COMPETITOR?turnout was low, but the quality of the competition was high as drivers disposed of the Barbados Rally Club’s (BRC) Autumn Gravel Sprint at Black Bess Plantation, St Peter, last Sunday.
It was a three-kilometre course previously used about five years ago and it brought out gravel specialist Trevor “Electric Micey” Manning.
Driving the FG Wilson/Paints Plus/AutoLink/Hankook/Garbage Master Ford Escort WRC, he relished the conditions.
Manning was the fastest overall on both the morning and afternoon runs, although on the last run of the day he was beaten by both Ian “WeeWee” Warren in the Automotive Art/Shell V-Power/Simpson Motors Suzuki Swift and Geoff Noel in the P4 Globe Finance/Sentry Insurance Brokers/Mix 96.9/Automotive Art /Cargo Solution International/CIAC Airconditioners Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX.
Warren showed good form over the course, taking third place in the morning and second in the afternoon.
With two SuperModified 10 victories under his belt, he said it was a marvellous stage, allowing him to press out on the jumps and high-speed sections.
“The course was well prepared and we ran throughout the day on old tyres,” he acknowledged.
Noel, on the other hand, failed to register any Production Four points in the morning after a driveshaft failure in the first official run.
Mark Hamilton, in the First Caribbean International Bank/Consumer Guarantee Insurance/PowerMaster/Simpson Motors/Automotive Art Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX, finished second in the morning. But he completed only one afternoon run due to a mechanical problem.
Logan Watson, in his first drive in the ex-Jonathan Still gravel-spec BMW M3, won SM11 and called it the best loose event he has ever driven.
He finished ahead of the flashy Graham Manning and Calvin Briggs in their MkII Escorts in both sessions.
Adrian Linton, competing in M7, was fastest in the class in the morning, but his day ended on the second run when he had a triple roll in the Astra.
“Once you are driving hard in motorsport, it’s not a matter of if, but when,” he said.
“I only have a bruised elbow from knocking it against the cage, but the car is a bit bent.”
Jeremy Sisnett, in a Ford Fiesta, and M7 points leader John Corbin in the Corbin’s Garage/Klar-Odio/Valvoline Toyota Corolla, finished second and third to Linton in the first run.
Sisnett later headed Corbin home in the afternoon to close within one point of Corbin with one round to go.
Neil Corbin, in Nassco/Jason Jones/Auto Solutions Toyota Starlet, was the M6 class winner in the morning, and ended fifth overall.
He was ahead of Jamal Brathwaite in the FG Wilson Generators/AM Electrical Solutions/Carib Beer/Meridian Windows and Doors/Chicken Pen Racing/AutoPlus Motors Inc/D2 Suspension/Kumho/Valvoline/Ellesmere Quarries Mitsubishi Mirage RS, but they swapped class results in the afternoon.
