SOL RALLY BARBADOS 2017 At a glance

‘Rally Central’ will now be located in the Pits at Bushy Park Barbados, as the former Banks Brewery building at Wildey, where it has been located for the past four years, is no longer available. Rally Central is the storage and service facility which accommodates most international and some regional competitors, providing a secure location in which the cars are stored once they are released from the Bridgetown Port. While all the previous components remain in place – the office, 24-hour security, storage and washrooms – the new location provides an enhanced package, as there will be also be track time available for testing

• the Simpson Motors Rally Show on Saturday, May 27th (2.00 to 6.00pm), will provide island fans with unrivalled access to local, regional and international competitors in a relaxed atmosphere in the spacious grounds of Simpson Motors, Warrens. Pre-event Technical Scrutineering, which has formerly taken place on this day, will be completed in advance, so cars and their drivers will no longer be a moving target. Full details will be confirmed soon, but expect a mix of competitions, cultural entertainment and Driver Meet & Greet sessions, with concessions offering a variety of cuisines

• while the Ceremonial Start at Sol Warrens on Friday, June 2nd (9.00pm), is not in itself a new concept – there was a similar event in 2009 – this year, it will lead straight in to the first two timed stages of Sol RB17. Once crews have been flagged away, they will transit north for two runs through a seven-kilometre stage at Diamond Corner

• the finish of Sol RB17 returns to Bushy Park Barbados in St Philip, where a technical two-kilometre layout, taking in elements of the full circuit, kart links and the bridge, will be the final timed stage of the event. Once finished, the cars will head up to The Hill to meet up with service crew, supporters and rally fans for the After-Party

Rally schedule

• for the first time, the average stage length will exceed six kilometres

• Friday: Ceremonial Start, following by two stages

• Saturday: 10 stages at three venues

• Sunday: 10 stages at four venues, finishing at Bushy Park Barbados

• total stage distance – 132.70km

Random stats – entries:

• 93 crews listed on the provisional entry list

• participants from a record 17 countries (including host nation Barbados)

• 44 overseas crews (second only to 45 in 2015)

• 70 International drivers or co-drivers, 26 new to the event

• 10 drivers or co-drivers from the wider Caribbean, four new to the event

• a record 18 female competitors, from a record eight countries

• 49 local crews

• 23 cars in the 4wd classes

• cars from 15 manufacturers, Ford best-represented with 19, followed by BMW (17), Mitsubishi (13) and Toyota (9)

Random stats:

• ‘Celebration Central’: while Sol Rally Barbados is on many an international rallyist’s ‘bucket list’, some wait for a particular excuse to compete, such as a big number birthday. During this year’s event, there will be at least two birthdays to celebrate, including Scottish regular Kenny Hall, who shares his 60th birthday with the Barbados Rally Club (BRC), two beachside wedding ceremonies between Flow KotH and Sol RB17, while a number of other competitors will be marking major birthdays at other times during the year with their trip to the Caribbean

• sponsorship: in addition to those private sector companies that are already partners of the Barbados Rally Club (BRC) in the staging of Sol RB17, more than 150 other sponsors or brand names will be promoted by competing crews. While many are from the automotive sector, such as MQI, Nassco and Platinum Motors, the list includes well-known names from the banking and insurance sector, including CGI and Republic Bank, along with a many from hospitality and tourism service-providers, among them Coconut Court Beach Hotel, Copacabana Beach Club, Drive-a-Matic, Elegant Hotels, Hilton Barbados, Sandals Barbados and Time Out Hotel . . .

SOL RALLY BARBADOS 2017 Programme of key events

Saturday, May 27 - Simpson Motors Rally Show

+ 2.00pm to 6.00pm

+ Simpson Motors, Warrens, St Michael

Sunday, May 28 - Flow King of the Hill

+ 10.00am to approx 5.00pm

+ Hangman’s Hill (4.60km), St Thomas; one practice and three official timed runs

+ round two of the Barbados Rally Club (BRC) Driver’s & Class Championships

+ for overseas competitors, a shake-down before Sol RB17

Wednesday, May 31 - Sol RB17 Briefing Meeting

+ 6.30pm, for competitors, crews and rally officials only

+ Accra Beach Hotel & Spa, Christ Church

Friday, June 2 - Sol Rally Barbados 2017 – day 1

+ Ceremonial Start at Sol Warrens at 9.00pm

+ two stages at one venue

Saturday, June 3 - Sol Rally Barbados 2017 – day 2

+ round three of the BRC Driver’s & Class Championships (includes Friday’s stages)

