BRC Rally Championship

BOURNE LOOKING TO MAINTAIN POINTS LEAD
'Expression Session' to end BRC Rally Championship event

Three victories in the first four rounds of the 2008 Barbados Rally Club (BRC) Rally Championship have given reigning Champion Paul Bourne a seven-point advantage, as competitors prepare for the season's penultimate event, Sunday's (October 19) BRC Gravel Rally.
Slated to start at 8.30am from the Searles Factory Yard in Christ Church, the event promises eight loose-surface stages, with four run in each direction, before the entire field heads for the grounds of the Sir Garfield Sobers Gymnasium, where the 2008 Barbados Motor Show will have reached its final day.
Two further stages are planned, before the event closes with an 'Expression Session'; while the two stages will count towards the overall results of the BRC Gravel Rally, the Expression Session will not be compulsory - those competitors who chose to participate will be allowed one minute to 'express themselves', after which the crowd will decide the winner.
Entries close at 4.00pm on Wednesday (October 15), with the Briefing Meeting scheduled for 7.30pm at the Gymnasium on the same day; competitors are expected to assemble at Searles Factory Yard by 7.00am on Sunday at the latest.
With regular co-driver Stuart Maloney alongside in his Banks/Texaco/B-Mobile/Pirelli/New-Tech Subaru Impreza WRC S9, Bourne has claimed three maximum scores so far this year, his only retirement being day one of Sol Rally Barbados 2008, which counted as two points-scoring opportunities. His roll at the end of the morning's second Dark Hole stage left him a non-finisher on the Saturday.
The only other winner this year has been Roger Skeete, who topped the points table that day with Robert Simmons in the Michelin/FB Batteries Ford Escort WRC; having scored in only one other round, however, Skeete currently lies eighth.
Co-driven in the Simpson Motors/Automotive Art/Shell V-Power/Yokohama Suzuki Swift by Michael Cummins, Sean Gill led the standings after round three, having finished second to Bourne and Skeete in the first two rounds, then fourth on day two of Sol Rally Barbados. One of only four drivers to claim top 10 points in every round so far, Gill is now just seven points adrift of Bourne, a signal achievement in the island's fastest two-wheel-drive entry.
A further three points behind Gill is Roger Hill, another to have scored in every event. With co-driver Graham Gittens, he finished third, fourth and sixth in the first three rounds in the Mobil 1/Nassco/MotorMac Toyota Celica GT4, then put his newly-acquired Toyota Corolla WRC to good use in the Motoring Club of Barbados Inc's Plus Rally of the Sun & Stars, claiming his best result of the year, second to Bourne.
Despite having missed April's Automotive Art Shakedown Stages, at least as a competitor rather than Zero Car, Trevor Manning lies fourth, 10 points behind Hill. With co-driver Derek Edwards, Manning finished third of the BRC runners on both days of Sol Rally Barbados in the Shell V-Power/Simpson Motors/Garbage Master Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VIII, but could manage only sixth on the MCBI event.
There are year-end trophies up for grabs for the top five drivers in the BRC Rally Championship and competition promises to be tough for the last couple of positions; between Manning, who has 25 points, and Skeete on 18, there are three other drivers, each of whom could improve his position in the remaining two events.
On 22 points, scored from just two events, is Barry Gale (Trident White/Simpson Motors Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI); Group N front-runner Geoff Noel has 20 points in the Globe Finance/Ezone/DeWalt/Automotive Art/Sunbeach Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX, in which he has scored in every round, while Neil Armstrong is one further point behind in the Shell/Hankook Tyres/Gunk/Odyssey Batteries Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI.
The top 10 is completed by the Castrol Syntec/Lysol/Listerine/Vita Malt/Hennessy/McEnearney Quality Inc Mazda 3 of Nick Gill, the fourth driver to have claimed top 10 finishes in every round, and Ian Warren's remarkable 4W's/Aqua Pur/Flyin' Fish/Crane & Equipments/MQI Repair Centre/Details Car Valet/Automotive Art Peugeot 206.
The vagaries of current weather patterns permitting, Sunday's event promises some class action as competitors see their points-scoring chances diminishing. The final round of the BRC Rally Championship is slated for the weekend of November 1/2.

BRC Rally Championship
Positions after round four

1st Paul Bourne (M8-WRC Subaru Impreza WRC S9), 45 points
2nd Sean Gill (SM10 Suzuki Swift), 38pts
3rd Roger Hill (M8-A Toyota Celica GT4 & M8-WRC Toyota Corolla WRC), 35pts
4th Trevor Manning (M8-A Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VIII), 25pts
5th Barry Gale (M8-WRC Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI), 22pts
6th Geoff Noel (P4 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX), 20pts
7th Neil Armstrong (M8-A Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI), 19pts
8th Roger Skeete (M8-WRC Ford Escort WRC & Subaru Impreza S9), 18pts
9th Nicholas Gill (SM11 Mazda 3), 15pts
10th Ian Warren (M6 Peugeot 206), 10pts.

