Mr.Sidewayz
1st May 2008, 00:43
WORLD-CLASS STARS FOR SOL RALLY BARBADOS
Former Champion Waldegard and Meeke top the overseas entry
Sweden's Bjorn Waldegard, the 1979 World Rally Champion, and Ireland's Kris Meeke, a pace-maker in the Junior WRC in recent seasons, will compete in Sol Rally Barbados 2008 (May 31/June 1), giving the Caribbean island's enthusiastic motor sport fans an unique opportunity to compare the past and present of International rallying.
Their entries were confirmed this morning (April 29) during a media conference at the Hilton Hotel, just outside the island's capital Bridgetown, called to confirm the start of a three-year sponsorship deal agreed between the organising Barbados Rally Club (BRC) and the Sol Group, the Caribbean's largest independent oil company.
Winner of 16 World Championship events and podium finisher in a further 17, Waldegard will drive a Porsche 911, the type of car in which he claimed his first International victory in the Monte Carlo Rally in 1969. The car is owned by former British Historic and National Rally Champion Steve Perez, a regular competitor in Barbados in recent years, initially in his ex-Hannu Mikkola Audi Quattro Sport, then in an ex-works Ford Focus WRC - he has finished fourth in Rally Barbados for the past two years. Waldegard has already driven another car from the Perez stable, having finished second in the Post-Historic class of the opening round of this year's British Historic Rally Championship, the Robin Hood Forest Stages, in March. Then, he drove an ex-works Lancia Stratos, the model in which he claimed four of his World Championship victories.
Still regarded as one of the world's best-ever rally drivers,
Waldegard's outing in Barbados in being sponsored by Porsche and the island's Porsche importer, Simpson Motors; although yet to be confirmed, he is expected to have the help of an experienced local co-driver.
For Meeke, whose personal sponsors Pirelli and Red Bull are supporting the trip, his participation marks a return to the island, after visiting as a spectator last year. He will compete with regular co-driver Paul Nagle in a Toyota Corolla World Rally Car owned by Trinidad-based Jamaican businessman John Powell and also sponsored by Digicel, Barbados Toyota dealer Nassco and local businesses Consolidated Finance, Armag and Crane & Equipments.
The ex-Didier Auriol car, in which Powell finished second in Rally Barbados 2007, has recently undergone a total rebuild at the workshop of Toyota guru Erik Wevers in Holland, following an accident in Barbados late last year in the hands of Mark Higgins. Meeke says: "I'm really looking forward to it - first, because it is the chance to compete on a real fun rally and second, I will get the chance to drive a WRC Corolla. It is a car I've always wanted to drive."
While he will be hoping to emulate the successes of fellow-countryman Kenny McKinstry, the only European driver to have won the event - he did so twice, in 1993 & '96 - Meeke knows that winning is far from a foregone conclusion: "It is a very specialised rally and local knowledge is very important. Plus, there are some good drivers in the West Indies with nearly-current cars like Paul Bourne, Roger Skeete and, of course, John Powell."
Reigning BRC Rally Champion Bourne and Powell now both campaign Subaru Impreza WRC S9s, while Skeete - with 10 victories, the most prolific winner of the island's premier event - has an ex-works Ford Escort WRC. Adding into the mix Jamaica's Gary Gregg (Ford Focus WRC01) and other European regulars such as Perez and Kevin Procter, who now has an Impreza S7, means Meeke will have his work cut out.
Sol Rally Barbados Chairman Barry Gale said: "The closing date for entries is still some way off, although we are now almost certain of those who are committed to travel from overseas. Last year, we were boasting about six ex-factory World Rally Cars in the entry . . . well, we are certain to beat that number this year. And, apart from Bjorn Waldegard and Kris Meeke, whose names we have been able to confirm today, there are still some further interesting drivers and cars to be announced in the coming weeks."
Former Champion Waldegard and Meeke top the overseas entry
Sweden's Bjorn Waldegard, the 1979 World Rally Champion, and Ireland's Kris Meeke, a pace-maker in the Junior WRC in recent seasons, will compete in Sol Rally Barbados 2008 (May 31/June 1), giving the Caribbean island's enthusiastic motor sport fans an unique opportunity to compare the past and present of International rallying.
Their entries were confirmed this morning (April 29) during a media conference at the Hilton Hotel, just outside the island's capital Bridgetown, called to confirm the start of a three-year sponsorship deal agreed between the organising Barbados Rally Club (BRC) and the Sol Group, the Caribbean's largest independent oil company.
Winner of 16 World Championship events and podium finisher in a further 17, Waldegard will drive a Porsche 911, the type of car in which he claimed his first International victory in the Monte Carlo Rally in 1969. The car is owned by former British Historic and National Rally Champion Steve Perez, a regular competitor in Barbados in recent years, initially in his ex-Hannu Mikkola Audi Quattro Sport, then in an ex-works Ford Focus WRC - he has finished fourth in Rally Barbados for the past two years. Waldegard has already driven another car from the Perez stable, having finished second in the Post-Historic class of the opening round of this year's British Historic Rally Championship, the Robin Hood Forest Stages, in March. Then, he drove an ex-works Lancia Stratos, the model in which he claimed four of his World Championship victories.
Still regarded as one of the world's best-ever rally drivers,
Waldegard's outing in Barbados in being sponsored by Porsche and the island's Porsche importer, Simpson Motors; although yet to be confirmed, he is expected to have the help of an experienced local co-driver.
For Meeke, whose personal sponsors Pirelli and Red Bull are supporting the trip, his participation marks a return to the island, after visiting as a spectator last year. He will compete with regular co-driver Paul Nagle in a Toyota Corolla World Rally Car owned by Trinidad-based Jamaican businessman John Powell and also sponsored by Digicel, Barbados Toyota dealer Nassco and local businesses Consolidated Finance, Armag and Crane & Equipments.
The ex-Didier Auriol car, in which Powell finished second in Rally Barbados 2007, has recently undergone a total rebuild at the workshop of Toyota guru Erik Wevers in Holland, following an accident in Barbados late last year in the hands of Mark Higgins. Meeke says: "I'm really looking forward to it - first, because it is the chance to compete on a real fun rally and second, I will get the chance to drive a WRC Corolla. It is a car I've always wanted to drive."
While he will be hoping to emulate the successes of fellow-countryman Kenny McKinstry, the only European driver to have won the event - he did so twice, in 1993 & '96 - Meeke knows that winning is far from a foregone conclusion: "It is a very specialised rally and local knowledge is very important. Plus, there are some good drivers in the West Indies with nearly-current cars like Paul Bourne, Roger Skeete and, of course, John Powell."
Reigning BRC Rally Champion Bourne and Powell now both campaign Subaru Impreza WRC S9s, while Skeete - with 10 victories, the most prolific winner of the island's premier event - has an ex-works Ford Escort WRC. Adding into the mix Jamaica's Gary Gregg (Ford Focus WRC01) and other European regulars such as Perez and Kevin Procter, who now has an Impreza S7, means Meeke will have his work cut out.
Sol Rally Barbados Chairman Barry Gale said: "The closing date for entries is still some way off, although we are now almost certain of those who are committed to travel from overseas. Last year, we were boasting about six ex-factory World Rally Cars in the entry . . . well, we are certain to beat that number this year. And, apart from Bjorn Waldegard and Kris Meeke, whose names we have been able to confirm today, there are still some further interesting drivers and cars to be announced in the coming weeks."