March 10, 2005
Lloyd’s of Montego Bay/JMMC Tarmac Stages Rally 2005

Doug Gore @ the last running of the event

The first tarmac rally on the Jamaica Millennium Motoring Club’s calendar takes place on Sunday, March 20, 2005. Formerly known as the Tony’s Pizza rally, the title sponsorship has this year been taken up by Lloyd’s of Montego Bay, the leading department store in Western Jamaica, on St. James Street in the heart of this bustling resort town.

The rally starts at Ironshore Esso Service Station where check in and technical inspection will commence at 6 a.m. The official start is at 8 a.m. and the rally teams will move to the first stage at the Ironshore Tarmac circuit, then to the high speed Daniel Town to Long Pond stage at 9:00 a.m. This stage will be run two times in the forward direction in the morning and two times in the reverse direction in the afternoon. Interspersed with this stage will be the Calabar to Brampton stage, better known as Rio Bueno stage, taking its identity from the seaport town used to access the course. The Calabar stage will be used a total of four times in all, two in the morning and two in the afternoon. The tenth and final stage will be a re run of the Ironshore stage to bring the rally to an end at the Ironshore Esso service station.

The event is a pace notes tarmac stages rally, which means that the course is made known to the teams beforehand, who then go out to the stages and make descriptive notes of the road, including straights, length of corners, possible dangers, type of surface etc. The competing teams will be keen to make accurate notes in the remaining days before the start, as the effectiveness of these notes is the key to a good performance come race day.

With the cooperation of the local police and National Works Agency as well as the safety marshals and course workers from affiliated motoring clubs, the roads to be used are sealed off from public traffic and access, while ambulances, wreckers and doctors are stationed at strategic points along the way, with the entire team being in constant two way radio contact with each other to facilitate the safe running of the event. Alternate routes to access towns or villages along or beyond the route as well as the periods that the roads are to be closed to the public will be published by the National Works Agency in the Gleaner and the Observer newspapers in the week before the event.

Most of the top teams currently active in Jamaican rallying are expected to enter this event, which makes its return after an absence of three years. Top names expected from the west are Christopher “Chippie” Addison/Sean “Uncle Buck” Williams in the Quic Aid Wrecking/E Services/Shirley’s National Fuels/Ward’s Auto Parts/Wardmart Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 5, winners of the rally in 1999 in an Evolution 2 before crashing out in dramatic fashion in 2000 driving an upgraded Evolution 6. 2000 winner Jeffrey Panton/Justin Morin have not returned to active competition since their high speed off on Rally Jamaica 2004, and are likely to miss the chance to defend their crown. Douglas “Hollywood” Gore/Mark “Submarine” Nelson in the Motor Sales & Service/ Sherwin Williams/Amsoil/Sandals Resorts/Rick’s Café/Walkerswood Foods/Slam Condoms/DMS Distributors/Value Buys Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 8 were the last winners on these stages when they were used as a part of the Nacam rally in 2001, and will be a force to be contended with, as will be the team of Richard “Sir Rich” Rerrie/David “Neil” Baugh in the KIG/Puma/Leroy’s Auto Glass/Knot Guilty Subaru Impreza WRX Sti Version 7, who have finished second here the last 2 times the event was run, first in ’99 with the “Project Magnum” Mitsubishi Colt RS modified to become a 4wd turbocharged monster, then in 2000 with the first thrust into the Subaru marquee.

Rising out of the east will be the most formidable challenge to any of the westerner’s hopes, as Gary “The Colonel” Gregg/Hugh “Holmes” Hutchinson bring out the all conquering NG Racing/KIG/KFC/TSW Alloy Wheels Ford Focus WRC to the storied cane fields of northern Trelawny. The teams of David Summerbell/Stephen Gunter (Motor Sales & Service/Paint Shop/Bell Communications/Sweet Products Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 6.5), Peter Moodie Jr./Mike Fennel Jr.,(NG Racing/KIA Motors/Century Wrecking Service/DMS Distributors Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 6), Rory King/Winston Dawson (Slam Condoms/Sandals Resorts/Finish Line Automotive/Rory’s Texaco Service Station/Knot Guilty Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 6), Leslie Madden/Robert Dehaney (Subaru Impreza WRX), Dave Lee/Courtney Murphy (Spot Valley Complex Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 6), Junior Barnes/David Watkin (West Med Pharmaceuticals/ Mekyah Spring Water Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 5), Macklin Peterkin/Wayne Chuck (Kinn’s Auto Parts/Trelawny Tires Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 6), Jason Lawson/? (May Pen Ice Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 6) will all be vying for top positions on the event, as these stages are known for their fast paced action.

