Geoffrey
Ullyett (right) yet again reigned supreme as he won the first
round of the Dexterity Driving Challenge. Organised by PB Events
Limited and the Motoring Club of Barbados Incorporated, this
is its second year running and like the previous rounds, it
was another success. Held in scenic Searles Christ Church, thousands
gathered to watch the many talented drivers who had come out
to put their skills on show.
With 65 entrants, the crowds who turned out were in for
lots of entertainment, and that is what they got. The promise
of seeing sideways ace Geoffrey Ullyett behind the wheel of
Paul Bourne's Subaru Impreza WRC served to add even more excitement
to the atmosphere surrounding the event. There were the usual
crowd favourites, but there were a lot of newcomers and this
added variety to the field.
One
of the outstanding performers during the day was Sean Banfield
(right). Driving a Toyota Hilux, Banfield showed tremendous
skill and car control as he spun the large Hilux around the
barrels with the greatest of ease. He simply left the crowd
in awe, even more so when he even defeated some of the cars
that lined up to go head to head against him. Another competitor
not driving a "car" but still having a good showing
was Lawrence Bayne. One of the stars of last year's dexterity
challenge, Bayne returned this year behind the wheel of a
Suzuki Samurai. He picked up right where he left off, just
oozing confidence and flair as he made light work of the course.
Special
mention must be made here of Biddy Barber (right), the only
female competitor. Behind the wheel of her Daihatsu Feroza,
Biddy showed motorsport isn't limited to male participation
only. Although she didn't navigate the course with the flair
of her male counterparts, she gave a good account of herself,
earning the respect of each member of the crowd.
The FWD (front-wheel drive) section of the competitors represented
to the fullest. Simon Gillmore, Arthur and Sean Corbin leading
the way. Gilmore finished 2nd overall, with Arthur Corbin
6th and Sean Corbin 10th. Gillmore was clean and consistent,
working in tandem with his machine. Arthur Corbin continued
to amaze with his ability to pose a strong challenge to the
RWD (rear-wheel drive) competitors. Driving a Toyota Corolla
GT, Corbin showed that dexterity isn't about power and looking
flashy, but being skilful, clean and consistent during your
runs. Sean Corbin too, affirmed this fact, as he took his
Daihatsu Charade Tiger to a well-earned 10th place finish.
The RWD competitors took the lion's-share of the top honours.
Sideways ace Geoffrey Ullyett taking command and finishing
in 1st. Skill and guile personified, Ullyett held off all
of the strong challenges posed to him and came out victorious.
His relaxed demeanour in how he manoeuvred the course astonished
the
thousands that turned out to watch the event. Ryan Wood (right)
was simply amazing as he took 3rd place. Spinning his Toyota
Starlet with ease around the barrels, Wood picked up where
he left off from last year's Dexterity Challenge. With the
front wheel of the 'Let seemingly anchored to the ground,
mere inches away from the barrels, Wood had the back coming
around as easy as ever. Of course, the crowd became one in
a sea of hysteria. Cody Mark and James Betts finished 4th
and 5th respectively. Both of these young competitors showed
great poise, and this was translated into their very quick
times. 7th position went to another sideways specialist, Tony
Pile. Driving a Toyota Starlet, Pile was in the same mould
as last year- being quick and clean with of course, the flair
that fans associate with his driving. Martin Atwell drove
is Westfield Megabird to 8th place overall. Spinning his machine
with ease, Atwell left spectators' mouths watering for more.
Adrian Linton finished in a hard-earned 9th place. After encountering
a mechanical problem on his 1st run, Linton then shared a
car with Michael Collymore. Linton was now in a RWD vehicle,
and he didn't miss a beat, putting down good times.
|