Points shakeup on the cards in BRC doubleheader

With two points-scoring opportunities on offer, Sunday’s (August 25) doubleheader Barbados Rally Club (BRC) Summer Sprint could be a turning point in the 2024 BRC Driver’s & Class Championships. As the season draws to a close, with November’s Winter Rally the only further round, Sunday’s results will play a major part in the outcome of the chase for the Champion Driver title, and for victory in the 10 contested classes.

41 drivers are listed on the running order published Friday, with BCIC RB24 winner and BRC Championship leader Stuart Maloney seeded at number one in his FIA R5 class Skoda Fabia RS Rally2. Two-time Rally Barbados winner Dane Skeete is next up in his Subaru Impreza WRC S12, the only entry in WRC, with Maloney’s brother Mark seeded at three in his Fabia Rally2 evo, one of six FIA R5 entries.

With Jamaica’s Jeffrey Panton (Fabia Rally2 evo), twice the BRC Champion Driver, and Kyle Gregg (Ford Fiesta Rally2) both absent from the entry list, along with island front-runner Josh Read (Fiesta R5), there is sure to be a shake-up in the 4wd Championship and the FIA R5 class. Britain’s Rob Swann, who landed Thursday to compete this weekend, is likely to benefit, along with Mark Maloney.

Stuart Maloney’s hunt for a second BRC Champion Driver title – he beat Chris Hoad to the crown after tie-break rules were invoked in 2021 – also gets a boost this weekend. Neil Corbin and Kyle Gill, lying equal second and fourth as the leaders of Modified 2 and Clubman 1 respectively, are not entered on Sunday, either. Hoad, sitting just three points behind Maloney and equal second with Corbin, is on the list, however, and seeded at the top of the Clubman 2 class, so remains in contention.

There will certainly be a shuffle in the 2wd Championship standings as well. With Corbin and brothers Barry and Roger Mayers all absent, points leader Rhett Watson (BMW M3) looks set to extend his lead, while fellow SuperModified 2 competitor Andrew Jones (Ford Escort MkII) should easily move up to second in the standings. These two are the top 2wd seeds, starting at nine and 11 respectively.

Close battles are being fought in the classes as well, with the closest in Group B, where Chadane Holder (Toyota Starlet) leads Shareef Walcott (Toyota Corolla) by just one point, while BMW drivers Stuart Garcia and Jonathan Still are separated by two points in Modified 3, so there will be much for fans to engage with on Sunday.

Round six of the BRC Championship will comprise four timed runs on a five-kilometre course starting on the downhill straight approaching the Kendal Duck Pond in St John, passing into St George, on through the Woodland Hairpin and finishing at Ellesmere. There will be four runs in the reverse direction for round seven, with the fastest of each of the four runs counting towards the Championship tally. Competitors will also score points in both directions towards the Motoring Club Barbados Inc (MCBI) 2024 Championship.

The Service Park is at Colleton Plantation Yard, St John, where scrutineering will start at 9.00 am and a Briefing Meeting will be held ahead of the 11.00 am start. There will be the usual break after the first four runs to allow the stage crews to prepare for the reverse direction, with the event expected to be completed by 5.00 pm.

(PR)