Roger?“The Sheriff” Skeete led the charge of group winners in the Motoring Club Barbados Inc.’s (MCBI) Hammertime speed event from Cliff to Society, St John, last Sunday.
In the final speed event before local drivers meet their foreign counterparts in the Barbados Rally Club’s (BRC) Scotiabank King of the Hill next month, Skeete gave early warning of his intentions by returning the fastest time on the practice run of 2 minutes, 28.01 seconds.
At the wheel of the Sol/LIME/Simpson Motors/Michelin/Williams Trading Inc Subaru Impreza WRC S12, he went on to post the day’s fastest time of 2 minutes, 21.56 seconds to win the WRC-1 group as well as the overall top prize.
His main rival, Paul “The Surfer” Bourne, driving the Chefette/Banks Ford Focus WRC07, although being faster than Skeete on the first official run, could only manage a 2 minutes, 23.84 seconds timing after some difficulties on the final run.
But it was the two-wheel drive competitors who raised the event to the next level.
The club’s defending champion Josh Read, in the Stihl/Gliptone/Hankook Tyres/Weetabix/Royal Purple/EZone/Coffee Bean Toyota Starlet, continued his dominance in that class when he posted a time of 2 minutes, 27.11 seconds. This feat also gave him the honours at stake in SM10 and second place overall.
Another fancied competitor, Dane Skeete, son of Roger, and at the wheel of the Rubis/LIME Peugeot 306 Maxi grabbed fourth place with a time of 2 minutes, 27.13 seconds.
Rhett Watson, in the Power King Batteries/Carter’s Pitstop/Gliptone/Stihl/Packaging Centre/The Unknown Entity/In support of Little Pink Gift BMW M3, performed a similar feat in SM12 and took fifth place overall with a time of 2 minutes, 31.03 seconds.
Mark “Ointment” Thompson, in the Automotive Art/Glassesco Hardware/Stag Beer/NKM Clothing/Bio Beauty Day Spa/Local Speed Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX, was responsible for the honours at stake in P4.
Daryl Clarke proved to be too much for the competition offered in M7 in his Roberts Manufacturing/P&N Hardware/Mom’s Pasta Products/Amir’s Chicken/MQI Honda Civic.
His time of 2 minutes, 34.67 seconds was way ahead of his closest rival in the group, Edward Corbin, who posted a time of 2 minutes, 42.61 seconds in a Corbin’s Garage Toyota Corolla.
Former champion driver Jamal Brathwaite, in a Mitsubishi Mivec, returned a time of 2 minutes, 45.79 seconds to round out the top ten.
Brendon McKenzie, in the Mck Motorsport/Turbo Plus/Do It Best/Colour XL Toyota Corolla SR, won M6 with a time of 2 minutes, 47 seconds.
Former champion driver John Corbin, in a Corbin’s Garage Toyota Corolla, and David Brewster, in the Innovative Security Solutions/Castrol/SRG Engineering Peugeot 205GTi, were second the third, respectively, with 2 minutes, 57.77 seconds and 3 min, 11.49 secs.
