Panton/Fennell take third

In what has been described as an action-filled, nail-biting event, the local pair of Jeffrey Panton and Michael Fennell Jr finished in a hard-fought third place in the Karcher Summer Stages Rally held in Barbados last weekend.

Starting Saturday afternoon and finishing at 11:00 that night gave the competitors a challenging mix of day and night stages. Local ace Roger Skeete, in his Subaru Impreza S12B WRC, led from the first stage. However, second through fifth place were only separated by a mere five seconds throughout the rally.

Going into the last stage of the night, what had been a dry rally turned into a torrential downpour which saw the front-runners scurrying for wet tyres and many close calls to maintain their positions.

"This has been one of the most competitive events I have competed in. Second through fifth place were all fighting for position throughout the entire event and we all were pushing hard! We are thrilled at the competitive pace we displayed, especially against the newer WRC cars! Unfortunately, on the last stage in the rain we caught a slower car and dashed any hope of catching Roger Hill for second," Panton commented at the finish.

Fellow Jamaicans and teammates Gary Gregg/Hugh Hutchinson finished fifth.

Results for top five

1. Roger Skeete/Louis Venezia (M8-WRC DaCosta Mannings Auto Centre/Michelin/Warrens Motors Subaru Impreza WRC S12), 24m 04.83s.

2. Roger Hill/Graham Gittens (M8-WRC Esso/Nassco/MotorMac Toyota Corolla WRC), 24m 32.34s.

3. Jeffrey Panton - Jam/Mike Fennell Jr - Jam (M8-WRC First Caribbean International Bank/ Rally Jamaica/Seaboard Marine Ford Focus WRC 00), 24m 36.14s.

4. John Powell - T'dad/Michael March - Jam (M8-WRC Shell Helix Subaru Impreza WRC S12), 24m 40.48s.

5. Gary Gregg - Jam/Hugh Hutchinson - Jam (M8-WRC First Caribbean International Bank/ Rally Jamaica/Seaboard Marine/ BD Gregg & Bros/NG Racing Ford Focus WRC 05), 24m 40.72s.