Trevor “Electric Micey” Manning has found winner’s row and his name will be etched in the history books of the Barbados Rally Club’s (BRC) Shelbury June Safari.
Manning and navigator Leslie “Wings” Alleyne, in the Garbage Master Ltd/Autozone Inc. Toyota Hilux, captured top honours in the Caribbean’s oldest continuous motorsport event.
The pair collected 999 penalty points for the 17-hour exercise which started at the Portvale Factory at 2:01 p.m. last Saturday.
An elated Manning – who was winning the event for the first time – told WEEKENDSPORT it was time he won something after more than two years off the scene.
“It was a great event – good competition and good camaraderie afterwards. Leslie and I enjoyed ourselves, especially against the high level of competition from Ryan Corbin and Dustin Edwards,” he said.
Alleyne said: “This was right up there with the best of them, and all your skills were called upon. With such a close [margin], I consider Dustin and Ryan to be winners as well.”
Manning joined his father Roger, who won three times between 1981 and 1988 with navigator David Edwards.
In another family tie, Dustin Edwards – Corbin’s navigator – is the son of David Edwards.
Corbin and Edwards, who had been announced as provisional winners at the end of the event last Sunday, took the second place with 1 006 penalties in the Corbin’s Catering Services/Sweet Temptations/Crane & Equipment Toyota Hilux.
Edwards noted that for a 17-hour event to be decided by just seven points was exciting.
“Congrats to the winners. It was a great battle.”
The father and son combination of Audley and Jeremy Croney in the CC Motorsports Suzuki Samurai collected 1 401 penalties and grabbed third spot.
Fourth place went to last year’s winners Chris Armstrong and Wayne “Mort” Clarke in the Shelbury Construction Toyota Hilux with 1 713 penalties.
Meanwhile, the third round of the 2011 WTI MudDogs Safari Championship was a hard-fought affair.
The pair of Alexander Kellman and Gary Mendes won the Chefette Novice section with 1 971 penalties in the Lex Fitness/MK Rentals Suzuki Samurai to be eighth overall.
Ninth overall were Hadley Green and Dane McConney in the Hunte’s Auto Spares/Automotive Art Toyota Hilux on 2 099 penalties.
Theo Waithe and Curtis Grazette (Atlantic Seafood Inc/Betta Computers Suzuki Samurai )took third spot and 11th overall with 2 261 penalties.
Veteran driver Biddy Barber (JE Security Fire Detection Division/Biddy’s Visitor Information Mitsubishi Pajero) was the highest-placed female, with son Brett as navigator.
