Sol Rally Barbados starts today

All eyes will be on the sky but the forecast for the weekend has nothing but rain and this is sure to make Sol Rally Barbados even trickier as the competitors launch their attack on the stages.

Last weekend the competitors battled over the 3.3km Flow King of the Hill but it was dry for most of the day until a light sprinkle of rain created a stir later.

This weekend is sure to be wet and Barbados is known for standing water with some hidden surprises awaiting.

Some of the drivers have been testing at Bushy Park in order to get a better feel of the car in the wet conditions but there is nothing like driving on the road.

The first crew that will be tackling the unknown will be Dane Skeete and Tyler Mayhew and the chasing pack are sure to be nipping at his heels like Jeffrey Panton from Jamaica who will be looking to recapture the title which he lost after a high speed accident.

Rob Swann will be hoping to capture his first title in the event but the wet conditions may not play in his favour - although he has some experience on slippery terrain.

All eyes will be on the talk of the town, Ken Block, who will have his first competitive outing in the Ford Fiesta this weekend.

Block said that the rain can equalise the field somewhat as it will be hard for the faster cars to put the power down to the slippery roads.

Barbados’ premier rally has seen many stars competing before and all have said that the short sprint stages and the highly competitive drivers are not to be taken for granted.

Block is sure to have his hands full this weekend with the regional and local crews looking to give him a warm welcome and a full view of their back bumper.

However Block has never driven the car and despite the few tests he has done on the Bushy Park Racing Circuit and Vaucluse Raceway he still has to get the feel of the car on the stages.

Because of this he said he has to see where he falls within the top runners before he can say if he has a realistic chance of winning.

Stuart Maloney continues to improve in his R5 but the class is very competitive and over the next two days it will be nothing but pressure.

Barry Mayers has shown that he was hard to catch – performing well on the dry last time out – and looking to prove he is just as quick on the wet.

This year there are 40 crews entered – less than half the number that were entered last year – but it is still a very competitive field of entries.

The rally begins at 10 am from Sol Carnocks and the first stage of the day is slated to be Halton to Drax Hall at 10:40 am.

This will be followed by Dark Hole to Spring Vale at 11:20 am and third stage in the loop will be Wilson Hill to Malvern starting at 11:50 am. (CG)