ZiNG Caribbean – May-June 2019

SYLVAINPIGEAU

56 | ZiNG CARIBBEAN http://www.liat.com | May - June 2019

he Sol Rally Barbados

was originally

called the International All-Stage Rally,

under the aegis of the Barbados Rally

Club (BRC), which still organises the

event. The club was founded in 1957,

making it the oldest motorsports club with a continuous

history in the Caribbean. The first rally was held in 1990,

making the 2019 event – held from 31 May to 2 June –

the 30th anniversary.

In the early days, the BRC was very active, particularly

with navigational rallies, where the focus was not on speed,

but on accurate map-reading. Circuit racing and drag racing

were also popular in Barbados, Guadeloupe, Guyana,

Jamaica, Martinique and Trinidad & Tobago, with drags also

in Grenada, St Lucia and St Vincent. “As time went by, speed

became more of a focus, so timed special stages were

included in events, then some rallies became purely timed,”

says motoring enthusiast and volunteer Robin Bradford.

Today, the Sol Rally comprises 22 stages totalling

about 120km. Cars set off at 30-second intervals, and

their combined times create the results. “The event is run

on tarmac public roads, which are closed temporarily by

orders granted by the Ministry of Transport & Works,”

adds Bradford. “The entirety of the route differs each year,

although there will be common sections included.”

A NEW RACING AGE

One of the rally’s legendary local drivers is Roger ‘The

Sheriff’ Skeete, who has accrued nine International

All-Stage wins, four Rally Barbados titles and 20 top-ten

finishes. He was also involved in organising the original

event. “Just having the rally was a major achievement,”

Skeete explains. “I was tasked by the BRC committee of

the day to find some sponsorship and organise a rally.

We obtained the sponsorship and it was not difficult to

attract crews from the UK to come and take part while

enjoying Barbados.”

It was a successful first outing, too. “It was a thrill for

sure to win on home soil,” Skeete recalls. “The rally itself

was a lot of fun, and something that all of us enjoyed. It

was the first stage rally with a number of drivers from the

UK, against whom none of us had competed. However,

as time passed one thing became the most important

objective: keep the trophy at home!”

One of Skeete’s main rivals is the talented Jeffrey

Panton of Jamaica. Panton’s first win was back in 1998, but

he has since enjoyed a storming run of four consecutive

victories in the Sol Rally Barbados alongside co-driver

Michael Fennel Jr in the team’s Ford Focus WRC06.

“Rallying is a team effort. I attribute much of my success

to experience, an amazing co-driver and a solid team

backing us up,” says Panton, keen to note the collaborative

nature of the sport. “Careful attention to detail, proper

routine maintenance and component rebuilds on the

car

ensure reliability during an event.”

Panton has been rallying for 35 years, and is considered

by many to be the most successful Caribbean rally driver.

“There is quite a bit of mental and physical preparation;

in

recent years I have worked with a mental coach to

tryand

improve in any way I can,” he says. “My competitiveness

drives me to push boundaries and sometimes beyond

limits to succeed.”

WORLDWIDE REACH

People come from far and wide to experience the

Sol

Rally. In 1990, there were 30 entrants in total. Now

therace

welcomes around 40 overseas crews each year, in

afieldof

90 to 95 entrants. In 2018, one crew shipped three

carsall

the way from New Zealand; last year also saw the

largest

number of female participants so far, at 23. However,

itcan

be tricky for visiting drivers to get a good result

inBarbados

without a great deal of preparation and experience.

“What tends to catch out particularly UK

competitors

is the heat, if they don’t plan ahead,” says Bradford.

“Itcan

get very hot inside a competition car, in a full

fireproof

race suit, while car engines can suffer overheating;

MOTORSPORT

Above: Jamaica’s

Jeffrey Panton speeds

towards another

victory at Sol Rally

Barbados 2018

Opposite:

Talented competitors

including Andy

Scott (top), Sunday

Cup winner Mark

Thompson (bottom

left) and Jeffrey

Panton (bottom right)

draw big crowds

around the island

NICHOLAS BHAJAN; HIMAL REECE; JEFFREY PANTON