Big-R March 2010 News and views from a month in the Motorsport World

2010

Nerdz Developments RaceTec Inc

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INDEX

Page 3 & 4 - Motorsport News

Page 5 –Quick Picks

Page 6 - Laggers Every Month & Second Opinion

Page 7 – Second Opinion Drawing & Letters

Page 8 – Interview with Fabian Clarke

Page 10 –Our Picks

Page 11 – Calendar

EDITORIAL INFORMATION

Editor: Johnathan Alleyne

Consultants: Dominic Linton, Jaleel Osbourne

Contributors: Johnathan Alleyne, Dominic Linton

Pictures: Johnathan Alleyne, net

Manager: Dominic Linton

General Manager: Johnathan Alleyne

Advisors: Dominic Linton,Jaleel Osbourne

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NEWS

Petter Solberg returns to the W.R.C. with

his own team. The younger Solberg brother

has acquired two Citroen C4 WRC cars and

has founded his own rally team, and will this

year be contesting all the rounds of the

championship.

Marcus Gronholm, another former works-team driver has returned to the WRC in yet another private

rally team. He and his navigator, Timo Rauntienen shall be contesting all of the rounds of the world rally

championship this year. Gronholm left the BP Ford World Rally Team at the end of the 2008 WRC season

and drove a Subaru S14 WRC during the 2009 season, but this year, its back to his roots.

Rally Barbados Regulars Steve Perez and Paul Spooner in their Ford Focus WRC07 have won the annual

Wyedean Forest Rally this year by a margin of 43 seconds over their nearest competitor (Hugh Hunter)

also in a Focus WRC with production 4 competitor Nik Elsmore placing Third in his Mitsubishi Lancer

Evolution 9.

Perez – 1st Hunter-2nd Elsmore-3rd

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Over the Christmas holidays; Ken Block, who is known worldwide for his infamous Gymkhana videos and

his mad driving style, has struck a deal with Ford Racing, and has started his own rally team-The Monster

World Rally Team and he will be driving a Ford Focus WRC07 in the World Rally Championship this year

and a Ford Fiesta in the Rally America series and the X-Games. After an extensive Gravel test (on snow)

he seems pretty happy with the new Focus, and is confident that this year he shall do pretty well within

the WRC.

The 2010 Barbados Rally Season has been of to a roaring start with the BRC Spring Gravel Sprint, with no

less than 5 WRC cars entered on the day. The fans were given a display by former World Rally Driver

Mark Higgins in John “Penti” Powell’s new Impreza S12.

The Top-5 Results Were: 1stPaul Bourne (BAR)-Ford Focus WRC07

2nd Mark Higgins (UK)-Subaru S12 WRC

3rd John Powell (JAM)-Subaru S12 WRC

4th Dean Serrao (BAR)-Subaru S9 WRC

5th Roger Hill-(BAR) Toyota Corolla WRC

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Quick Picks: our favorite headlines from the motoring world.

Toshiaro Arai has rolled his Subaru WRX STI during the shakedown for the 2010 World Rally of México.

Apparently he is ok and the car isn’t too badly damaged and as a result he should be driving the car

throughout the entire event.

Fererico Villagra will return to the WRC for Rally Mexico driving for the Munchi’s World Rally Team. His

navigator will be Jorge Perez-Companc.

Dean Serrao has formed the “Rock and Rolla” Rally Team and he has acquired the ex-Paul Bourne

Subaru Impreza WRC S9,and he hopes to drive it for the rest of the season.

The Citroen JR team will run two Citroën C4 WRC this year’s Rally Mexico driven by Kimi Raikkonen and

Sebastien Ogier. Ogier is hoping that his knowledge of the stages from his junior rally days will help him

dominate in the rally; meanwhile, Raikkonen goes into the Event without knowledge of what to expect.

Ken Block wins the 100 Acre Woods Rally, the second event in the 2010 Rally America Calendar in his

new Ford Fiesta rally car, after crowd favorite Travis Pastrana dropped out while Canadian driver

Antoine L’Estage leads the points in his Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X.

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EDITORIAL-LAGGERS® EVERY MONTH

Motorsport in the Caribbean has the potential to make millions of dollars, for instance, last year’s Rally

Barbados brought in over two million Barbados dollars in foreign exchange, but that could be an even

higher number if another track is built in Barbados, because Bushy Park isn’t as advanced, so to speak,

as are the tracks in the U.S.A. and Europe. Bushy Park unlike other international racetracks only has one

variation, thus making it a very limited track; so, the bigger machines can’t drive on this “Short Track”

and that is a way in which we (the country) are losing money. My view is that the country should invest

in a Motorsports Park (with a track and a drag strip) or another racetrack altogether, since Bushy Park is

the only Functioning racetrack in Barbados, as Vaucluse (the Rally Cross Track) has been shut down.

