The Bajan team of Sean Gill and Michael Cummins in the Suzuki SX4 WRC were the provisional leaders after Stage 11 on Day One of Sol Rally Barbados, which saw over 100 crews taking to the start line for the two-day Tarmac Rally.
Sean Gill and Michael Cummins – Day 1 leader of Sol Rally Barbados
6/10/2012
AFTER the lead had changed hands no less than three times and with one stage still to be returned, it was Sean Gill and Michael Cummins that held the lead of the highly anticipated Sol Rally Barbados 2012.
In the Suzuki SX4 WRC, Gill and Cummins held a slender three-second lead over England’s Paul Bird and Kristy Riddick, in second place, after making an incredible recovery during the day. Bird, in the Ford Focus WRC, was the early leader of the rally, setting the pace from the first stage and winning by about two seconds. However, it was on the third stage that Bird lost about 18 seconds and slipped down the order.
Taking over the lead was 12-time champion Roger Skeete and Louis Venezia in the S12B Subaru Impreza WRC. Skeete had fought back with a stage two victory and when Bird had his mishaps on the third stage, he was right there to take advantage of it.
This is where Bird’s amazing fightback started. He was 15 seconds behind the leader after stage three.
He won five of the next eight stages and was second twice and with one stage not accounted for, he was a mere two seconds adrift of Sean Gill and just five seconds ahead of third place Paul Bourne and Megan Bryant in the Ford Focus WRC.
Bourne never held the rally lead, but was less than half a second off the leader at one stage.
Skeete, who held the lead and was looking comfortable, fell out the running after some gearbox issues on stage nine and did not finish the day.
The battle for fourth place is between England’s Steve Perez and Jamaica’s Jeffrey Panton.
One second separates these two drivers and they are about 10 seconds further adrift of the top three.
Neil Armstrong continues his impressive form and yesterday was the same. He is an incredible sixth overall and the leader of Super Modified 10 by over a minute from the closest class rival.
He is also ahead of no less than three World Rally Cars still in the overall classification.
The top ten is rounded off by England’s Rob Swann, Roger Duckworth, Barbados’ Dean Serrao and Roger Mayers. (CG)