Top two wheel drive (2WD) teams  expected are Oliver Townsend/Nehru Basaragh in their revamped China Motors Toyota Starlet Soliel, the “Sweet Sensation” team of Jodi Summerbell/Vanessa Paisley (Sweet Products Mitsubishi Mirage RS), the twin attack of Team Express Racing’s Raj “Tarmac Terrorist” Jadusingh/David Anderson and Deon “Baby Bomb” Gardner/Julian Gordon (Jamaica Electrical/Hilton Kingston/Super Plus Mitsubishi Mirage RS), Christopher “Teach” MacFarlane/Wayne “Black Catt” Piper (NEM/Island Motors/First Alert Peugeot 206 Gti), Dean “Duct Tape” Corrodus/Pernel Fitzcoy (Straight Edge Construction/Mr. A/C / Performance Centre Honda Civic Type R), Tariq “Super 1600” Minott/David Mullings (Jamaica National Toyota Starlet), Jimmy Marsh /? (Mobay Service Centre Toyota Corolla), Noel Golding Jr./Andre Gordon (GRD Racing Suzuki Swift) and Bobby “Solberg” Marshal/Tanee Green (Singer/Motor Sales & Service Ltd Mitsubishi Mirage RS).

The rear wheel drive wonders from Mandeville, Jeremy Groves and Allan Chen, are reported to be busily making preparations for their rallying debut, as they not only prepare their cars but form alliances between drivers and navigators for the big event.

The field is set and rearing to go as the rally season opens with a bang on the 20th. Look for an interesting start line setup that will usher in a new element to rallying in Jamaica. The event is being organized by the Jamaica Millennium Motoring Club and is sponsored by Island Motors, KFC, Team Express, Lloyd's of Montego Bay and Ironshore Esso Tiger Mart.

Time sheet

08:00    MTC1   Start @ Ironshore Esso Service Station
08:05  SS1     Ironshore   
          SS2     Daniel Town to Clarks Town
          SS 3    Calabar to Brampton
          SS 4    Daniel Town to Clarks Town
          SS5     Calabar to Brampton
          Lunch  @ Yow Rest Stop, Rio Bueno.
          SS6     Calabar to Brampton
          SS7     Long Pond (Daniel Town reverse)
          SS8     Calabar to Brampton
          SS9     Long Pond (Daniel Town reverse)
          SS10   Ironshore
          Finish  Ironshore Esso Service Station

Directions:

To Daniel Town: Just after passing Starfish Beach Resort in Trelawny, make the next left off the new highway after passing Glistening Waters Marina and Restaurant. That would be at Rock, Trelawny. Drive all the way up till you get to Daniel Town. There are no major turn offs from this road. The stage start is just before the cane fields start. The stage ends at the bass cedar (sp?) tree just before Long Pond Sugar factory.

To Calabar: The transit to Calabar then takes you from the stage stop of Daniel Town. Turn left in front of the sugar factory and drive down to Duncans. Turn right, pass Braco and go to Rio Bueno. Turn right up the hill from the village square, pass through the villages and the stage start is just after a deep left corner after the last house. Stage ends some distance after the school at Brampton. Turn right, proceed through the cane fields on that lovely road to transit back to Clarkes Town, turn right, pass the police stations and the same sugar factory, drive down to Duncans, pass the clock in the square and head west to Starfish, Glistening Waters and then turn left to go back to Daniel Town stage start.