IT WAS a day of thrills and spills as drivers settled the Barbados Rally Club’s (BRC) Flow King of the Hill from Hangman’s Hill to Lion Castle, St Thomas, yesterday.
The flamboyant Shon Cummins and Damian Sealy competing in SM3 in a BMW 316 were the first to go after suffering a broken axle on the first run, before former BRC champion driver Daryl Clarke and Russell Brancker in a Honda Civic ran into trouble and crashed during the afternoon.
But it was the defending champions Jeff Panton and Mike Fennell Jr in the Rubis/Sandals Barbados/KIG Ford Focus WRC06 who delivered on the day, returning the day’s fastest time of two minutes 43.75 seconds and getting the better of English rivals Paul Bird and Jack Morton in the Frank Bird Poultry/Be Wiser Insurance/Hager/Fuchs Titan Race/Loco Energy Drink Ford Focus WRC08 who were a shade slower with a time two minutes 44. 36 seconds.
The England and Wales combination of driver Rob Swann and Darren Garrod in a Subaru Impreza WRC S12B grabbed third spot after posting a best time of two minutes 46.03 seconds.
“Homeboy” Roger The Sheriff Skeete and Lewis Venezia in a Subaru Impreza WRC S12B had to be content with fourth place after returning a time two minutes 46.75 seconds and ahead of another crack English pair of Kevin Procter and Andrew Roughead in a Ford Fiesta who took fifth place with a time of two minutes 48.14 seconds while Team Esso Energy’s Roger ‘The Ninja’ Hill and Graham Gittens in a Toyota Corolla WRC rounded out the top six with a time two minutes 02.50 seconds.
On a day when the four-wheel drive cars dominated the leaderboard, only Barry Mayers and Ben Norris in a Ford Fiesta with a time of two minutes 52.37 seconds was able to take the two-wheel drive honours and was ninth overall as arch-rival Dane Skeete and Tyler Mayhew in a Peugeot 306 Maxi had to be content with tenth place with a time of two minutes 52.46 seconds to be the second fastest two wheel drive competitors during the day’s action.
Among the class winners, Tom Preston and Carl Williamson competing in Group A in Skoda Fabia R5 made off with the honours with a time of two minutes 51. 54 seconds, while the all-female pair of Shelly Taunt and Julie Murphy of England in a Subaru Impreza N10 took the honours at stake on Group N.
New Zealand’s Nicholas Marshall and English co-driver Declan Dear in a Ford Fiesta S3000 were responsible for the honours in Group B3 with a time of three minutes 07.63, while Geoff Ullyett and Jason King won GroupB2 in a BMW M3 with a time of three minutes 01.23 seconds.
Of the 90 starters in 14 classifications, with Group B split to accommodate the rare presence of eligible four-wheel-drive cars, six failed to finish. (TT)
