8| J’Cans reign in Barbados
IN a year when Olympic legend Usian Bolt hung up his spikes, Jamaica did well in motorsport on the regional level.
Christopher McFarlane and Jeffrey Panton made major marks in Barbados.
The latter became the first overseas driver to win the Barbados Rally Club (BRC) Championship driver’s title. He and current co-driver Michael Fennell Jr faced off with ‘biblical’ rains and international competition to cop the title.
“It feels great winning it as it was up there with one of my other goals — a three-peat of Rally Barbados,” Panton told the Jamaica Observer’s weekly Auto magazine.
With that win under his belt, Panton is aiming for similar success in Martinique.
“I don’t think we’ll be pursing the rally championship this year. I went to Martinique, liked it, so we’re planning a return,” he said.
For McFarlane, he consolidated his third title win in the BRC Autocross Championship.
He became the first overseas competitor to win the BRC Autocross Championship in 2015 and hasn’t relinquished the title since.
McFarlane’s plans for 2018 is to equal Bajan Omar Boodoo’s success, who holds the record for four BRC Autocross Championship titles.
— Rory Daley