In the Community
Sol Drivers Fly Flag Proudly for BarbadosJune 5, 2013
Sol-sponsored drivers Roger “The Sheriff” Skeete, driving his Subaru Impreza WRC S12, and Neil Armstrong, in his Suzuki SX4 WRC, flew the flag proudly for Sol and Barbados last weekend, emerging as the highest placed local finishers in the just concluded 2013 Sol Rally Barbados.
There was loud applause from fans when Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism and International Transport, Senator Irene Sandiford-Garner, presented Skeete and Armstrong with their prizes on Monday evening during the presentation ceremony at the Boatyard, Bay Street, St. Michael.
After accepting his trophy, Skeete reflected on a memorable Sol Rally Barbados:
“I look at it as a huge success in that we were able to recover from the problems we had over the weekend, and still come third. Overall, I enjoyed myself thoroughly. At the end of the day, it is a sport and a very competitive one, and we are attracting some of the very best competition there is. I would like to have won, but we were faced with several challenges with the car which hindered our ability to do so.”
Skeete was also full of praise for the unwavering support shown to him by the thousands of fans who packed the stages to witness the two-day event:
“Our support has always been incredible. We spoke to persons following the Rally and many of them said they were really impressed with the fact that myself and Louis (Venezia) never gave up despite our challenges; and this is primarily because we know we have a tremendous fan base and we feel that we have a duty to represent.”
Ezra Prescod, Country Manager for SOL (BARBADOS) LTD said the company was indeed proud to be associated with two top performing drivers, and was also pleased to see the growth in popularity of Sol Rally Barbados, the largest single motorsport event in the Caribbean.
“Sol Rally Barbados continues to get better each year, this year being no exception. We must congratulate the Barbados Rally Club on the hard work they put in to make sure that the fans and rally enthusiasts thoroughly enjoyed the event; and our sponsored drivers who performed admirably again this year. Well done also to our visiting teams, especially rally winners Paul Bird and Aled Davies from the UK; and the second placed team of Jeffrey Panton and Michael Fennell from Jamaica.”
Exciting build-up to Sol Rally Barbados
Sol Rally Barbados 2013 marked the 24th running of the Barbados Rally Club’s annual International All-Stage Rally, and the final weekend’s action was the culmination of an exciting series of warm-up events beginning Friday May 10th when Sol partnered with Chefette for a “Shakedown Lime” in the car park of Chefette Warrens.
This lead off event saw scores of petrol heads braving intermittent showers to get in on the rally fever, meet the drivers and get more acquainted with their early favourites. Fans also lined up to get a chance to spin-and-win novelty prizes including Sol posters, caps, bags, tumblers, lanyards and fuel vouchers, and the very popular Roger “The Sheriff” Skeete branded T-Shirts. Hosted by the beautiful “Sol girls”, fans did not mind waiting in line for their chance to win prizes, particular shirts and caps subsequently rendered timeless with autographs from The Sheriff.
Ezra Prescod, Country Manager for SOL (BARBADOS) LTD said fans of Sol Rally Barbados could look forward to even more exciting times as the company continued to invest in its sponsorship of the annual motorsport International.
“At Sol we are passionate about producing high performance premium fuels, the qualities of which are best demonstrated under competitive rallying conditions; that passion also extends to serving communities and bringing people together, and this event, Sol Rally Barbados, has been very effective in helping us to simultaneously achieve these goals. We are also proud to be associated with an event that continues to attract large numbers of visitors to Barbados while contributing significantly to the local economy.”
Following the Shakedown Lime was the Media Launch on Monday May 13th where local and international sports journalists quizzed Rally officials about preparations for the event.
Then it was back to more “liming” with the first of two Sol Rally Barbados Warm-Up Limes at Sol Redman’s Service Station on Friday May 17th, followed by another at Sol Speightstown Service Station a week later. Thousands of fans took in these events and Sol promotional items were again in major demand, particularly at Speightstown where St. Peter fans just couldn’t get enough of their local hero, “The Sheriff”.
Scrutineering came to the carpark at Simpson Motors Headquarters, Warrens, on Saturday May 25th, where promotional displays, exposed engines, and thousands of fans in rally gear created an unbeatable spectacle of colour, sound and horsepower. Scrutineering, where officials go over each competitor’s car with a fine-toothed comb, is a serious aspect of any rally event, and one which the fans always enjoy as they peer under hoods and check out the well-prepared vehicles.
Sol’s Rally Barbados Scrutineering was a day for the entire family to enjoy. There was music, live interviews with contenders, plenty of food and drink, games, and opportunities for photographs and autographs. Again the rain tried but failed to dampen spirits as fans turned up from very early in the afternoon to greet the rally cars and take advantage of their last chance to win or purchase Sol memorabilia in time for the main event.
From a local perspective, the writing was on the wall when Sol-sponsored drivers Neil Armstrong and Roger “The Sheriff” Skeete, both fan favourites, finished first and third respectively in the Scotiabank King of the Hill at Luke Hill in St. Lucy, with eventual Sol Rally Barbados winner Paul Bird finishing second.