McCartney still ahead in BPMSI title chase

Former Super stock bike racer Devan McCartney has increased his lead in Bushy Park Motor Sports Inc’s (BPMSI) 2018 Champion Driver title chase from 30 to 39 points, despite failing to add his tally of class wins at the BPMSI Night Races last Saturday(July 7). Run from day into night under the all-arena lighting, the first race meet on the new 1.28-kilometre/0.79-mile National Circuit produced some hard-fought action, particularly in Group 1 Class 2, the Club’s best-supported class.

  Driving his familiar orange Zephirins Bakery/CA Autobody Repair Honda CRX, McCartney was under pressure in Group 2/Class 1 all evening from Ross Callender, who claimed pole position in his Crane & Equipment/Indulge with Anna/CA Autobody/Percy King Auto Parts/Britos/Ullyetts Machine Shop/SAFE Security/Hilti Daihatsu Charmant. Verdon Inniss (Rezult Auto Shop/C&C Trucking/Illusion Graphics Toyota Starlet) sat alongside Callender on the front row, with McCartney third; just three-tenths of a second covered their lap times, so close racing was on the cards.

And so it proved. In the evening’s first eight-lap race, Innis snatched the lead soon after the start, only to throw it away with a grassy excursion exiting the Esses on lap two, handing McCartney the advantage. He was not ahead for long, however, Callender powering past on lap three into a lead he would not lose, McCartney just half-a-second behind at the flag, these two very much the class of the field. Innis finished third, another 5secs adrift and only a few tenths ahead of Robert Gill (Maxxis Tyres/Rezults Auto/Percy King Auto Parts Starlet), which whom he had fought an entertaining battle, only for Gill to be disqualified for being under weight.

With the second grid based on the results of the first race, McCartney was now on the front row and charged in to the lead, only for Callender to find his way past once again, ahead from the end of lap two to the chequered flag, despite McCartney’s best efforts; the winning margin this time was under two-tenths, with Inniss third throughout.

  In the evening’s final encounter, McCartney repeated his charging start of race two, this time holding off Callender’s determined challenges all the way to the chequered flag, for a winning margin of half-a-second. He was judged to have jumped the start, however, the resulting 10secs penalty dropping him to fourth behind Callender, Inniss and Wayne Archer (Archers Hall Design Centre/Arrow Woodworking/Arrow Construction/RW Water/D & A Mechanical Engineering Peugeot 206).

McCartney’s results have boosted his points total to 123, while there has been a major shake-up in the Champion Driver standings, based on the class points scored by each driver, with new names coming to the fore and a quartet of drivers separated by just nine points battlingfor second place. Just ahead in that group, on 84 points, is Gp2/C1 leader Junior Benskin (JB Pickling & Painting Services/S & H Furniture/Martindale Workshop Nissan NX Coupe), who claimed a hat-trick of class wins under the all-arena lighting last weekend, with Inniss third on 81 points.

Fourth is Callender (79 points), fifth is Gp2/C2 leader Darren Lashley (Hilti/Turk Lashley Motorsport/C A Autobody Repairs/Hi-Speed Performance Parts/Sky-Drive Rentals Acura Integra) with 75 points, while Archer (64 points) is sixth. The final chance for BPMSI members to score points will be during the Seaboard Marine Caribbean Motor Racing Championship (CMRC) at Bushy Park over the weekend of September 1/2.

BPMSI Championship 2018, points after round 2

Group 1/Class 1:equal 1st Nathaniel Munroe (Lubriguard/Carter’s Pit Stop/Sea Shell Car Rentals/Goodyear Tyres/IDS Security/Metamorfit/Transform Mini) &Andre Walcott (Williams Industries/CA Autobody/M-Grafix/SE Performance Suzuki Swift), 36 points; 3rd William Jones (H & B Hardware & Lumber Inc Datsun 120Y), 30ptsGp1/C2: 1st Devan McCartney (Zephirins Bakery/CA Autobody Repair Honda CRX), 123pts; 2ndVerdonInniss (Rezult Auto Shop/C&C Trucking/Illusion Graphics Toyota Starlet), 81pts; 3rd Ross Callender (Crane & Equipment/Indulge with Anna/CA Autobody/Percy King Auto Parts/Britos/Ullyetts Machine Shop/SAFE Security/Hilti Daihatsu Charmant), 79pts; etc

Group 2/Class 1: 1st Junior Benskin (JB Pickling & Painting Services/S & H Furniture/Martindale Workshop Nissan NX Coupe), 84pts; 2nd Patrick Weekes (Advanced Automotive Services Nissan), 39ptsGp2/C2: 1st Darren Lashley (Hilti/Turk Lashley Motorsport/CA Autobody Repairs/Hi-Speed Performance Parts/Sky-Drive Rentals Acura Integra), 75pts; 2nd Mark Thompson (Glassesco/Automotive Art/NKM Clothing/Bio Beauty Honda Civic), 45pts

Group 3/Class 31st Tyrone Martindale (Precision Electrical Honda CRX), 54pts;2ndKurt Thompson (Glassesco/NKM Clothing/Bio-Beauty Honda Civic), 45pts; 3rd Shawn Eversley (Structural Systems/SE Performance Suzuki Swift), 27ptsGp4: 1st Doug Maloney (Maloney Racing Team Audi A4 quattro), 24pts; 2nd Steve King (Automotive Art/Percy King Auto Parts Nissan Skyline), 15pts

Superstock Bikes:1st Shirley Scantlebury (Ride Tech Track Rentals/El Palacio Property & Car Rentals/Imperial Car Rentals Suzuki GSX-R600), 25pts; 2nd Kevin Bynoe (Suzuki GSX-R600), 18pts; 3rd Lowrey Worrell (Johno’s Pizza Suzuki GSX-R600), 15pts; 4th Steve Linton (Honda CBR-R600), 12pts