Attended this event at the weekend - and can confirm this is one of the most memorable motorsport events that you can attend anywhere in the world.
The cars range from full blown WRC stuff to the ubiquitous cosworth bdg powered MK11 Escorts - to some fabulous specials which almost defy description.
Whacky stuff ranges from the most glorious sounding E36 M3's to Toyota Starlets with sequential boxes - a Mk11 with a V6 24v lump anyone?! Perhaps one of the most amazing cars was the Geoffrey Ullyett Datsun 200T - which he has engineered over the years into a 400 BHP monster - which is driven sideways at every opportunity - much to the delight of the locals.
We had some terrific hospitality at the event from the Manning family - who have an illustrious heritage in this event. Trevor "Micey" Manning was unable to compete this year in his Escort WRC due to mechancial woes but Wayne Manning put up a great performance in his 1400 Peugeot 205 to win his class and Graham Manning was competitive in his Mk11 BDG Escort. Big thanks to Roger, Brian and Mike Manning for their hospitality in their unique mega hospitality truck!
Before you get stuck into the report below - check out some footage from the King of the Hill event on the Island which preceeded the rally by a week.
Video is courtesy of David Marshall - for more great videos of rallying in one of the best locations on earth go to:www.klutchcaribbean.com
To see more footage from the accident of the above video - click on link below:
Description:
An almighty accident from "king of the hill" stage Sol Rally Barbados 2010. 8 rolls The car clipped the second grass apex of a fast s, the inside rear lifted and the nose dug in. Both driver and co driver were taken via ambulance from the stage. co driver was fairly ok apart from hurt fingers, driver was worse for wear - but has been subsequently been released from hospital - and is well on the road to recovery.
Event PR below:
“The best rally battle I’ve ever been involved in”, says Bird
Roger ‘The Sheriff’ Skeete chalked up his 11th win in the Caribbean island’s premier event with victory on Sol Rally Barbados 2010 (May 29/30), which marked the 20th Anniversary of the inaugural running of the Barbados Rally Club’s International All-Stage Rally; the winning margin of just 1.16secs was the smallest since 2001 after two thrilling days of competition, during which the lead changed four times.
With co-driver Louis Venezia in the Da Costa Mannings Auto Centre/Michelin/Warrens Motors/Big John's Subaru Impreza WRC S12, Skeete battled with fellow-countryman Paul ‘Surfer’ Bourne, who has won the event twice, and former UK National Champion Paul Bird, second for the past two years to Northern Ireland’s Kris Meeke – all three led the event, described by Bird as “the best rally battle I’ve ever been involved in.”
The intensity of the lead battle was reflected elsewhere, as 90 crews from a record 15 nations, including the host country, contested the 13 classes: 39 drivers set class stage-winning times, compared to 27 last year, and no winner of a contested class can claim a perfect set of stage wins . . . and all this played out in front of upwards of 20,000 spectators who lined the five stage venues over the weekend, culminating in the new Shell V-Power SuperSpecial at Simpson Motors.
Bourne and Allan Kinch (Banks/Chefette/LIME/Virgin Atlantic Ford Focus WRC 07) set the pace, beating Skeete on the opening uphill 5.8-kilometre Automotive Art Canefield stage by 1.85secs; co-driven in the supercasino.com/Vent-Axia Ford Focus WRC 08 by Scotland’s Kirsty Riddick, Bird stalled under heavy braking after an overshoot and lost 16 seconds trying to restart the hot engine, dropping him to 16th.
Fastest on the next stage, LIME Malvern (6.2kms) - beating Skeete by one second and Bourne by two – Bird started to fight back; while Skeete retaliated on the second Canefield, three more stage wins placed Bird nine seconds behind Bourne at lunch, with Jamaicans Gary Gregg and Hugh Hutchinson (Rally Jamaica/Seaboard Marine/BD Gregg & Bros/NG Racing Ford Focus WRC 05) third and Skeete fourth.
The first downhill Canefield of the afternoon was cancelled, after a long delay to clear a damaged car, so battle was rejoined at Malvern, Bourne and Bird remarkably joint fastest; Skeete retook third place from Gregg, which became second (3.3secs behind new leader Bird) after the next Canefield, where Bourne lost 20 seconds to a puncture.
