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| Texaco / Tecmarine Rally
Sunbeach Rally Sprint Jolly Roger Cruise Who Was Here! CCC Magazine Feature |
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| Barbados Rally Carnival 2001 in CCC Magazine | |
| Article by Martin Sharp (Visit CCC Magazine) | |
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Bajan Blitz
For years my 'OPM [Other Peoples' Mobiles] Theory' - that there's bound to be somebody nearby with a mobile phone to fall back on in times of emergency - worked perfectly. Until the sorely missed RallySport was incorporated in your favourite magazine. Suddenly yours truly needed to make and take more calls than there were Other Peoples' Mobiles around. My first mobile phone arrived as the sheer scale of the UK's foot and mouth epidemic hit motor clubs. When motor sport-starved Brit rally people heard about the inaugural 2001 Barbados Rally Carnival they wanted to know more. As regular readers will know, CCC, Barbados and rallying have a lengthy heritage, over the past few years linked directly through this writer. As resourceful UK rally people put two and two together the questions came thick and fast. It seemed like half the rallymen in UK and Ireland enthusiastically wanted to know more about the Barbados Rally Carnival. All were looking for a bit of a holiday packaged together with some serious motor sport. And some were more serious about the motor sport than others. Brainchild of Greg Cozier, the bloke behind the island's new Vaucluse Raceway (featured in "Rum Runnin'" CCC March 2001), the 11-day Barbados Rally Carnival is a tantalising combination. This year its started with the two-day Texaco Tecmarine International Stages Rally on the first weekend in June, with the grand finale, the Sunbeach RallySprint, at the Vaucluse Raceway the following Sunday. Naturally, for the 'foreign' teams, the intervening week comprised some serious sun, rum, swims and an altogether healthy number of organised and impromptu, er… social functions… Group B for Brit
Six free shipping deals for foreign Group B entries were up for grabs; the final tally was four: Denis Biggerstaff's Metro 6R4 from Ireland, UK-based Andy Elliott and Ali Serpen with their 6R4s, and Chris Mellors' Escort World Rally Car from Bakewell, ably co-driven on the rally by Craig Thorley. In Group A, Sean McArdle brought his Celica GT-Four over from Ireland, while a blast from the past saw '60s British rallyman and ex-CCC 'works' driver Harold Morley entered in that category in a local Mitsubishi Galant. Harold now spends half his year in Barbados and next to his renown in the CCC Escort on rallies, greybeards most likely will remember him for his exploits on UK lanes in a Porsche 911. Ryan Champion came over to drive a UK-based Mitsubishi Evo IV in Group N, and Richard Hogg brought his Evo VI over from Ireland to contest the same class. Barbados Group S is the place for big-engined specials; rear-drive Toyota Starlets with 4A-GE twin-cams; 2-litre Corsas and the like. This was also the place for Martin Stockdale's BMW M3, who brought Anders Howard with him to co-drive on the rally, and another UK-based 'co-driver' for the RallySprint. Allegedly the latter was particularly experienced in specialised activities, although whether rallysprinting is one of those is a moot point. You will catch our drift from the photograph - providing, that is, the twitchy red pencil of the IPC censor hasn't spoiled the fun… Also over from UK was Andy Apperley's front-drive Escort RS2000, which sat in the M3 class, while Charlie Jukes' 1600 Proton was in the next displacement category down, M2. Then there was Ollie Clark, the late great Roger's son, who arrived with crash helmet, helmet and holdall to prepare and drive Hotty's 2-litre Mk2 Escort. Ollie's Bajan exploits make a great story; the full, unexpurgated version of which may well be told. Later… In total, out of 69 Carnival entries, three 'foreigners' came from Jamaica, one from St Vincent… and no less than 12 from UK and Ireland. The scene was set for some hearty motor sport in the heat. There are some handy drivers and quick cars in Barbados, but never before had they faced such powerful opposition. Foreigns devilled
Northern nightclub owner Andy Elliott was the only Brit driver there for the 2001 Rally Carnival with experience of rallying in Barbados. In 1992 he'd blasted his Opel Manta 400 to second overall, and took the same car to fifth in '94. This year, before starting the rally in his 6R4, Andy was pragmatic, fully aware that - mechanically, at least - local opposition was stronger; and that fundamentally he was there for a holiday. Andy's young family was to join him after the rally. It didn't stop him engaging the services of mega-experienced rally expert, Welshman Lyn Jenkins, to co-drive for him though… That ace rally car preparation expert Tim Ashton was also in Barbados for a holiday at the same time… and that the fastest Metro 6R4 Challenge pilot in its day, Pete Slights (a long-forgotten CCC cover lined tip for the top) was also there for the same reason - and would be double-driving Andy's 6R4 in the Vaucluse RallySprint - must be incidental. They are all long-standing mates from the same part of the world anyway, and each enjoys a good craic. So why the hell not? It was, however, some measure of the level of opposition the Bajan drivers faced in the inaugural Rally Challenge. The most-feared foreigner was Chris Mellors, mid-'90s hat trick British national rally champion, rally car preparation expert and a man with much recent rallycross winning experience. Like most UK Rally Carnival entrants, Mellors was in Barbados for a family holiday. Of course, he had his Escort World Rally Car there… and his van, crammed with rally kit. And why not bring the sponsor and a mate or two? A few of the lads from the workshop could do with a break… Chris has been on holiday in Barbados before, so has some idea of just how tricky are the limestone-based