Supercars Wow Vaucluse Fans
Ulster's Lawrence Gibson the first lap record-holder
The inaugural Barbados Rallycross International finally got
under way at the Vaucluse Raceway on Sunday afternoon (November
27) after the heavy rains of the previous week had caused
the cancellation of the scheduled Friday practice and Saturday
racing . . . but the day's action was further interrupted
by rain.
Practice started about 2.00pm, after volunteers in four-wheel-drive
vehicles had lapped for more than an hour to help force the
moisture out of the loose-surface sections of the track; the
method worked and practice sessions for the six groups were
quickly completed. After only one race, however - Ryan Wood's
name went into the record books as the very first winner in
rallycross at the St Thomas venue - the rains fell again,
causing a further stoppage.
Racing was re-started under floodlights and two heats for
all Groups completed . . . but that was to be it, as the heavens
opened once again, so the event was decided on the aggregate
result of the two heats; despite conditions, racing was enjoyed
by a sizeable and enthusiastic crowd, many straight from the
Ferrari Formula 1 demonstration in Warrens. They were treated
to some world-class driving by the touring party from Great
Britain, armed with their 550-horsepower Rallycross Supercars.
Barbados Rally Carnival regular Kevin Procter came out on
top of the Supercar class, winning both races in his Ford
Puma Evo 4 x 4, the second by a considerable margin; in the
first, he was chased home by Lawrence Gibson in his recently-rebuilt
MG Metro 6R4, with Dermot Carnegie (Ford Focus) and George
Tracey (Ford RS200) close behind.
In the second race, local drivers Kirk Watkins (Mitsubishi
Lancer Evo V) and Mark Maloney (Nissan Pulsar GtiR) joined
the overseas drivers; Tracey led after the first lap, but
succumbed to pressure from Carnegie and Procter on lap two.
Carnegie looked set for victory, when the race was red-flagged
after Maloney rolled his Nissan - he was uninjured. In the
re-run, Procter shot off the line, never to be headed, leading
home Carnegie, Gibson and Tracey. Pat Doran's Ford Fiesta
ST was driven by his son Liam, but gremlins in the electronics
meant it played little part in the prodceedings.
Procter recorded eight of the 10 fastest times of the day,
ranging from 50.97 to 53.55 seconds, but it was Gibson who
became the first lap record-holder at VRW, with a time of
50.49s in his immaculate 6R4.
In the others Groups, Watkins won Modified 8, the Mitsubishi
driver maintaining his record as the only driver to have contested
every event at VRW since it opened in August 2000. Bushy Park
regulars did well - Jerry Leach (Peugeot 205) won merged SuperModified
10 & 11 on his Vaucluse debut, while Geoff Ullyett (Nissan
200Y) won Modified 7.
This was a very competitive Group - Simon Gillmore (Peugeot
205) beat Ullyett and Greg Cozier (Ford Escort RS2000) in
the first heat, then Ullyett saw off Cozier and Gillmore in
the second. Gilmore earned the distinction of fastest two-wheel-drive
car with a time of 62.05s.
Wood's victory in the first Modified 5 race was followed
by a second place in heat two, earning him the Group title
in his Toyota Starlet; visiting journalist Carlin Gerbich
finished second, very much enjoying his outings in the Ullyett's
Machine Shop Nissan campaigned by Jesse Mark this season at
Bushy Park.
In the Production Group, a delighted Stephen Moore was victorious
in his Toyota Corolla, beating Geoffrey Ullyett (Morris Minor)
and Andrew Skeete (Mitsubishi Lancer); this Group also produced
the day's other major incident - in the second heat, while
fighting for position with Ullyett, Adrian Bayley's Peugeot
205 rolled approaching the southern hairpin; but for a few
bruises, Bayley was unhurt, but the Peugeot was severely damaged.
At the prizegiving which followed, former British Champion
Pat Doran praised the VRW management for their efforts to
stage the event and said: "This is a great rallycross
track, and I am sure that you can attract a strong International
following in years to come."
Barbados Rallycross International
Saturday, November 25
Results
SuperModified 12 1st Kevin Procter
- ENG (Procters Coaches/PC Vehicle Rentals/Motoscope Ford
Puma Evo 4 x 4); equal 2nd Dermot Carnegie - IRL (Esso Ultron/Autoglaze
Ford Focus Ford Focus) & Lawrence Gibson - NIR (P &
O Irish Sea MG Metro 6R4); 4th George Tracey - IRL (Ford RS200)
SuperModified 11 & S10 merged 1st Jerry Leach (S10
Origo Graphics/Courtesy Auto Body Repairs/SRG Engineering
Peugeot 205); 2nd Andrew Jones (S11 McEnearney Quality/AP
Jones Pharmacy Ford Escort MkII)
Modified 8 1st Kirk Watkins (Abacus Builders Inc/Planned
Maintenance/Aqua Pur Mitsubishi Lancer Evo V); 2nd Mark Maloney
(Guinness/Maloney Nissan Pulsar GtiR)
Modified 7 1st Geoffrey Ullyett (Ullyetts Machine Shop/R
L Mark/KDJ Auto Parts/Paints Plus Nissan 200Y); 2nd Simon
Gillmore (SRG Engineering/Halton Graphics Peugeot 205); 3rd
Greg Cozier (Citgo/Hyundai Commercial & Industrial Ford
Escort RS2000)
Modified 5 1st Ryan Wood (Sitemasters Toyota Starlet);
2nd Carlin Gerbich - NZL (Ullyetts Machine Shop/R L Mark/KDJ
Auto Parts/Paints Nissan 120Y); 3rd Orville Blackman (Toyota
Starlet)
Production 1 1st Stephen Moore (Rid-a-Bug Toyota Corolla);
2nd Geoffrey Ullyett (Ullyetts Machine Shop Service Morris
Minor); 3rd Andrew Skeete (Hitachi Power Tools/Rent-a-quip/Quality
Tyre Mitsubishi Lancer)
Drive of the Day Ryan Wood
Fastest lap Lawrence Gibson, 50.49s
Fastest two-wheel-drive lap Simon Gillmore, 62.05s
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