TWENTY PAST and present drivers’ and group champions have been shortlisted for a Caribbean team to take part in the upcoming Suzuki Race Of Champions (ROC) Barbados Challenge – Suzuki Rocks, Race of Champions.
The Suzuki ROC Barbados Challenge – Suzuki Rocks was launched yesterday as the search started to find two drivers to represent Team Barbados in the ROC Nations Cup, the team event staged on the Saturday of Race Of Champions weekend of December 13 & 14 at Bushy Park.
Compiled from across the motorsport disciplines under the umbrella of the Barbados Motoring Federation (BMF), it includes 13-time winner of Rally Barbados, Roger “The Sheriff” Skeete, along with Neil Armstrong and five-time BRC class champion Jamal Braithwaite.
Other are double BRC class champion and BRC Autocross champion, Daryl Clarke; BRC class champion, Edward Corbin; CMRC Group 2 champion 2010; double BARL Group champion; five-time BRC class champion; MCBI champion driver Sammy Cumberbatch; BARL Group champion; MCBI champion driver Kenrick Husbands; CMRC Group 2 champion 2011; three-time BARL Group champion (Overall champion 2004) and Andrew Jones, a double BRC class champion
Also joining the fray are Steve King, a three-time BARL Group champion; Stuart Maloney, the CMRC 2008 champion; multiple BKA champion Trevor Manning; three-time BRC Class champion; 2003 Rally Barbados winner; Roger Mayers, the CMRC champion 2011; 2005 Rally Barbados winner; three-time BKA champion Philip Moe and three-time BARL Group champion Josh Read.
The list is completed by five-time BRC Class champion (Champion Driver 2007); Dane Skeete; BRC Class champion and multiple BKA champion Mark Thompson; CMRC Group 2 champion in 2012 and three-time BARL Group champion (Overall champion 2013) Geoffrey Ullyett; BARL Group champion, BRC Class champion, MCBI Class champion and BKA champion Karl Waterman; four-time BARL Group champion (three-time Overall champion); Rhett Watson; double BRC Class champion and Stuart Williams, a seven-time BARL Group champion (Overall champion 2003) and multiple BKA champion.
The final two will be decided after a rigorous selection process, combining an online poll, which opened yesterday at www.facebook.com/ROCBarbados, with on-track challenges against the clock at the Bushy Park Circuit.
The results of both online voting and on-track performance will be taken into consideration in the final decision.
Three winners from ROC Caribbean will emerge while one country will be crowned ROC Caribbean champion, while the fastest driver from Barbados and the fastest from the region will go through to face an all-star cast in the individual competition on Sunday to decide the ROC Champion of Champions for 2014.
While the details are still being fine-tuned, the first Driver Challenge will be a low-speed, autocross-style event, with drivers at the wheel of identical 1.2-litre Suzuki Swift saloons. There will be no head-to-head racing but performance will be measured against the clock.
The on-track selection process for Team Barbados will start at Bushy Park during the BMF Club Meet over the weekend of October 18 and 19.