Apparently the government said that they were going to build a complex/park for motorsports in

Barbados, hmmm, we haven’t heard much about that, but hey, its politics, all politicians do is lie to

manipulate you, and when they get into parliament they don’t do one thing.

Dominic’s Opinion - I agree, Bushy Park’s Land extends a long way past the straight and

all that needs to be done is: extend and widen the track, put dirt on part of the infield for dexterities and auto crosses, using half the track; have dirt bike and super bike races plus drags on the new extended straight but that will need lots of money and probably

not be done for a while Yes we are losing money on Bushy Park but making it back and much more on rallying.

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Red= Proposed track additions

Blue=Drag Strip

Black Arrow=Relocation of the club house

Now look, we know that this will take time and money, but if it is done it will benefit the country in a

positive way .i.e.-we (the country) will be able to make more money.

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LETTERS

Send your questions & queries to jmcalleyne@hotmail.com

I want to start racing soon, and I don’t know which type of car is better to start with. I’ve heard people

saying that Rear Wheel Drive is better than Front Wheel Drive or All Wheel Drive but I need proper

advice. Matt, Barbados

REPLY- Dear Matt; Dominic and I agree that FWD is the better way to go but that RDW is better if you

want to have fun .AWD is for guys who have money. It is truly up to you, but FWD is our choice!

I follow the IRC and I’ve seen the Production 4 cars getting washed off by the high tech Super 2000 cars

and I was wondering which would be better for Barbados. Rob, Barbados

REPLY-Dear Rob, For BIM you don’t necessarily need a S2000 car to have fun or to go fast, just buy a

Production car for considerably less $ and drive the pants off of it and you would be just about equal

with the S2000’s.

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INTERVIEW WITH FABIAN CLARKE

So I’m here with Fabian Clarke one of the up and coming drivers in the Barbados rally championship.

So you’ve heard about the new Super 2000 cars and how they work right? How do you feel about

those right now?

Fabian Clarke-Well they’re an interesting add to the international rallying scene; they’re a cheaper

version to the WRC car, and as the FIA seeks to reduce the overall costs, and get other manufacturers

into the sport, the S2000 is the way to go.

And about your car, you drive a Suzuki Ignis in Production-2, right; any competition as such, between

you and the other guys?

F.C.-In Production-2 at the latter part of last year’s season Dane Skeete came into the group with me, of

which he won the one off battle between me and him. He’s back in Production-2 again this year so I

could well look to hold second place for the rest of the year. For Rally Barbados there is a Production

car, a Skoda (Fabia), I’m not certain which group he’d be running in; Production 2 or Production 3.

So the car, is it working properly for you, any problems at all?

F.C. - The car is working ok, just need to put in gas and change oil.

Well, I guess that this season Dane Skeete wouldn’t be out every event, but otherwise you would be

battling?

F.C.-Well Dane in an older car would most likely be subject to mechanical failure, but apart from that I

expect to see him at every event.

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Well do you do any battles with the guys in Production-3 or only production-2?

F.C.- The only battle I had with a Production-3 car was with Sean (Fields) catching me on King of the Hill,

the first run, when I was on the wet intermediate tires and then at the Pickering’s Event, of the first two

runs, I had an off and he caught me.

So you think that he’s a better driver than you then?

F.C.-Sean Fields, well he was rallying for years, he was rallying before so the fact that he has that pace,

and the current car he has is pretty fast…

Well you would know that everyone is upgrading this year, is there any chance to see you upgrading

to anything bigger anytime soon

F.C.-Well we’ve been looking at the (Suzuki) Swift Sport 2009 European version but honestly that’s not

anything final, maybe two or three years down the line.

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Rally Quote of the month- When in doubt, flat out. (Colin McRae)

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Our Picks / Idiots of the month (Things we think are funny, dangerous and/or stupid)

How much closer can Brian get to the action?

This speaks for itself!

I thought the Group-B days were over.

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March Motorsport Calendar

March 4th – 6th Rally Internacional de Curitiba (Brazil) – IRC/Super 2000

March 5th – 7th Rally Of Mexico –WRC

March 6th-Mud Fest (Barbados) – BRC / Mud Dogs

March 7th-Karting (Barbados) -BKA

March 7th- Cobalt Tools 500 (Atlanta Motor Speedway) USA - NASCAR

March 12th – 14th Bahrain Grand Prix (Bahrain) – Formula 1

March 14th – Special Stages Rally (Barbados) – BRC /MCBI

March 20th- 12 Hours of Sebring (Florida) USA - ALMS

March 21st-Food City 500 (Bristol Motor Speedway) USA – NASCAR

March 21st – Dexterity (Barbados) – MCBI

March 26th – 28th Australian Grand Prix (Australia) –Formula 1

March 28th-Goody’s Fast Relief 500 (Martinsville Speedway) USA – NASCAR

March28th –Autocross-Bushy Park (Barbados) - BRC