Barbadian James Betts will be among the starters for Rally Jamaica from November 29 to December 2.
Betts, who has been campaigning all year in Trinidad and Tobago, and is now that country’s new champion driver; returned a total elapsed time of one hour 37 minutes 30.289 seconds at the wheel of the Shell Helix/Stag Mitsubishi Lancer Evo. V to finish second in last year’s event which was won by the Jamaican pair of Jeff “Fudgy” Panton and Mike Fennell Jr in a Ford Focus WRC.
Betts is pointed for Group A and will have regular Trinidad and Tobago co-driver,Jason Costelloe alongside, for the three-day loose surface event organised by Rallysport Promotions Limited on behalf of the Jamaica Millennium Motoring Club.
Speaking to the NATIONSPORT from his Trinidad and Tobago workshop, Betts said that he and his crew were giving the car some “love” in the run-up to the gruelling 23 stage event, which has attracted pairs from Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados and host country Jamaica.
“After it worked so hard during the season you should give it some love by refreshing it. I have it stripped down to a shell and my crew and I would be doing remedial work; correcting any damage sustained during the season and making it ready for the demands of the Jamaica rally.”
According to Betts, who is married to a Trinidadian driver, “the car must be sound; the car mechanically and driver, physically, for the rigours of Rally Jamaica.
“It is not an easy rally and you must be fully prepared if you really want to feature in that event”, he said.
The excitement starts November 29 with a ceremonial start in the heart of the business district of the Jamaican capital, Kingston, and the following day the stages are run on the marl roads of the abandoned bauxite mines in the Lydford area of parish of St Ann, in the north of the island, while the stages on December 1 will take competitors to the verdant orange groves nestled in the Bog Walk area in the parish of St Catherine, before returning to Kingston for three stages on the waterfront roads of Kingston harbour.
Two others pairs, Roger ‘The Sheriff’ Skeete and Louis Venezia who will be in the Sol/Michelin/Simpson Motors/DaCosta Mannings Auto Centre Subaru Impreza WRC S12, and Harold Morley, in the Ontrac Telematics Inc Subaru Impreza N13 STi, are also entered for the annual event, which is sponsored by Knutsford Court Hotel, Tru Juice, Xsomo, Seaboard Shipping, Seafreight Shipping and Advanced Performance Parts.
