In the Community
Suzuki SX4 WRC Takes Dominant Win In Rally Trinidad 2014April 2, 2014
The Simpson Motors Suzuki Caribbean Rally team travelled to Trinidad this year with the sole aim of finishing on the winner’s rostrum. Having previously finished twice - including Neil Armstrong and Barry Ward’s debut rally in 2013 in the Suzuki SX4 WRC - our sights were firmly locked on making this Rally Trinidad the first international win for the Suzuki SX4 WRC. Being the highest placed finisher from 2013, the Suzuki SX4 WRC carried the coveted #1 door plate.
The Rally kicked off on Friday evening in Port of Spain with two runs of the Super Special Stage around the stadium. Neil drew first blood by winning SS1, however Paul Bourne put together a perfect run on SS2 to take the stage win, and a 0.4s lead into Saturday, where the rally moved south for the challenging 12km Bronte and 10km Cedar Hill Stages.
The Barbados rallying fraternity were well represented in Trinidad this year, including Dean Serrao, James Betts, two time Rally Trinidad winner Paul Bourne and Neil Armstong. Both James Betts and Dean Serrao both retired on SS1- Dean with an engine failure, and James after landing heavily after a jump, which damaged his EvoV beyond repair.
Neil came out of the blocks hard on the first stage of the day and completed the Bronte stage an astonishing 36 seconds faster than Paul Bourne to move firmly into the lead. Neil continued this searing pace throughout the morning taking huge chunks out of the rest of the field. Paul attributed his pace to a lack of confidence in his pace notes, which caused him to be too cautious. The situation for Armstrong and the Suzuki SX4 WRC could not have been more different following a tough unfamiliar rally in Martinique in December. Both Neil and Barry focused very hard on their recce and pace note writing in the week preceding the rally, and it was clear that this work was paying dividends. Neil commented that the notes were accurate, and being delivered with perfect timing and flow, to which Barry added that “the notes are working well, and Neil is even listening to them”!!
As the day progressed, the Suzuki SX4 WRC’s lead increased to finish the day with an accumulative time of 1h 11m 16.51s, an astonishing 03 minutes 35.65s ahead of second placed Stuart Johnson in his Subaru Impreza GpN, and an even more astonishing 04 minutes 08.82s ahead of Paul Bourne in his Ford Focus RS WRC!!!
While Neil and Barry were performing faultlessly, it would not be fair to say that the day progressed without drama. During the lunchtime service, the service crew noticed a large crack in the main engine mount. Due to the proximity of the engine to the chassis leg, changing the mount in midday service was not an option, so the crew set about making a “field repair” keenly assisted by Neil’s father Doug, who had been waiting for his opportunity to spring into action and assist the team in servicing the Suzuki SX4 WRC! The mount was partially welded back together, but only 2 of the 4 fixing points on the engine block could be used and we were unsure how long the repairs would last. Neil was informed that the engine mount was repaired but was not 100%, and was asked to exercise caution on stages to follow. The engine mount held out for the first 3 stages, but by the end of SS10 more cracks were emerging. When the car returned after SS12, the engine mount was held on by a single 8mm bolt! The end of the days action signalled the start of a long night for the service crew, who travelled to Lifestyle Suzuki’s San Fernando dealership to set about removing the engine and replacing the engine mount. This was completed by 4am, which allowed just enough time to grab a shower and an hour’s sleep before getting started on the third and final day of the rally. This work could not have been done were it not for the assistance of the Lifestyle Suzuki employees who kindly dropped their Saturday evening plans to assist us through the night with various requests from engine cranes to welding plant. Thanks Lifestyle Suzuki!
With the car given a clean bill of health, and with a huge time advantage over the nearest competitors, Neil had a challenging Sunday ahead of him on the days 10 timed stages run on the 5km Snake and Jack and Jill stages. Neil was required to drive at a steady pace without taking any risks to bring the Suzuki SX4 WRC home for its maiden international win. The biggest challenge barring mechanical failure was for Neil to maintain concentration at reduced pace - a task most competition drivers agree is the most challenging way to drive for sustained periods of time.
Neil set the early pace on the morning’s stages, further adding to his lead. Barry did a great job in keeping Neil relaxed and both driver and co driver showed their professionalism by keeping their calm throughout the day, backing off enough to ensure no risks were taken while keeping enough speed to ensure the brakes and tyres worked properly. Neil’s lead was never in doubt, however second place was contested hotly between the Focus WRC of Paul Bourne and the Subaru GpN of Stuart Johnson. The days timed stages ended with the provisional results showing Stuart Johnson took second place by just 2s from the charging Paul Bourne who had found a better rhythm on the shorter Sunday stages! It was great to see Paul find a groove towards the end of the rally, which will surely spur him on to come out fighting in the Barbados events that are next up on the calendar.
Rally Trinidad finished with 2 runs of the Preysal Super Special Stage. The first run deciding the “Mayor’s Cup” and the second untimed run allowed the drivers to be more creative with their driving… i.e. donuts!!!!!
Neil secured the fastest time on the first Super Special run to win the Mayors Cup and secure the rally win and did not disappoint on the second run delighting the crowds with several donuts to celebrate the victory!
This win has come after years of hard work on the Suzuki SX4 WRC project, and plenty of ups and downs. The team would like to thank all our followers for their support, and we fully intend to build on this success in 2014!
Congratulations to Neil Armstrong and Barry Ward, Rally Trinidad 2014 WINNERS!!!!