Duckworth confirms SOL Rally Barbados return

Former UK National Rally Champion Roger Duckworth, a podium finisher on his last two visits to Sol Rally Barbados, has confirmed he will return for the ninth time for Sol RB20 (May 29-31), although he will miss the previous Sunday’s Flow King of the Hill. He and co-driver Mark Broomfield kicked off their 30th season as a rallying partnership at Cadwell Park in the east of England last Sunday (February 2), when they finished 10th in the TJS Self Drive Alan Healy Memorial Stages.

Panton & Fennell’s foruth Flow King of the Hill

Jamaica’s Jeff Panton and Mike Fennell re-wrote the record books again yesterday (Sunday) with their fourth straight victory in Flow King of the Hill, the Barbados Rally Club’s (BRC) annual Sol Rally Barbados shakedown. Having trailed England’s Rob Swann for the first three runs, Panton made the final run count, to win by a margin of 12 hundredths of a second in the Rubis/Sandals Barbados/KIG Ford Focus WRC06.

With the car undergoing a total rebuild, Panton has seen no action since last year, as he explained at the finish: “The times today reflect how much I had to catch back up. All day I really thought Rob had it, right up to the last run when we put on a set of fresh tyres and just went for it. To come out on top is a major confidence boost for next weekend, when we need to be driving more like we did in the last run.”

Panton ready for ‘Amazing’ SOL Rally Barbados

Four-time winner of the Barbados Rally Club’s (BRC) blue riband event, Jamaica’s Jeff Panton today (April 12) confirmed his participation in Sol Rally Barbados 2018, after a successful return to island competition last weekend. The Club’s 2017 Champion Driver is looking forward to “another amazing Rally Barbados” and taking on whatever the opposition can offer, following his hat-trick of victories since 2015.

Sol RB18 will run from Friday to Sunday, June 1-3, with The Rally Show and Flow King of the Hill (KotH) the previous weekend, May 26/27. With the entry closing date just two weeks away, more than 70 crews are now shown in the on-line entry list on the official web site, rallybarbados.net. Rally Trinidad 2018 winner Ryan Pinheiro is also confirmed today, along with UK newcomer Geoff Phelps, boosting the 4wd entry to 22.