A mighty effort from Skeete on the day’s final stage (Canefield, as the last Malvern run was cancelled to avoid excessively late running) saw him 2secs faster than Bird, to lead overnight by 1.16secs; Bourne was third, another 9.5secs down, with a delighted Sean Gill and Michael Cummins fourth in the Simpson Motors/Shell V-Power/Automotive Art Mitsubishi WRC. The top six was completed by Trinidad’s John Powell, co-driven in the Shell Helix Subaru Impreza WRC S12 by experienced Brit Craig Thorley – Powell admitted to making a few mistakes – and locals Roger Hill/Graham Gittens in the Esso/Nassco/MotorMac Toyota Corolla WRC.
Second to Bourne on Sunday’s opening Stewarts Hill stage (4.1kms), Bird took the lead, Skeete occasionally in trouble with the launch control – at the Prizegiving, he said: “Really, I think the launch control was having trouble with Roger” – but Bourne was on a charge. With three stage wins from the first four, he passed Bird for second and, by the end of the second Karcher Kendal (6.1kms), was just six-tenths behind Skeete.
Over the next six stages, Skeete and Bourne enjoyed a titanic struggle, Skeete the faster of the two on Stewarts Hill, Bourne on Kendal . . . each time Skeete extended his lead, Bourne cut him back on the next stage. As they headed for the Shell V-Power SuperSpecial at Simpson Motors – included in the event’s overall timing calculations for the first time - the gap between them, which had risen to 4.31secs at one point in those six frantic stages, was back down to six-tenths!
By the time they arrived, there were already thousands lining the SuperSpecial at Warrens, unaware of the drama that was unfolding, or that the rally was yet to be won, or lost . . . one slight slip on the roughly one-kilometre stage winding through the estate’s service roads, with sidewalks and kerbs at every turn, could spell disaster.
With all eyes on the Giant Daylight Screen, fans missed nothing: Skeete edged Bourne by seven-hundredths of a second on the first run then, while Bourne went nearly a tenth faster, Skeete found a whole second, to claim a memorable victory, his 11th on the island’s premier event, his first since 2004. Bird was 11th on the first run, then split Skeete and Bourne on the second, to finish third by just under 13secs; he was also the highest-placed international competitor and co-driver Riddick the highest-placed female.
The rest of the top six remained unchanged – Powell (highest-placed regional crew), Gill and Hill - while Jamaica’s Jeffrey Panton and Mike Fennell (Rally Jamaica/Seaboard Marine Ford Focus WRC 00) thrilled the Warrens crowds with some tyre-smoking doughnuts on their way to seventh place, fellow countryman Gregg having dropped out of the top 10 on Sunday morning. The highest-placed two-wheel-drive car was eighth, brothers Ian and Robert Warren having enjoyed a largely untroubled run in the Automotive Art/Shell V-Power/Simpson Motors Suzuki Swift, repeating their SuperModified 11 class win of last year.
Group N was won by UK crew Rob Swann and Darren Garrod, who finished ninth overall in the Automate CGI/Waves Hotel and Spa/Revolution Wheels/R A Swann Ltd Subaru Impreza N14; a perfect set of stage wins on Saturday morning’s stages gave them an advantage they were not to lose, despite a big spin at Stewarts Hill on Sunday and only achieving three more stage wins (including both SuperSpecials) over the weekend.
Their margin of victory was less than 7secs over 10th-placed local crew Geoffrey Noel and Kreigg Yearwood (Globe Finance Inc/Mix 96.9/Sentry Insurance Brokers/Dewalt Tools/Automotive Art/Ezone Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX), but it was enough, as third-time visitor Swann said afterwards: “We had to win this rally on Saturday, so that’s what we set out to do . . . but that spin at Stewarts Hill could have spoiled it all!”
Three further classes were won by International crews: Holland’s Frans Verbaas and Mascha Corvers (Verbaas Preparations/Koni/Holland Huis/Hoewijk Special Paint Austin Mini Cooper) prevailed in Group B after local hero Geoffrey Ullyett’s remarkable Datsun blew its engine; Rob Whitehouse and Yvonne Mehta won Modified 8-A in their Lancia Delta Integrale, while Richard Lewis and Marieanne Gray (Tsalta Motorsport/Cam Sport Ford Escort MkII) repeated their Historic class win of the previous weekend’s Shell V-Power King of the Hill.
