JOSH REID is the Barbados Rally Club's Virgin Atlantic Champion Driver Of The Year.

There was thunderous applause when Reid, who drives a Wheetabix sponsored Toyota Corolla, was announced the winner at the presentation ceremony held at the Clay Pigeon Club, Searle's, Christ Church.

Chairman of the rally club, Mark Hamilton, in his brief remarks to signal the end of the season thanked the marshals, sponsors and everyone who helped to make the 2007 racing season the success it was.

Hamilton also noted that plans were progressing smoothly for a number of changes to the 2008 season which are directed at improving the sport for all concerned.

When the Barbados Rally Club's racing season climaxed over the weekend at the Yorkshire course, Paul "The Surfer" Bourne was declared overall Texaco Rally Club champion.

Driving his DaCosta Manning's/Plus/BF Goodridge WRC Subaru Impreza, in the final event of the year, the Texaco Gravel Rally, Bourne coasted home comfortably in a time of 33 minutes 07.06 seconds ahead of Roger "The Sheriff" Skeete in the Texaco Havoline Ford Cosworth Escort in a time of 34.05.40 seconds. Third was Roger "The Ninja" Hill in his Nassco MotorMac Toyota Celica and fourth was Harold "Doc" Morley in the Warrens Motors Subaru Impreza.

Top honours

Other drivers taking top honours in their respective groups were Ian Warren and Matthew Staffner in the Sub Zero Flying Fish Peugeot 106, winners of Group M6, Freddie Gale in the Gales Hatcheries Bella/Nassco Ltd/VP/Castrol Toyota Starlet in Group M7; Rhett Watson and Sean Corbin in the New Media/Toshiba Mk1 Ford Escort in Group SM10, Josh Reid/Mark Jordon in the Wheetabix Toyota Corolla, SM 9, Harold Morley and Jeff Goddard in the Warrens Motors Subaru Impreza in Group P4.

When MIDWEEK SPORTS caught up with Bourne after the presentation and asked him about his plans for the 2008 season he noted that having achieved what he had in Barbados and the Caribbean to date, he now had his eyes set on competing in Europe in 2008.

"I am hoping to compete in a rally in Norway in March next year on the snow and then going back there in May to do a gravel rally, then possibly a tarmac rally either in the Isle Of Man or Ireland in the middle of year and then end it off with a gravel rally in Britain.

"This has become necessary for the fact that there is only so far you can only go in Barbados due to our size and limited competition. I am at the top of my game here, I have nothing more to prove. I have achieved it all.

"Regardless of the sport you are involved in, you will be in a position to measure your strengths against your weaknesses when you compete against international stars in different conditions," he said. (CH)