The Class Production 3 (FIA N3) had a new look this year. Former competitors notable by their absence included Freddie Gale, who has moved up to M6 with his shiny new Toyota, and Lindsay Farmer whose Starlet was rolled into oblivion at Vaucluse the previous weekend.

After finishing 3rd in class for the last 2 years, Wallis was desparate to move up a step - or two - on the winners podium this year.
Passing the rapid Mini Cooper stranded for 3 minutes on stage 1 was a step in the right direction. Gear linkage problems meant doing the latter half of several early stages in 3rd gear, not helping the times. But by lunchtime, Wallis/Burgess had overhauled the Daihatsu of Noel Edwards to lead the class, maintaining this position throughout day 1.

Barbados Astra specialist Adrian Linton had literally been up all night finishing off his own car, but after retiring it with gearbox problems, he volunteered his services to fix Wallis's gear linkage.

By lunchtime on day 2, Edwards had retired with fuel pressure problems. The Mini of Derek Roach / Tricia Gittens continued to charge through the field to claim the class win. Wallis was swapping stage times with the 205 of the Brook family, but had built up a 40 second cushion in the wet and dark stages on day 1 to hold on to 2nd spot in class P3, and the distinction of being the only European driver to finish Rally Barbados in 2003, 2004 and 2005.

Wallis and Burgess were presented with their trophies by 1994 World Rally Champion Didier Auriol, this year's VIP guest at the Barbados Rally Carnival.


Throughout the event, stage by stage, Neil added live news updates from the co-drivers seat by text message to www.newstxt.co.uk/viewnews.php?team=wallis


Barbados RallySprint, 21-22 May 2005

An intermittent firing problem meant the team missed the scrutineering party, but the Chief Scrutineer (Simon Gilmore) rapidly diagnosed and fixed moisture in the distributor cap.
With new codriver Jo Holland reminding him not to bend the car ahead of the following weekend's rallysprint, Simon spent his first lap of the Vaucluse track getting used to his new car. Once the crew had completed one qualifying session on Saturday, they were assured of a run in the race on Sunday. So they could spent later runs practising and learning the track. Disaster on the second run! A spin into a tyre wall pitched the car almost into a roll, as seen in this video clip:
2005 Vaucluse Simon Wallis.wmv 3207 Kb

The harmless looking tyre wall was filled in with earth, a mean trick to play. A smashed radiator put play to the day's activities. Two staff in a local bodyshop agreed to stay up all night straightening the car, and by 4:30 am it was in good enough shape to fit the spare radiator.
Barbados Rally Carnival, May 2005

The "Barbados Advocate" newspaper printed this article about the team.


Carn05-01/gen: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - April 27, 2005
WALLIS NEARLY MISSES THE BOAT
Countdown under way for fifth Barbados Rally Carnival

British rally driver Simon Wallis made the deadline for shipping cars across the Atlantic for this year's fifth running of the Barbados Rally Carnival - and his third visit to the island - with just hours to spare . . . one week before, he didn't even have a rally car that worked!

As preparations for the annual event stepped up a gear on both sides of the Atlantic, Wallis, a regular class-winner on events including the Manx International Rally, looked set to miss out on what has become one of his favourite events. The deadline for delivery of cars to Portsmouth was last Friday (April 22), with the Geest Line freighter Santa Lucia scheduled to load and set sail from the British south coast port early this week for the 10-day journey to the Caribbean.

From his home in Cambridge, in the east of England, Wallis said: "The Astra I bought specially to do Rally Carnival last year is broken, and has not moved since returning from Barbados; the newer Astra I brought to the island in 2003 is also broken . . . and we have been frantically trying to fix it up. "With less than a week to go before the ship sailed, I had no choice but to go and buy yet another Astra, my fifth! I'll drive anything, as long as it's an Astra."

His co-driver this year will be Neil Burgess, whose car graphics and vinyl cutting business has also been responsible for the unusual livery of the Astra Sport, which features on each side a modern-day rendering of St George, patron saint of England. This will be Burgess's first visit to Barbados, following Wallis's previous co-drivers Stuart Leach - he got married on the island during the 2003 Carnival - and Anna McColl.

Of his 2005 visit, Wallis says: "For my third trip to Barbados, with a third co-driver, a third service crew and a third car . . . it looks as though I'm heading for a third place in Production 3 for the third time." Wallis, and his fellow-competitors from Europe - drivers, co-drivers, mechanics and support teams - will be reunited with their competition cars during the third week of May, when they land in Barbados on a Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747-400.

Two international events

As before, the Barbados Rally Carnival will comprise two international motor sport events: over the first weekend - May 21/22 - competitors will contest the Vaucluse Raceway International RallySprint at the popular facility in the parish of St Thomas. Organised by the Vaucluse Raceway Motor Sport Club (VRMSC), practice and qualifying is scheduled for Saturday followed by a full day of head-to-head knock-out action on Sunday. The following weekend - May 28/29 - crews will face 26 special stages island-wide in Rally Barbados 2005; organised by the Barbados Rally Club (BRC), the event forms rounds three and four of the Texaco BRC Rally Championship.

Built around these two events is a programme of activities and entertainment, including beach parties and boat trips, which will provide the hundreds of overseas visitors with a unique opportunity to share their passion for motor sport with a holiday in Barbados.

Rally Carnival founder Greg Cozier says: "One of the most important objectives of the Carnival is to introduce rally enthusiasts to the delights of Barbados as a tourist destination, while they enjoy their favourite sport. The motor sport programme is matched with a social calendar, allowing our visitors the chance to have a good look at our island."

Key dates for 2005 Barbados Rally Carnival
Sunday, May 15 - scrutineering for local entries, McEnearney Quality,
Wildey Friday, May 20 - scrutineering for overseas entries, McEnearney
Quality Saturday, May 21 - RallySprint qualifying, Vaucluse Raceway,
St Thomas Sunday, May 22 - Vaucluse Raceway International RallySprint
Saturday, May 28 - Rally Barbados 2005, day 1
Sunday, May 29 - Rally Barbados 2005, day 2
Monday, May 30 - Rally Barbados 2005 prize-giving, The Boatyard

For further information: e-mail - robin@bradfax.com; web sites - www.rallybarbados.bb ; www.barbadosrallycarnival.com