Four drivers are currently tied in the chase for the champion driver title of the Barbados Rally Club (BRC) ahead of third round, the BRC Shakedown Stages on Sunday. Kevin Armstrong, David-Anthony Balgobin, Stuart Maloney and Rhett Watson have each scored 30 points in their respective classes.
All claimed maximum scores in the Spring Blaze Double-Header Sprint on March 16 in St John, organised by the Motoring Club Barbados Inc. (MCBI) and shared with the BRC as the first two rounds of its 2025 Drivers’ and Class Championships.
There will be nine rounds, ending with the Winter Rally in October, with one dropped score.
The event on Sunday will feature nine stages at popular venues in St Peter and St Thomas, with crews tackling three loops of Springvale (3.2 kilometres), Rock Hall (3.1km) and Sailor Gully (2.5km).
Two of the races will take place before lunch and the other will happen in the afternoon, with the first run of Springvale scheduled to start at 10:45 a.m. and the first after lunch at 3:15 p.m.
Multiple champions, Maloney and Watson are on familiar ground, but leading the standings overall is a new experience for Armstrong and Balgobin.
Driving a BMW 325, Armstrong won Clubman 3 in each direction of the MCBI event, while Karl Bovell (BMW 325) and Ryan Wood, moving up a class in a BimmaCup Too, shared the podium places.
Unfortunately, Bovell may be on the sidelines for some time, unable to build on his early results, following an accident outside his home after the event ended.
“We were shocked to hear of Karl’s accident and the Barbados Rally Club wishes him a speedy recovery,” Rally Club public relations officer Neil Barnard said.
Balgobin, who was crowned Motoring News Rookie Champion in the 2024 BRC Autocross Championship, was fastest twice in C2.
Stewart Gordon of Antigua & Barbuda was second in the first direction, and reigning C2 champion Chris Hoad was third before improving to second in the reverse runs, ahead of Greg Cozier, all driving BimmaCup cars.
Maloney, driving a Skoda Fabia RS Rally, was chased home in both directions by the Jamaican pair of Kyle Gregg in a Ford Fiesta Rally2 and Jeff Panton in a Fabia Rally2 evo in the FIA R5 class, which was the best subscribed of the day with eight starters.
Dane Skeete was the overall winner both times in his Subaru Impreza WRC 12, so leads the 4WD standings.
Watson, driving a BMW M3, claimed his two wins in the SuperModified 2 class, and Andrew Jones, in a Ford Escort MKII, shared the podium places with Nigel Reece, on the first outing in his recently acquired, ex-Josh Read Toyota Starlet.
Watson also leads the 2WD standings ahead of Jones and Reece, with Neil Corbin fourth after two Modified 2 class wins in his Toyota GT86 CS-R3. (PR/BT)
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