Sol Rally Barbados 2010 (May 29/30) and Shell V-Power King of the Hill (May 23) are organised by the Barbados Rally Club, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2007; title sponsor is the Sol Group. Marketing partners are Simpson Motors, LIME, Automotive Art, Banks and Karcher; official partners are the Barbados Hotel & Tourism Association, Barbados Tourism Authority, Divi Southwinds Beach Resort, Geest Line and Virgin Atlantic Airways; associate sponsors are Stoute’s Car Rental, Glacial Pure and Chefette.
For the official rally site - click on the link below:
Results from 2010 Sol Rally Barbados below:
1st Roger Skeete/Louis Venezia (M8-WRC Da Costa Mannings Auto Centre/Michelin/Warrens Motors/Big John’s Subaru Impreza WRC S12), 1h 01m 07.57s2nd Paul Bourne/Allan Kinch (M8-WRC Banks/Chefette/LIME/Virgin Atlantic Ford Focus WRC 07), 1h 01m 09.23s3rd Paul Bird - ENG/Kirsty Riddick – SCO (M8-WRC supercasino.com/Vent-Axia Ford Focus WRC 08), 1h 01m 20.36s4th John Powell - TDAD/Craig Thorley - ENG (M8-WRC Shell Helix Subaru Impreza WRC S12), 1h 02m 10.98s5th Sean Gill/Michael Cummins (M8-WRC Simpson Motors/Shell V-Power/Automotive Art Mitsubishi WRC), 1m 02m 33.44s6th Roger Hill/Graham Gittens (M8-WRC Esso/Nassco/MotorMac Toyota Corolla WRC), 1h 02m 48.72s7th Jeffrey Panton – JAM/Mike Fennell Jnr – JAM (M8-WRC Rally Jamaica/Seaboard Marine Ford Focus WRC 00), 1h 04m 08.33s8th Ian Warren/Robert Warren (SM10 Automotive Art/Shell V-Power/Simpson Motors Suzuki Swift), 1h 05m 15.06s9th Rob Swann – ENG/Darren Garrod – WAL (P4 Automate CGI/Waves Hotel and Spa/Revolution Wheels/R A Swann Ltd Subaru Impreza N14), 1h 05m 20.54s10th Geoffrey Noel/Kreigg Yearwood (P4 Globe Finance Inc/Mix 96.9/Sentry Insurance Brokers/Dewalt Tools/Automotive Art/Ezone Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX), 1h 05m 26.73s11th Neil Armstrong/Barry Ward (SM9 Pit Bull Energy Drink/Hankook/Gunk/Electric Avenue Toyota Starlet), 1h 05m 41.61s12th Gary Gregg – JAM/Hugh Hutchinson – JAM (M8-WRC Rally Jamaica/Seaboard Marine/BD Gregg & Bros/NG Racing Ford Focus WRC 05), 1h 05m 47.50s13th Barry Gale/Cherie Edghill (P4 redlinefuels.com/Autolink/Maxi Malta/Rockstar Energy Drink/Metal Craft Works/Weetabix/ Bella Beauty Supply Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX), 1h 06m 11.96s14th Josh Read/Mark Jordan (SM9 Automotive Art/Baram Services Toyota Starlet), 1h 06m 29.19s15th Mark Hamilton/Clive Howell (SM11 PowerMaster Batteries/Consolidated Finance/Valvoline Oil/Kumho Tires Ford Escort MkII), 1h 06m 41.25s16th Brian Gill/Avinash Chatrani (SM11 Aqua Pur/Electric Avenue BMW M3), 1h 07m 12.84s17th Dean Serrao/Sean Abed (P4 Amalgamated Security Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX), 1h 07m 38.46s18th Justin Campbell/Juan Watts (SM11 C & C Autoservices/Cumberbatch Nurseries/Target Design Studio BMW M3), 1h 08m 03.75s19th Graham Manning/Brandon