TWO-WHEEL-DRIVE?lap record holder Stuart Williams turned in a flawless performance as he led a small cadre of drivers who recorded clean sweeps at the Clash of Champions of the second round of the Barbados Auto Racing League’s (BARL) 2011 season at Bushy Park on Easter Monday.
Driving the Williams Equipment/Hilti Power Tools/WHH Racing Lotus Elise, he signalled his intentions after qualifying as he took pole position and never looked back winning all three races allotted to the merged Groups 3B and C, and Groups 4A and B throughout the day’s action.
Williams won from the “pole” in all the races, as arch-rival and former two-wheel lap record holder Barry Mayers, at the wheel of the Simpson Motors/Chefette/Shell V-Power/Deleware Dispensaries Suzuki SX4, defended second place against drivers such as Mark Maloney in the RockStar Mazda RX3; Doug Maloney in the Paints Plus Audi Quartro; Steve King in the King’s Auto Parts Nissan Skyline GTR, and Cliff Roett in the Carter’s General Stores/Roett’s Garage Toyota Starlet, throughout the day.
But it was in the Monster Energy Drink Handicap where Williams really made his presence felt. After being handicapped by two laps after the start car; that of Group 1B’s Jermain Pope in a Toyota Starlet, Williams skilfully powered his way through the field to catch the lead cars on the penultimate lap of the ten-lap exercise.The large crowd roared and applauded as he speed over the finish line followed home by Kenrick “Snappa” Husbands in the Johnsen’s/Hilti Power Tools Toyota Starlet and Pope, who were later disqualified for breaking their respective brackets during the race. Second and third places were then awarded to King and Karl Waterman respectively.
It  was also an outstanding day for Dirk Gray, Husbands and Jason Harewood as they all made light work of the opposition in their respective races at the St Philip facility.Gray, in the RT’s Trucking/Kermit’s Bar & Restaurant/Carifs Opel Corsa won all three races allotted to Group 2A, while defending Group 2B “King” Harewood, in the Do-it-Best/Gaskin’s Garage Toyota Starlet, was in a similar mode against the group which included  Stephen Watson, back in competition for the first time since 2004 and driving a Freddie Mapp-prepared Ford Escort, Danny Croney and Jason Johnson.
Husbands, after being humbled by champion driver Edward Corbin earlier in the season, returned with added muscle and drove away with the races allotted to Group 2C.
After starting from the second row on the grid in the first meeting of the group, Husbands quickly took control of the proceedings and snapped the wins followed home by Corbin and Waterman as the day progressed.
A flip by Danny Croney during the second race for Group 2B and the loss of rear wheels during the first and second races of the topclass drivers were the only notable incidents on a day of good racing throughout the groups.
Sixty-six drivers contested the day’s action.