+ restart at 10.30am from Greenland Agricultural Station, St Andrew, which is also the Service Park for the day

+ 10 stages at three venues

Sunday, June 4 - Sol Rally Barbados 2017 – day 3

+ round four of the BRC Driver’s & Class Championships

+ restart at 09.30am from Carrington Factory, St Philip, which is also the Service Park for the day

+ 10 stages at four venues

+ Final Special Stage & Rally Finish at Bushy Park Barbados, St Philip

Monday, June 5 - approx 3.30pm – Sol RB17 Prizegiving

+ The Boatyard, Bay Street, St Michael

SOL RALLY BARBADOS 2017 Provisional entry list at May 10

+ driver/co-driver (car) – listed alphabetically by class

+ some classifications subject to scrutineering

Key to nationalities (competitor from Barbados unless shown): CDN – Canada; ENG – England; FRA – France; GUY – Guyana; IRL – Republic of Ireland; JAM – Jamaica; JER – Jersey; MTQ – Martinique; NED – The Netherlands; NIR – Northern Ireland; NZL – New Zealand; SCO – Scotland; T&T – Trinidad & Tobago; TCI – Turks & Caicos; USA – United States of America; WAL – Wales

WRC-1

Graham Coffey – ENG/Patrick Walsh - WAL (Subaru Impreza WRC S12B)

Jeffrey Panton – JAM/Michael Fennell Jnr – JAM (Ford Focus WRC06)

Kevin Procter – ENG/Andrew Roughead - ENG (Ford Fiesta)

Roger Skeete/Louis Venezia (Subaru Impreza WRC S12B)

Rob Swann – ENG/Darren Garrod - WAL (Subaru Impreza WRC S12B)

Brian Watson – SCO/Caroline Will - SCO (Mitsubishi WRC Replica)

WRC-2

Roger Duckworth - ENG/Alun Cook - WAL (Subaru Impreza WRC S6)

Roger Hill/Graham Gittens (Toyota Corolla WRC)

Nigel Worswick – ENG/Rebecca Kirsch - ENG (Ford Escort WRC)

Group A

Stuart Austin – ENG/Steve McNulty - ENG (Subaru Impreza)

Avinash Chatrani/Eric Allamby (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI)

David Coelho – TRI/James Harris – ENG (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX)

Barry Groundwater – SCO/Ashleigh Will - SCO (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X)

Rupert Lomax – WAL/David Alcock - WAL (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VIII)

Fraser Louden – SCO/Abi Louden - SCO (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX)

Dick Mauger – ENG/Gino Gouveia - JER (Subaru Impreza)

Joe McQuillan – NIR/Sean Donnelly - SCO (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX)

Ryan Pinheiro – T&T/Ross Vieira – T&T (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo V)

Jonathan Trenholme – ENG/Alison Trenholme – ENG (Subaru Impreza)

Group N

Andrew Mallalieu/Geoff Goddard (Subaru Impreza N10)

Antony Pownall – ENG/Lee Almond - ENG (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX)

George Sherman - USA/Anthony Sherman - USA (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX)

Mark Thompson/Kurt Seabra - GUY (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX)

SuperModified 3

Justin Campbell/Juan Watts (BMW M3)

Sammy Cumberbatch/Jan-Yves Hinds (BMW M3)

Stan Hartling - TCI/Andy Proudfoot – CDN (BMW M3)

Jonathan Ince/Andrew Skeete (BMW M3)

Andrew Jones/Lindsey Pilkington – ENG (Ford Escort MkII)

Mark Kinch/Andrew Peirce (BMW M3)

David St Hill/Ian Grimes (BMW M3)

Martin Stockdale - ENG/Gary Miller – ENG (BMW 1M Coupe)

Chris Ullyett/Chantal Ullyett - CDN (BMW M3)

Logan Watson/Brian Gibson (BMW M3)

Rhett Watson/James Hutchinson (BMW M3)