McKenzie (SM11 Ford Escort MkII), 1h 08m 43.12s20th Adrian Linton/Jonathan Linton (M7 Ravensden/Garbage Gobbler/Morris Straker Construction Vauxhall Astra GSi), 1h 09m 19.65s21st Neil Corbin/Zach Heaselgrave (SM9 Nassco/Jason Jones/Auto Solutions Toyota Starlet), 1h 09m 29.43s22nd Jamal Brathwaite/Talia Mapp (M6 AM Electrical/FG Wilson/Autoplus Motors/Meridian Windows/Chicken Pen Racing/Ellesmere Quarries/D2 Racing Suspension/Avon Products/Cutters of Barbados/Freekz Customz Mitsubishi Mirage RS), 1h 10m 24.10s23rd Kenny Hall - SCO/Fenny Wesselink – NED (M6 Halltune Ford Puma), 1h 10m 27.20s24th Karl Waterman/Matthew Staffner (SM9 3W’s/Propac/Rockstar Energy Drink/Catch Chocolate/Maxi Malta Toyota Starlet), 1h 11m 17.44s25th Chris Ullyett/Derek Ince (M7 Ullyetts Machine Shop Service Ford Escort RS2000), 1h 12m 24.37s26th Sean T Field/Trai Field (P3 Field Insurance Brokers/Castrol/Ackee Tree/AM Realty Services/Landscapes in Harmony Peugeot 306), 1h 12m 30.48s27th John Corbin/Owen Proverbs (M7 Corbins Garage/Klark-Odio/Automotive Art Toyota Corolla), 1h 13m 07.48s28th Freddie Gale/Kyle Proverbs (M7 Gale’s Hatcheries/redlinefuels.com/Nassco Toyota Corolla RunX), 1h 13m 25.25s29th Richard Lewis – WAL/Marieanne Gray - SCO (Hist Tsalta Motorsport/Cam Sport Ford Escort MkII), 1h 14m 38.31s30th Wayne Manning/Willie Hinds (M5 Black Bess Quarry/Citgo/Glassfibre Products Peugeot 205), 1h 14m 48.23s31st Sean Cox/Adam Cox (M5 Simpson Motors Suzuki Swift), 1h 15m 47.60s32nd Simon Wallis – ENG/Louise Hay – ENG (P4 Wallis Performance Ltd Subaru Impreza N10), 1h 16m 42.57s33rd Danny Williams/Reuben Nelson (M6 Cutters of Barbados/Lexy’s Bar/Sunbury Plantation House Ford Fiesta), 1h 16m 55.57s34th Owen Cumberbatch/Kelly-Ann Sandiford (SM11 Combo Auto Parts and Service BMW M3), 1h 17m 51.13s35th Rob Whitehouse - NZ/Yvonne Mehta – KEN (M8-A Lancia Delta Integrale), 1h 18m 11.84s36th Eric Allamby/Sean Corbin (SM10 Shelbury Construction/ACT Sand Blasting/Container Services Mitsubishi Lancer), 1h 19m 08.80s37th Vishal Dhanraj - TDAD/Richard Ramsingh – TDAD (SM9 Track Batteries/Lucozade Energy/The Dispensary Toyota Starlet), 1h 20m 14.69s38th Allan Maynard/Jeremy Croney (SM9 Marshal Trading/Lubriguard/El Tigre Catamaran Cruises Toyota Starlet), 1h 20m 42.93s39th Peter Gallagher - IRL/Dario Hoyte (M6 Dublin Crystal/Peter Gallagher Design Peugeot 206), 1h 24m 20.73s40th Fabien Clarke/Arlington Hoyte (P2 Barbados Business Listings/Crimson Jade/RCR Tours/Bovell Auto Repair/Big P Customs Brokers/De Fx-Bar Suzuki Ignis Sport), 1h 24m 58.62s41st Martin Taylor - IRL/Rob Brook - ENG (SM11 Dublin Crystal/Janet Taylor BMW 325), 1h 28m 06.21s42nd Ding Boston – ENG/Hannah Byrd – ENG (Hist Oxford Universities Motorsport Foundation/Toyo/Recaro/Phillips Tyres/Huzier/Just Grillin’/VP Racing Fuels/Virgin Atlantic/Structural Systems/Ullyetts Machine Shop Service Riley 1.5), 1h 29m 30.35s
