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Victory for Leslie Alleyne in last weekend’s Sol Go Further June Safari (June 27/28) has inscribed his name in the Barbados Rally Club’s (BRC) record books yet again. His seventh victory not only moved him one ahead of fellow ‘June’ veteran Wayne Clarke, but also carried him back 25 years, to his first appearance on the BRC’s longest-running event.
After a hard-fought overnight event, Alleyne and Navigator Chris O'Neal (Simpson Motors/Shell Spirax/Shell Rimula/Maxxis Isuzu D-Max) accumulated 770 penalties, winning by a margin of 266. Clarke and his regular Driver Chris Armstrong (Toyota Hilux) finished second, just three penalties ahead of Ben Norris and Kirk Watkins (Birdies Restaurant Ford Ranger).
Looking back on what he described as “a brilliant rally”, Alleyne said: “It is one of two that will go down in my memory that stand out above the rest - the other was my first June Rally in 1990 at the age of 16, navigating for my dad. We came fourth.
“This weekend was a hard-fought battle from the word go. Route 1 was quite a peaceful route that perhaps lulled you into a false impression of what was to come. It was evident after Route 1 that the competition was going to be extremely tight. We had a perfect Route 2 in terms of direction but, with high average speeds, the timing was critical and the Isuzu never let us down.
“Route 3 was the perfect climax. In fact, I think that route needs framing, as it was by far the best and most tricky route that I have ever encountered. The entire route was map work with BRC and straight line to the map. There was one point in Drax Hall that we thought it was all over because nothing was working out, but through perseverance and the help of the rising sun we managed to pull through, with the added pressure of controls nearly closing as we arrived. With a massive effort to get back on time and the incredible teamwork with Chris, we were able to bring it home. Chris is a brilliant partner, this achievement could not have happened without him - it really was a 50/50 team effort and that is critical to success.”
Armstrong and Clarke led after Route 1, with a narrow margin of just 37 penalties over Alleyne/O’Neal, with Michael Ward/Warrick Eastmond (Regional Fire and Security Suzuki Jimny) third, on 216 penalties; the pendulum swung on Route 2, Alleyne/O’Neal the winners, by just four points from Norris and Watkins, with Armstrong/Clarke third, nearly 190 adrift. Once Alleyne/O’Neal beat Armstrong/Clarke and Norris/Watkins in Route 3, the results were sealed.
The route-setters were Stewart Gill and Derek Edwards, both experienced co-drivers and navigators of recent years. Alleyne said: “It was a job well done by all. Special thanks to the route-setters for setting a brilliant and flawless event, to the marshals for their incredible support, to our sponsors Simpson Motors, Shell and Maxxis, and finally to Sol for their continued support of the MudDogs flagship event.”
Alleyne’s seventh win came 19 years after his first, as Navigator to Geoff Noel; he won again as Navigator to Trevor Manning in 2011, his other five victories coming in the driving seat, twice with wife Annalee, and now three times with O’Neal. MudDogs Chairman Ricky Holder said: “It was a terrific rally and everyone seems to have had a great time. Congratulations to Leslie for moving ahead in the record chase once again, while I should also note that the Championship is heating up, with two events to go and the dropped score rule yet to be applied.”
Sol Go Further June Safari, June 27/28
Chefette MudDogs Safari Championship – round 3
1st Leslie Alleyne/Chris O’Neal (Simpson Motors/Shell Spirax/Shell Rimula/Maxxis Isuzu D-Max), 770 penalties
2nd Chris Armstrong/Wayne Clarke (Toyota Hilux), 1036pens
3rd Ben Norris/Kirk Watkins (Birdies Restaurant Ford Ranger), 1039pens
4th Derek Gill/Andrew Croney (Insurance Brokers & Solutions Inc Mitsubishi Pajero), 1446pens
5th Julian Kirton/Dominic Straker (Kirts Connection Jeep Wrangler), 1696pens
6th Michael Ward/Warrick Eastmond (Regional Fire and Security Suzuki Jimny), 1855pens
7th George Mendes/Garry Mendes (G & G Sales & Services Inc Mitsubishi L200 Sportero), 1877pens
8th Nicholas Lorde/Brett Barber (NL Engineering/Sam Lordes Inc Mitsubishi L200 Sportero), 2049pens
9th equal Derek Pinto/Adam Hunte (Impulse Services Inc Toyota Hilux) & Nicholas Pinto/Mark Western (Impulse Services Inc Jeep Grand Cherokee), 2310pens
etc
Route 1 – 1st Armstrong/Clarke, 133pens; 2nd Alleyne/O’Neal, 170pens; 3rd Ward/Eastmond, 216pens; 4th Mendes/Mendes, 265pens; 5th Norris/Watkins, 297pens; etc
Route 2 – 1st Alleyne/O’Neal, 94pens; 2nd Norris/Watkins, 98pens; 3rd Armstrong/Clarke, 286pens; 4th Lorde/Barber, 323pens; 5th Kirton/Straker, 348pens; etc
Route 3 – 1st Alleyne/O’Neal, 506pens; 2nd Armstrong/Clarke, 617pens; 3rd Norris/Watkins, 644pens; 4th Gill/Croney, 681pens; 5th Ward/Eastmond, 839pens; etc
Chefette MudDogs Safari Novice Championship – round 3
1st Pinto/Hunte, 2310pens – equal 9th overall
2nd Richard Hinkson/Kevin-Jon Manning (Flat 4's Barbados/Performance Imports Suzuki Samurai), 6079pens – 15th o/a
3rd Alvin Leon/Greg Gill (Suzuki Samurai), 13,345pens – 19th o/a
Route 1 – 1st Pinto/Hunte, 390pens; 2nd Hinkson/Manning, 564pens; 3rd Leon/Gill, 970pens
Route 2 – 1st Pinto/Hunte, 366pens; 2nd Hinkson/Manning, 1916pens; 3rd Leon/Gill, 4850pens
Route 3 – 1st Pinto/Hunte, 1554pens; 2nd Hinkson/Manning, 3599pens; 3rd Leon/Gill, 6525pens
Chefette MudDogs Safari Championship
& Chefette MudDogs Safari Novice Championship
Round 4 - September 20 - BRC MudDogs September Safari
MudFest - October 4
Round 5 - November 8 - BRC MudDogs November Safari
For media information only. No regulatory value.
For further media information, robin@bradfax.com
Web sites: www.barbadosrallyclub.com [2], www.muddogsbarbados.com
