Xtreme Degreez Sports Magazine

Jamaica’s Panton joins list of previous winners

While rally crews the world over seem determined to help the Barbados Rally Club (BRC) celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the inaugural running of its International All-Stage Rally, the Club has received another vote of confidence, with confirmation of a renewed three-year title sponsorship deal with Sol Barbados Ltd.
Entries so far received, which hover around the maximum of 90, include not only the biggest-ever local entry for the BRC’s blue riband event, but 28 from overseas, a massively-encouraging total in the current economic climate . . . and one which is expected to rise yet further. Rally Chairman Barry Gale has a simple message: “Even though we’re already around our limit of 90, interested competitors should continue to enter on-line, as we are a long way from our closing date. Read the rest of this entry »

BRITISH PIONEER BACK FOR SOL RALLY BARBADOS
Record flow of entries puts pressure on places

The Barbados Rally Club’s (BRC) 20th Anniversary celebrations of the inaugural running of its International All-Stage Rally have been further boosted this week with confirmation that the first British driver to compete on the event has entered Sol Rally Barbados 2010 . . . and he’s bringing some friends with him!
Howard Paterson’s ninth-place finish in his Volkswagen Golf GTI in 1991 was the first overseas result, although fellow-Brit Kevin Furber had enjoyed ‘guest driver’ status the previous year as Zero Car in local engineer and competitor Simon Gilmore’s Peugeot 205; along with co-driver Dave Crawford, Furber won a trophy for the “spirited driving as course car”.
In a career spanning nearly 30 years since he finished ninth in a Volvo 240 in the 1983 Himalayan Rally, Paterson has contested more than 100 International rallies; his CV includes iconic events such as the London to Mexico, London to Sydney and the Safari, and he has won championship titles as both co-driver (1985 British GpB 1600) and driver (1999 Middle East F2, 2006 FIA Dubai RallySprint).
Paterson recalls: “My claim to fame is that I am the only driver to have rallied on both the highest (Peru) and lowest stages in the world – the Dead Sea stages in Jordan.” All that experience has led him to become one of the most sought-after driver coaches in the business, particularly in the Middle East. Read the rest of this entry »