SuperModified 2

Steve Finch - ENG/Stanley Graham - ENG (Ford Escort MkII)

Allan Mackay – SCO/Andrew Croney (Ford Anglia WRC)

Barry Mayers/Ben Norris (Ford Fiesta)

Roger Mayers/Sean Corbin (WR Starlet)

Stuart McChlery/Julian Goddard (Ford Escort MkI)

Josh Read/Mark Jordan (Toyota Starlet)

Dane Skeete/Tyler Mayhew (Peugeot 306 Maxi)

SuperModified 1

Neil Corbin/Matthew Staffner (Toyota Starlet)

Clifford Cox/Scott Bentham (Toyota Starlet)

Kevin Flanagan – IRL/Dominic Adams - WAL (Mini Cooper S)

Jeremy Gonsalves/Rommell Martin (Opel Corsa)

Craig Marshall - NZL/Andrew Smith - NZL (Peugeot 106 Maxi)

Winston Thompson/Damian Castillo-Marshall (Toyota Starlet)

Modified 2

Jamal Brathwaite/Dario Hoyte (Honda Civic Type-R)

Norman Catwell/Kyle Catwell (Volkswagen Golf GTI)

Daryl Clarke/Russell Brancker (Honda Civic)

Andrew Hockridge – WAL/Aled Edwards - WAL (Citroen DS 3 R3 MAX)

Paul Horton - TCI/Dwayne Forde (Citroen DS 3 R3 MAX)

Orry Hunte/Chris Haywood (Mitsubishi Lancer)

Dominic Linton/Adrian Linton (Vauxhall Astra SRi)

David Proud - NZL/Anita Campbell - NZL (Peugeot 206 GTi 180)

Paul Rees - WAL/Stuart Leach - ENG (Vauxhall Astra GTE)

Andy Scott - SCO/Rashid Phillips (Ford Escort MkI)

Jeremy Sisnett/Justin Sisnett (Ford Fiesta ST150)

Kurt Thompson/Adam Straker (Honda Civic)

Modified 1

Pierre Beswick – TCI/Leslie Evanson (Citroen C2 R2 MAX)

Pascal Calvel – MTQ/Francoise Devin – FRA (Citroen C2 R2 MAX)

Edward Corbin/Rodney Clarke (Daihatsu Charmant)

John Foster/Ian Weekes (Daihatsu Charmant)

Kenny Hall - SCO/Fenny Wesselink – NED (Ford Puma S1600)

Paul Inniss/Pierre Clarke (Honda Civic)

Shareef Walcott/TBA (Toyota Corolla)

Modified

James Thomson - SCO/Shaun Douglas – SCO (Vauxhall Nova)

Historic 2

Wayne Archer/Tristan Gibbs (BMW 325)

Raymond Clough - ENG/Kareem Gaskin (Ford Escort MkI)

John Corbin/Owen Proverbs (Toyota Corolla)

Greg Cozier/Natasha Farnum (Ford Escort RS)

Chris Shooter - ENG/Bev LeGood – ENG (Ford Escort MkII)

Historic 1

Robin Hamilton – SCO/Vanessa Hamilton – SCO (Talbot Sunbeam)

Gerald Pennell - ENG/Stephen Bell (Ford Escort MkI)

Clubman 2

Derek Edwards/Damien Johnson (BMW 318ti Compact)

Stuart Garcia/Rasheed Smith (BMW 318ti Compact)

Allan Kinch/Allan Maynard (BMW 318ti Compact)

Joe Troulan - ENG/Marilil Troulan (BMW 318ti Compact)

Clubman 1

Fabien Clarke/Arlington Hoyte (Suzuki Ignis Sport)

Shon Cummins/Jason Tull (BMW 316)

Peter Gallagher – IRL/Rene Forde (Peugeot 206XSi)

Kevin-Jon Manning/Tammy Lashley (Peugeot 106 Rallye)

Trevor Mapp/Allister Nurse (Mitsubishi Colt Mivec RS)

Jermin Pope/Aaron Kirton (Honda Civic)

Randy Reid/Romario Reid (Toyota Starlet)

Brandon Smith - WAL/Dylan Thomas - WAL (Volkswagen Polo)

Martin Taylor - IRL/Janet Taylor - IRL (Proton Satria)

Group B2