News - Third Day Rally of Jamaica

Team News from MRT

Third Day of the Esso Rally of Jamaica

Sampling the local oranges - mmmmmm The final day of the Esso Jamaican International Rally moved to the north of the island into hard based roads around the Orange tree plantations and north onto the abandoned Bauxite mines. It was anticipated that the firm rock road base would not be impacted by the torrential overnight rain and the Australian rally crew of Brett Middleton and Andrew Benefield were ready to move from an overnight third placing for an event win.

However as the crews attacked the first of the days nine stages, their Citibank Subaru Impreza suddenly began switching into rear wheel drive only, as the centre viscous drive failed. "This is the first time I have ever known anyone to suffer this problem with a Subaru, it is certainly interesting attacking a corner and not knowing if you will be in two or four wheel drive!!", said Brett Middleton.

The advantage of the design of the Subaru centre differential is that the team were confident that the mechanical joint would not fail even with all the power diverted to the rear wheels, however it now became a challenge for the crew to hold their third place from local driver "Doug Gore" in his Mitsubishi Evo IV. Meanwhile at the front local driver Jeffery Pantone in his Toyota Celica was using all his local knowledge to slowly pull in his twenty second deficit to the Swedish team in their Lancer. The rally was quickly developing into two separate battles, that for first and second and then for third and fourth.

On the flat stages around the orange plantations the MRT crew were able to hold their one minute margin on fourth place however then the rally moved to the Reynolds Bauxite mine with a 2000 metre climb that featured 22 hairpin turns in a row. Struggling with rear wheel drive in the wet, the fourth placed local from Montego Bay were able to catch and pass the Subaru team in the stage, at the top of the hill, pushing them back to fourth place in the rally. Meantime at the front of the field Pantone in the Celica finally overhauled the Mitsubishi of Jorgen Jonasson.

Nineteen of the original 27 starters finally made it back to the CBD of New Kingston at dusk on Sunday. Jeffery Pantone/John Demercado claimed their fourth Jamaican International Rally win by 22 seconds from Jorjen Jonasson/Pecka Svensson in the Mitsubishi. Local crew Doug Gore/Mark Nelson were third followed by the MRT crew in fourth. Toshiaki Endo/Yasunami Yutaka from Japan finished sixth in their Subaru Impreza.

The last "publicity" stage in the streets of New Kingston did not count in the final results but provided an excellent opportunity to entertain a crowd of over 7000 locals. Using two wheel drive to its maximum advantage the Australians claimed the undisputed title of "Kings of Kingston" after a string of Falken tyre smoking donuts.

"We are really just pleased to come all this way and finish the rally" commented Brett, "the fact that we received so much local support from the Jamaican people and local companies such as Subaru dealer K.I.G., P&O Nedloyd, Superclub Resorts and Tank Weld has made the event very enjoyable. And after 15 years this event has still to be won by a foreign crew, incentive for us all to return next year.

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