Confirmed overseas entrants to date for Rally Jamaica 2013
Several regional entries to the season ending Rally Jamaica 2013 have been confirmed from Caribbean neighbors Barbados and the twin island republic of Trinidad and Tobago.
Barbados rally legend and twelve time Rally Barbados winner Roger “The Sheriff” Skeete is throwing in his bid to wrestle the trophy from the clutch of Jamaica’s Jeffrey Panton, who was on a quest to win all three regional rally events: Trinidad, Barbados and Jamaica, in the same calendar year, until a goodly gentleman going by the name Paul Bird put paid to his efforts on the second round of that effort in Barbados earlier this year.
The Sheriff is armed with his trusty Subaru Impreza S12 World Rally Car, the machine he has been campaigning since its debut at the 2009 staging of King of the Hill. He recently placed 2nd in the BRC Summer Nights Tarmac Sprint held on Saturday evening August 17 with his potent weapon.
Harold Morley can be referred to as the elder statesman of Caribbean Rallying, as he competes against others roughly half his age or less (some, even a quarter of his age!). A regular visitor to Rally Jamaica, Morley’s good nature has endeared him to the local fans as his driving belies his senior status.
Cristian is another driver who hails from an extensive Circuit driving background competing in most of the Caribbean regional events. He made the switch to Rallying in 2010 originally with an Evo 7 before acquiring a UK prepped Evo 8 in 2012, which allowed him to take top honors in the TTRC Championship. At last year’s Rally Jamaica he led Group N, only to be forced to retire after a busted front shock at the end of Day 1. If Cristian can keep it on the road, he will be fast and is definitely one to watch at Rally Jamaica 2013.
Craig was a champion Karting driver in Trinidad for a few years before making the step up to a Rally Car. He has competed for the last 2 years in the TTRC Championship earning mixed results. At only 21 however he has shown immense potential and is still gaining experience on the gravel. He has earned a number of podium finishes in the Trinidadian Championship series, and is currently doing well in the 2013 Championship. Rally Jamaica 2013 will be his first event outside of Trinidad.
Stuart was an avid Circuit Driver competing numerous times in the Caribbean in a Honda Civic. He began
his Rallying in 2010 and has shown great potential in a short space of time in the Group N Subaru. Since owning the car, he has fully rebuilt it, and brings a strong and reliable car to each event. He is always a podium finisher in Group N and winning the class in Rally Trinidad ‘12, and runner up to John Powell in 2013. He has 3 Rally Barbados events under his belt as well as a host of solid finishes in Trinidad. Stuart has attended Rally Jamaica many times as a spectator, and will definitely be one to watch in his debut year in RJ2013.
Robert has been competing in the TTRC Championship actively from 2008 to 2010 while doing the odd event in 2011-2013, taking the time to re-build the car after a few accidents, and focusing on organizing Rally Trinidad instead. He competed as a Navi for Ainsley Lochan in Rally Jamaica 2011, and retired after stage 5 with a blown engine. In 2012 he returned as a driver only to retire again after the first stage on Sunday suffering damage to the radiator after hitting an orange tree in New Works, then returning to put on a show for the fans in Kingston. Robert is an experienced driver with a well-prepared car, but his lack of seat time may limit his potential to be more entertainment than a podium contender.
Rally Jamaica 2013 is a three day, loose surface rally being organized by Rallysport Promotions Limited on behalf of the Jamaica Millennium Motoring Club and consists of approximately 23 special stages. The excitement starts on Friday evening November 29 with a ceremonial start in the heart of the business district of the island’s capital, Kingston. Saturday November 30, the stages are run on the marl roads of the abandoned bauxite mines in the Lydford area of St. Ann parish to the north of the island, while Sunday’s stages (December 1) visit the verdant orange groves nestled in the Bog Walk area of St. Catherine parish before returning to Kingston for three stages on the waterfront roads of Kingston harbor, the seventh largest natural harbor in the world

The event is sponsored by Knutsford Court Hotel, Tru Juice, Xsomo, Seaboard Shipping, Seafreight Shipping and Advanced Performance Parts.