Bailey moves ahead in BPMSI Champion Driver title chase

 Adrian Bailey is the new leader of the Bushy Park Motor Sports Inc (BPMSI) Champion Driver title chase following the Glassesco John 'Tiny' Harrison Memorial Race Meet at Bushy Park Barbados on May 6/7. Three wins in Group 1/Class 2, in which he has been Champion for the past two years, moved him ahead of class-mate and erstwhile leader Devan McCartney, who had a weekend to forget, scoring no points.

  With a total of 108, Bailey has a slender advantage of two points over Gp1/C1 leader Andre Walcott, with Derek Edwards, who is now second in Bailey's class, third overall on 95; McCartney, who emerged from the BPMSI's opening round in February with 75 points, has now slipped down the order to equal sixth with Mark Maloney, also falling behind Tremaine Forde-Catwell (84) and Ripley Greene (78), who lead Gp2/C2 and Gp2/C1 respectively.

  Bailey claimed his hat-trick of wins in the SRG/M Y Bhana/Bliss Water Sports/Tropicana Jewellers/Pro Sales/Lucid Consulting/Tint 'R'Us/Dove Exhaust Peugeot 205, although he inherited the first of them when race-winner Robert Gill (Venture Car Rentals/Rezults Auto/Percy King Auto Pars/Hilti Toyota Starlet) was handed a 10-second jump-start penalty. Meanwhile, McCartney (Zephirins Bakery/C & A Autobody Repair Honda CRX) had to start at the back of the grid in race one, having missed Saturday Qualifying with a fuel pump issue; he retired on lap two, following contact, then pulled off during the day's second race, before failing to start the third.

  As was the case at BPMSI's opening fixture of the season in March, Gp1/C1 was not fully subscribed, meaning three-time winner Walcott (Courts iFinance/M-Grafix/SE Performance/Courts Optical Suzuki Swift) again suffered reduced points, scoring 15 for each class win (against only one competitor) compared with Bailey's 25.

  Edwards (D & A Mechanical Services/Arrow Construction BMW 318ti Compact) has finished lower than third in class only once in his first full season of circuit racing. That was in the first race on May 7, run in tricky damp conditions and with the Gp1/C2 field the biggest yet, including the five similar BMWs of debutante Luke Cozier, Stuart Garcia, Spencer Hutchinson, Mark Kinch and Ryan Wood. While Kinch and Wood finished ahead in that opening race, Edwards prevailed in the other two.

  Kevin Wiggins (Johnson's Auto Repairs/Therapy Charters/KK Auto Repairs Toyota Starlet) enjoyed an unchallenged run to victory in the Hilti Handicap for Cars, to give him a share of the championship lead on 25 points with Kyle King (Automotive Art/Percy King Auto Parts Toyota Starlet), who won in March. Edwards and Bailey, the only two drivers to have scored points in both races, are third and fourth, with 21 and 20 points respectively.

BPMSI Championship, points after round 2 Group 1/Class 1: 1st Andre Walcott (Courts iFinance/M-Grafix/SE Performance/Courts Optical Suzuki Swift), 106 points; 2nd Darren Lashley (SRG Engineering/Full Line Racing Parts/C & A Autobody Repairs/RJ's Towing Services Peugeot 205XS), 48pts; 3rd William Jones (H & B Hardware & Lumber Inc Datsun B310), 36pts; etc Gp1/C2: 1st Adrian Bailey (SRG/M Y Bhana/Bliss Water Sports/Tropicana Jewellers/Pro Sales/Lucid Consulting/Tint 'R'Us/Dove Exhaust Peugeot 205), 108pts; 2nd Derek Edwards (D & A Mechanical Services/Arrow Construction BMW 318ti Compact), 95pts; 3rd Devan McCartney (Zephirins Bakery/C & A Autobody Repair Honda CRX), 75pts; etc Group 2/Class 1: 1st Ripley Greene (Huntes Auto Spares/Hilti Toyota Corolla), 78pts; 2nd Mark Thompson (Glassesco/NKM Clothing/Slam 101.1FM/Bio Beauty Toyota Starlet), 60pts Grp2/C2: 1st Tremaine Forde-Catwell (Cheese Auto Glass Finish/CCT Paints/Mark's Auto Spares/Rezults/Hilti Daihatsu Charmant), 84pts; 2nd Andre Forde (Percy King Auto Parts/Forde's Vending Machines Toyota Starlet), 27pts; 3rd Darren Lashley (Full Line Racing Parts/Hilti/Turk Lashley's Garage Acura Integra), 24pts Group 3/Class 2: 1st Kyle King (Automotive Art/Percy King Auto Parts/Valvoline Toyota Starlet), 54pts; 2nd Jason Harewood (Mark's Auto Spares/SDRR/HiHi/JVM Signage/Gaskin's Garage/Image Vault/Starboy Performance Toyota Starlet), 45pts; 3rd Kurt Thompson (Glassesco/NKM Clothing/Bio-Beauty Day Spa/SLAM 101.1FM/Y103.3FM Honda Civic), 42pts

Group4/2wd: 1st Mark Maloney (Digicel/Hilti/Maloney Racing Team Mazda RX-3), 75pts; 2nd Gregory Catwell (Cheese Auto Glass Finish Datsun 1600), 15pts Hilti Handicap for Cars: equal 1st King & Kevin Wiggins (Johnson's Auto Repairs/Therapy Charters/KK Auto Repairs Toyota Starlet), 25pts; 3rd Edwards, 21pts; 4th Bailey, 20pts; equal 5th Andre Corbin (Full Line Racing Parts/Twenty2 Bar, St Lawrence/Ice Line Toyota Corolla SR) & Walcott, 18pts; etc

Photo courtesy: Image Vault