hill - while Jamaica’s Jeffrey Panton and Mike Fennell (Rally Jamaica/Seaboard Marine Ford Focus WRC 00) thrilled the Warrens crowds with some tyre-smoking doughnuts on their way to seventh place, fellow countryman Gregg having dropped out of the top 10 on Sunday morning. The highest-placed two-wheel-drive car was eighth, brothers Ian and Robert Warren having enjoyed a largely untroubled run in the Automotive Art/Shell V-Power/Simpson Motors Suzuki Swift, repeating their SuperModified 11 class win of last year.
Group N was won by UK crew Rob Swann and Darren Garrod, who finished ninth overall in the Automate CGI/Waves Hotel and Spa/Revolution Wheels/R A Swann Ltd Subaru Impreza N14; a perfect set of stage wins on Saturday morning’s stages gave them an advantage they were not to lose, despite a big spin at Stewarts Hill on Sunday and only achieving three more stage wins (including both SuperSpecials) over the weekend.
Their margin of victory was less than 7secs over 10th-placed local crew Geoffrey Noel and Kreigg Yearwood (Globe Finance Inc/Mix 96.9/Sentry Insurance Brokers/Dewalt Tools/Automotive Art/Ezone Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX), but it was enough, as third-time visitor Swann said afterwards: “We had to win this rally on Saturday, so that’s what we set out to do . . . but that spin at Stewarts Hill could have spoiled it all!”
Three further classes were won by International crews: Holland’s Frans Verbaas and Mascha Corvers (Verbaas Preparations/Koni/Holland Huis/Hoewijk Special Paint Austin Mini Cooper) prevailed in Group B after local hero Geoffrey Ullyett’s remarkable Datsun blew its engine; Rob Whitehouse and Yvonne Mehta won Modified 8-A in their Lancia Delta Integrale, while Richard Lewis and Marieanne Gray (Tsalta Motorsport/Cam Sport Ford Escort MkII) repeated their Historic class win of the previous weekend’s Shell V-Power King of the Hill.
Sol Rally Barbados 2010 (May 29/30) and Shell V-Power King of the Hill (May 23) are organised by the Barbados Rally Club, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2007; title sponsor is the Sol Group. Marketing partners are Simpson Motors, LIME, Automotive Art, Banks and Karcher; official partners are the Barbados Hotel & Tourism Association, Barbados Tourism Authority, Divi Southwinds Beach Resort, Geest Line and Virgin Atlantic Airways; associate sponsors are Stoute’s Car Rental, Glacial Pure and Chefette.
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