narrow roads [which, truth be known] are quite similar to some of those where he lives, close to Derbyshire's Peak District. Ali Serpen's 6R4 has a 450bhp-plus rallycross engine, but he was the first to admit that he and his car were definitely on the island primarily to have fun. Denis Biggerstaff however, is a multiple rally, rallycross, hillclimb and sprint champion in both UK and Ireland; each title achieved in his trusty 6R4. Denis is renowned as a terrier, eager for the fight and drives particularly well when he's playing 'catch up'. His Metro, and particularly its engine, redefine the 'trusty' description, as Denis explained: "It'll be four or five years since we put second-hand pistons in my engine, and there's still the same parts in it, so it is tired. Still goes though!" The top local crews are not only equipped with worthwhile four-wheel-drive turbocharged machinery, some are very handy drivers indeed and all have significant amounts of that major performance enhancer; local knowledge. Roger 'The Sheriff' Skeete is a multiple past winner of the Texaco Rally, while Trevor 'Electric Micey' Manning is quite simply the most outstandingly gifted driver in Barbados. Micey won the Texaco in 1999 in his Group N-plus chassis/Group A engine Evo V, and has yet to be seriously beaten on gravel. The local challenge was the Micey Mitsubishi against The Sheriff's Group A Escort Cosworth on the rally, and whether The Sheriff could beat Micey for the first time on the packed clay surface of the rallysprint. But Mellors, of course, was an unknown competitive quantity. Other local hot shots included the Maloney brothers, Mark and Stuart in their Group A Nissan Sunny GTiR and Mitsubishi Evo III; Paul Bourne, who had had rented a Prodrive Group A engine for his Impreza just for the Carnival, Roger Hill's Celica GT4 and many others, not forgetting Richard 'ex-Red Mou' Rou' Roett's faithful ST185. Twenty four asphalt special stages were planned for the Saturday/Sunday rally, with no stage was longer than three miles. However, the rally was run to Target timing and the final stage at Vaucluse Raceway ran late into a dusty dark, causing it to be cancelled for safety reasons. Most Brit crews had arrived on the previous Tuesday and all recced the route more than once; some much more than once. Mellors and the Jamaicans hired the island's Bushy Park Racetrack in an attempt to perfect their suspension settings. Not the best plan as it turned out, as the only asphalt surface which is different to that of every other road in Barbados happens to be… you guessed it: at Bushy Park. Action on the stages was electrifying; totally enthusiastic and knowledgeable about their motor sport, the hordes of spectating locals were characteristically vocal each time a display of derring was done in front of them. Punching the air and screaming support for oversteer antics, rear-drive Escorts and Starlets - and Geoffrey Ulyett's colourful and totally OTT Datsun 120Y - were the preferred performers. Until the big boys came along, that is. And none got - or deserved - more cheers than Trevor Manning. Putting his big Mitsubishi where all others feared to tread, it was evident that Electric Micey was utterly at one with his machine; a great display, guaranteed never to disappoint. Somewhat circumspecfully, Chris Mellors fed himself and the Escort WRC into the event initially, then an early '360 plus VAT' spin encouraged more attack. As Chris started to go for it more, the stageside local volume increased in proportion. The Sheriff was in attack, Mark Maloney was well up there among the front runners too, driving his GTiR particularly cleanly. Mark's brother Shaun had all the stops out giving chase, and was having a hard time catching him until the Evo III jumped off-line on a very quick section and smacked the 'cut rock' [roadside vertical rock faces] extremely hard. It was the biggest shunt of a carnage-free Carnival. For the second year running The Sheriff's Escort won the Texaco Rally over Micey's Mitsubishi… this time though by 0.16s - after 50.38 twisty and testing stage miles. Welshman Charlie Juke's dramatic style in the Proton endeared him to the locals; his second in class finish was a purposeful effort which made 'The Jukes of Hazard' a Bajan hero overnight. Martin Stockdale scored a Group S class second in his M3, while Mellors' fifth overall finish was lower than expected, although he beat the 6R4s to class victory. "We couldn't get anywhere near these boys…" explained Chris of the local drivers: "…but next weekend - we'll see." Into the Mousetrap
The Jukes of Hazard lived up to his Bajan hero status, Charlie putting half a Proton length ahead of Barry Gale's previously unbeaten Corolla at the finish of the M2 final. You could hardly hear the cars for the roar of the jumping-up crowd as they vocally recognised a new hero. When it came to the last run of the day you could hardly hear yourself think. Never before has such an aural volume of simple expectation preceded a rallysprint run. This was the Big One: a direct head-to-head between 'Micey' Manning and 'Terminator' Mellors [his tag in the Brit RallySprint series]. As iced water from 2-litre plastic Coke bottles was squirted into Micey's intercooler, the Mellors Elliot boys directed a jet wash at the Escort's. Mellors was taking this run very seriously, but quite simply Micey was magnificent, exhibiting a superb combination of speed and car control on his way to pipping Mellors at the finish. Micey's car also looked well set up, but the choice of 600lb.in front springs legislated against the nimbleness of Mellors' Escort, and it was clear to see that Chris was having difficulty getting the car to turn in. Every Brit involved in the Rally Carnival had a supremely great time, even Brits blitzed by Bajans; after his last run Chris Mellors summed up the sentiment felt by all: "Now there's something to prove; we have to come back." |
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