BOURNE LOOKING TO MAINTAIN POINTS LEAD

BOURNE LOOKING TO MAINTAIN POINTS LEAD
'Expression Session' to end BRC Rally Championship event

Three victories in the first four rounds of the 2008 Barbados Rally Club (BRC) Rally Championship have given reigning Champion Paul Bourne a seven-point advantage, as competitors prepare for the season's penultimate event, Sunday's (October 19) BRC Gravel Rally.
Slated to start at 8.30am from the Searles Factory Yard in Christ Church, the event promises eight loose-surface stages, with four run in each direction, before the entire field heads for the grounds of the Sir Garfield Sobers Gymnasium, where the 2008 Barbados Motor Show will have reached its final day.
Two further stages are planned, before the event closes with an 'Expression Session'; while the two stages will count towards the overall results of the BRC Gravel Rally, the Expression Session will not be compulsory - those competitors who chose to participate will be allowed one minute to 'express themselves', after which the crowd will decide the winner.
Entries close at 4.00pm on Wednesday (October 15), with the Briefing Meeting scheduled for 7.30pm at the Gymnasium on the same day; competitors are expected to assemble at Searles Factory Yard by 7.00am on Sunday at the latest.
With regular co-driver Stuart Maloney alongside in his Banks/Texaco/B-Mobile/Pirelli/

New-Tech Subaru Impreza WRC S9, Bourne has claimed three maximum scores so far this year, his only retirement being day one of Sol Rally Barbados 2008, which counted as two points-scoring opportunities. His roll at the end of the morning's second Dark Hole stage left him a non-finisher on the Saturday.
The only other winner this year has been Roger Skeete, who topped the points table that day with Robert Simmons in the Michelin/FB Batteries Ford Escort WRC; having scored in only one other round, however, Skeete currently lies eighth.
Co-driven in the Simpson Motors/Automotive Art/Shell V-Power/Yokohama Suzuki Swift by Michael Cummins, Sean Gill led the standings after round three, having finished second to Bourne and Skeete in the first two rounds, then fourth on day two of Sol Rally Barbados. One of only four drivers to claim top 10 points in every round so far, Gill is now just seven points adrift of Bourne, a signal achievement in the island's fastest two-wheel-drive entry.
A further three points behind Gill is Roger Hill, another to have scored in every event. With co-driver Graham Gittens, he finished third, fourth and sixth in the first three rounds in the Mobil 1/Nassco/MotorMac Toyota Celica GT4, then put his newly-acquired Toyota Corolla WRC to good use in the Motoring Club of Barbados Inc's Plus Rally of the Sun & Stars, claiming his best result of the year, second to Bourne.
Despite having missed April's Automotive Art Shakedown Stages, at least as a competitor rather than Zero Car, Trevor Manning lies fourth, 10 points behind Hill. With co-driver Derek Edwards, Manning finished third of the BRC runners on both days of Sol Rally Barbados in the Shell V-Power/Simpson Motors/Garbage Master Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VIII, but could manage only sixth on the MCBI event.
There are year-end trophies up for grabs for the top five drivers in the BRC Rally Championship and competition promises to be tough for the last couple of positions; between Manning, who has 25 points, and Skeete on 18, there are three other drivers, each of whom could improve his position in the remaining two events.
On 22 points, scored from just two events, is Barry Gale (Trident White/Simpson Motors Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI); Group N front-runner Geoff Noel has 20 points in the Globe Finance/Ezone/DeWalt/Automotive Art/Sunbeach Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX, in which he has scored in every round, while Neil Armstrong is one further point behind in the Shell/Hankook Tyres/Gunk/Odyssey Batteries Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI.
The top 10 is completed by the Castrol Syntec/Lysol/Listerine/Vita Malt/Hennessy/McEnearney Quality Inc Mazda 3 of Nick Gill, the fourth driver to have claimed top 10 finishes in every round, and Ian Warren's remarkable 4W's/Aqua Pur/Flyin' Fish/Crane & Equipments/MQI Repair Centre/Details Car Valet/Automotive Art Peugeot 206.
The vagaries of current weather patterns permitting, Sunday's event promises some class action as competitors see their points-scoring chances diminishing. The final round of the BRC Rally Championship is slated for the weekend of November 1/2.

