RSP – RJ2015-02: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – November 12, 2015

Simon Jean-Joseph, 2 time European Rally champion and French Rally Champion will be a competitor in the Rally Jamaica 2015 along with his co-driver Frank Boyere. His trip to Jamaica, is made possible through an invitation by the Rally Jamaica 2012 winner John ‘Penti’ Powell, Powell also extended the invitation earlier this year to the team to participate in SOL Rally Barbados where they piloted his 2008 Ford Focus WRC to second place behind the JAmaira duoof Jeffrey Panton and Michael Fennell. The question then on everyone’s lips now is - will the duo of Jean-Joseph and Boyere be able turn the tables here at Rally Jamaica 2015?

The team rounds out the field of 10 international teams participating in the event. There will be a total of five (5) teams from the North and Central America (NACAM) Regional Rally Championship series, in the event. These comprise of defending champions Ricardo Trivino with co-driver Marco Hernandez in their Mitsubishi Evolution 10, out of Mexico. They are joined by fellow Mexicans Francisco ‘Pancho’ Name with Armando Zapata also in an Evolution 10, alongside the Ford Fiesta DMack cup teams in their Ford Fiesta R2’s. The teams comprise of Miguel Medina and Adrian Carmona (Mex); Andres Molina with Eduardo Corrales out of Costa Rica and Dillon Van Way from the USA with co-pilot Andrew Edwards out of Wales round out the NRC teams.

Regional competitors this year has Rally Jamaica 2012 winner John Powell with Nicolas Telfer in his newly acquired Ford Fiesta R5, representing Trinidad. Powell/Telfer will be joined by first time participants to the event Craig Sumair with co-pilot Joshua Plaza, in a Mitsubishi Evolution 9 and Radj Pershad with co-pilot Schuravi Mallian in a Subaru Impreza N12, also representing Trinidad. While veteran competitor Harold Morley will be the sole representative for Barbados and he will be joined by Jamaican co-pilot Mark Nelson for the third year in a row.
So far 16 local teams have signed up for the rally. These include defending champion Kyle Gregg with co-pilot Hugh Hutchinson, as well as multi-winning Rally Jamaica winners Jeffrey Panton and Michael Fennell and back in competition after several years hiatus is Gary “The Colonel” Gregg who will be co-piloted by Peter Clarke who he has drawn out of retirement for the event. Richard ‘Sir Rich’ Rerrie, Rally Jamaica 2004 Champion, returns to competition once again in the KIG Group N Subaru Impreza which was piloted in earlier events by Jeffrey Panton. Rerrie will team up with his co-driver Winston Dawson for this event.

2014 second place winner Joel Jackson and Dmitri Dawkins will be in competition for group N honours in their new Subaru Impreza. The JN8 field is one of the largest contingent over the last 3 years for this rally. Other teams in JN8 include former Rally Jamaica winner Douglas Gore who will be co-piloted by Dwight Ian Banks in his Evolution 10, as well as Leslie Madden in a Subaru Impreza. The group is rounded out by the 2014 2WD champion Jordan Powell with co-pilot Robert Singh who has stepped up in class with a Subaru Impreza formerly piloted by Macklin Peterkin.

The battle for 2WD championship should be interesting one to watch for this rally. The teams signed up so far are headed by Thomas Hall with co-pilot Denniston Graham in their Toyota Starlet of class JA4, they will be joined in class by the team of Roan Jones and Terry Hamilton, in a Hyundai Accent.
In JA3 will be the team of Bobby Marshall with co-pilot Michelle Laidlaw who is returning in the co-pilot seat after a few years absence. They are joined by newcomer David Watkin with co-pilot Troy Bernard in the Honda Civic previously ran by Douglas “Hollywood” Gore/an Banks. Sebastien Rae who has been bitten by the rally bug returns once again to Rally Jamaica with co-driver Rameses McGregor this time in a Honda Civic in class JA3. Over in class JA2 Maurice “Wurl Boss” Whittingham will be making his way through the stages with co-pilot Ameer Johnson in their Toyota Levin and Matthew Gore with co-driver Raymond Farquharson will round out the class in the Grab n Go Toyota Starlet. Nigel Wilmot and Leroy Spence, round out the field of competitors in their Suzuki Samurai WMS-3 built by Wilmotorsport in class JC1.

Rally Jamaica 2015 is the final leg of the FIA NACAM Regional Rally Series the event will run over 3 days with official opening ceremony and parc ferme on Friday November 27, 2015 at 100 Hope Road, Kingston 10. The event will run over 24 stages with 22 of these being held in the orange orchard of the Trade Wind Citrus Tru Juice properties in Bog Walk over Saturday and Sunday, and the grande finale returning to the waterfront of Downtown Kingston on Sunday afternoon. The stages to be used on Saturday for Leg 1 will be New Works stage looped Mickleton for the morning session and Mickleton reverse looped with New Hall for the afternoon session. On Sunday action resumes again in Bog Walk with the reverse of New Works staged looped with Bybrook for the morning session. The afternoon session will see the loop of the Bybrook stage (Koorby) being run with the Wakefield (Watersplash) stage, both stages will be ran twice and then joined together for a final run before the teams will transit to Downtown Kingston to run 2 super special runs on the tarmac to complete the event.

Prize giving for the event will be held on Monday November 30, starting at 7pm, at the Knutsford Court Hotel.

For more information on FIA NACAM RALLY JAMAICA
Website: www.rallyjamaica.com
Facebook.com/RallyJamaica
Twitter: @jamaicarally
Instagram: @rallyjamaica

For further media information contact: Rallysport Promotions
Marcia Dawes (876)434-1755
Email: jmmcrallyjamaica@gmail.com