Homeboys rule at Bushy Park

CHEQUE HIM OUT! An exuberant Steve King after winning in Group 3C. (Picture by Trevor Thorpe)

By TREVOR THORPE | Wed, September 01, 2010 - 2:33 PM

TWO WINS by Rezult Auto Shop Group 1B driver Derek Herbert set the tone for things to come as Barbadian drivers dominated the Barbados Auto Racing League’s (BARL) Digicel Williams Industries International Race meet at Bushy Park last Sunday.

At the wheel of the AS Auto Stop/Phoenix Protection Services Toyota Starlet, he had given due notice of his earlier intentions when he won pole position during qualifying for the prestigious event which attracted drivers from Britain, Ireland, Jamaica, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, and Barbados.

Never looked back

Herbert left the start line and never looked back as drivers such as Ryan Francis, in a Ford Escort MkII, and the persistent Jermaine Pope, in a Glassesco Suzuki Swift, kept each other busy for the lesser places.

Herbert posted a fastest lap of 53.084 seconds before taking the checquered flag. Francis and Pope were second and third, respectively.

Herbert made it two wins in a row when the group met a second time, however, the finishing order was changed as Pope got the better of Francis, while Jason Ifill filled the fourth spot.

In the final race for the group, Pope proved to be too much for the opposition and led the way home ahead of Francis and Ifill; Herbert, after what appeared to be handling issues, finished seventh.

Also scoring two wins on the day was Stuart Knaggs in a Toyota Starlet. After having to be content with third spot when Group 2A drivers met in the first of the three allotted races, he stormed back to win the remaining two races in fine style.

Engine trouble

Mark Thompson had won the opening race, and looked set to repeat the performance when he suffered engine trouble on the second lap of the second race.

Knaggs seized the opportunity and went on to win, ahead of a fast-finishing Sean Russell in the McCarthy’s Garage Honda Civic and Quincy Jones.

In an action-packed third race for the same group Knaggs, the pole-sitter, was off to a good start and quickly settled into a rhythm as Russell tried desperately to catch him.

Brilliant

Ryan “Wrecker” Carrington in a Honda Civic, who had been out of action for some time, gave a good account of himself trying to catch up with the front-runners.

In what was called the “drive of his life”, Carrington drove through the mid-section of the field to land himself a brilliant third place by the time the checkered flag was shown.

Another driver catching the eye during the meet was Steve King, in the Percy King’s Auto Nissan GTR. He grabbed pole position among Group 3C drivers and scored his first win in nearly two seasons.

With Group 3B & C merged, King got the better of Sammy Cumberbatch, in the Williams Industries/Digicel/Hilti Power Tools BMW M3, and Britain’s Rob Birley.

His brother Owen Cumberbatch, also in a BMW M3, crossed the finish line fourth but won the honours in Group 3B ahead of Devon Clarke, Andre Waithe and Dave Hinds.