BRC Rally Championship
Positions after round four

1st Paul Bourne (M8-WRC Subaru Impreza WRC S9), 45 points
2nd Sean Gill (SM10 Suzuki Swift), 38pts
3rd Roger Hill (M8-A Toyota Celica GT4 & M8-WRC Toyota Corolla WRC), 35pts
4th Trevor Manning (M8-A Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VIII), 25pts
5th Barry Gale (M8-WRC Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI), 22pts
6th Geoff Noel (P4 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX), 20pts
7th Neil Armstrong (M8-A Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI), 19pts
8th Roger Skeete (M8-WRC Ford Escort WRC & Subaru Impreza S9), 18pts
9th Nicholas Gill (SM11 Mazda 3), 15pts
10th Ian Warren (M6 Peugeot 206), 10pts
etc

For further information, robin@bradfax.com

Kelly Slater secures his ninth ASP World Title in Spain

Kelly Slater : photo ASP Cestari/Covered Images Team News Kelly Slater Secures Ninth ASP World Title in Spain Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 3 October, 2008 : - - Mundaka, Basque Country/Spain - Kelly Slater, 36, has won a record ninth ASP World Title after advancing out of Round 3 of the Billabong Pro Mundaka – the ninth event of 11 on the 2008 ASP World Tour. Slater came into the event needing an equal ninth finish to clinch the title, he secured that by beating local wildcard Eneko Acero (EUK) in four foot waves at Mundaka this morning. “It’s going to take a little while to sink in,” Slater said when mobbed at the water’s edge. “I’m probably going to have to call home and talk to family for it to really hit me.” Slater’s 2008 crowning comes 16 years after securing his first ASP World Title at age 20. He is the oldest and youngest surfer in ASP history to win a world title. The now nine-time ASP World Champion joined the tour in 1991 and won his first ASP World Title in 1992. When asked if he had ever dreamed about achieving such a feat when he came onto the scene 17 years ago, Slater was close to speechless. “I never even thought about it,” Slater said. “It never even popped into my head. It’s crazy.” Kelly Slater & Taylor Knox : photo ASP Kirstin/Covered Images Despite entering his 14th year on tour already the owner of most every accolade in professional surfing, 2008 has been a banner year for Slater. With five wins in the first seven events of the year, a second place finish at the last event in France and a Round 4 berth at the Billabong Pro Mundaka later today, Slater is on track to post his most successful season to date. Slater’s winning average in 2008 is 89 percent at present. “I felt a lot more at ease this year,” Slater said. “It’s probably my personal life. That’s the biggest change in my life. I’m happy and settled and I’ve got the support there that just feels amazing. Nothing else has really changed, I’ve worked with my boards a little bit here and there and I’ve always worked on my mind and my emotions, but something just really clicked into place this year.” After winning his first ASP World Tour title in 1992 and claiming five titles in a row from 1994 to 1998, Slater went into semi-retirement at age 26 citing burnout and lack of motivation. He returned to the tour full-time in 2003, lost a heart-wrenching title race to Andy Irons (HAW) that same year, and wasn’t able to reclaim the crown until 2005. Slater cruised to title No. 8 in 2006, finished World No. 3 in 2007 and is once again World No. 1 after winning his ninth ASP World Title today. “In 1996 I had a good year – I won 7 out of 13,” Slater said. “In 1996 I won five events of 12 – but both years I was counting ninths at the end of the year. This year I’ve won five events of eight, I’m sitting on a second and I still have a throwaway to spare. The depth of success I’ve had this season is the deepest of my career.” Kelly Slater : photo ASP Kirstin/Covered Images With such a monumental lead so early in the season, it was less a matter of if Slater would win the title, and more a matter of when. “I think there were key heats this year, a few I had with Taj, Parko and even Bobby in Fiji, where I got waves under the other surfers’ priority and won important heats, that it really sunk in that it was going to happen,” Slater said. “It was probably JBay where it really sunk in.” Slater was quick to acknowledge 2007 ASP World Champion Mick Fanning (AUS) and the support he’s given him both professionally and personally today. “When Mick won last year I was obviously really stoked for him.” Slater said. “I think I knew from the first contest last year that Mick was going to win. He was really focused and he didn’t have anything standing in his way mentally or emotionally. He was the one person who sent me text when I was looking at leaving that said, ‘We need you to stay on tour. Don’t worry, you’ll find that personal stuff. It will happen,’ and now it has. Even though he is the toughest competitor on tour he’s always been a good friend and I have a lot of respect for Mick.” Because Slater lost interest after winning five titles in a row from ’94 to ’98, and then toyed with retirement again after winning No. 7 and No. 8 right after each other, it would seem like winning back to back titles might have lost its appeal for the world’s most decorated surfer. “No, winning them back to back is still pretty sweet,” Slater said with a smile. “If I can go back to back starting now that would be pretty sweet. It is really nice to come back and win it after you lost it the year before though. I’m sure if Mick were to come back and win one, or Andy were to come back and win one – C.J., any of those guys, they would definitely say how sweet it is to win it again.” For Kelly Slater’s complete biography and career details visit www.aspworldtour.com/kellyslater. ASP Records Held by Kelly Slater: Most ASP World Titles: Nine (2008, 2006, 2005, 1998, 1997, 1996, 1995, 1994, 1992) Most ASP World Tour Victories: 39 Oldest ASP World Champion: 36-years-old (2008) Youngest ASP World Champion: 20-year-old (1992) Highest Heat Total: Only perfect 20 out of 20 ever earned (Tahiti – 2005) Most Event Wins in a Season: Seven in 1996 Congratulations Kelly Slater !