05/12/2011
Sean Gill/Michael Cummins second in Rally Jamaica
The Simpson Motors Rally Team went to Rally Jamaica 2011 with the goal of going one step better than the 2nd place finish of 2010 and after an amazing event and effort, the team is satisfied with racking up another solid podium finish after an extremely tight and hard fought rally.
Suzuki SX4 WRC driver Sean Gill was untouchable on day 1 of Rally Jamaica, his driving through the orange groves was pure brilliance. Importantly, his opening pace on the Saturday morning was matched by his composure when he lost 3rd gear and had to use manual shifting for 3 stages in order to minimise further damage and ensure that the car could reach the team at the lunchtime service.
The final result owes a lot to the hard work and skill of the 3 technicians; Simon Robison, Frank Round and Corie Hinds. A gearbox change would normally involve 5 people, and with mud caking the suspension and transmission the task could not have been harder. But the box was changed in an incredible 30 minutes leaving the guys enough time to even clean the car and ‘reprep’ for the second half of the day.
Sean then demolished the opposition to regain the lead and finish day one of Rally Jamaica by 7 seconds.
Day 2 was a day of mixed fortunes, but driver, co-driver and crew all worked relentlessly to bring the Suzuki SX4 WRC home. What has been described by many as "the most exciting Rally Jamaica for many years" went right down to the wire, with Sean eventually unable to hold off the charging John Powell who grew ever more confident with his Subaru S14 as the rally progressed.
A fantastic team effort and excellent second overall.
The Suzuki SX4 will be treated to a winter refurbishment, and some developments on chassis and engine are already underway. So watch this space...!
The team would like to thank all those who sent in messages of support via the Facebook page and by phone. This was a real boost for the team.
