Just arrived back to the hotel…and unfortunately we’ve retired from the Sol Rally Barbados at the end of day one with engine failure.

It’s a real blow to the team after what was such a promising start. Glen was driving his Micra to the limit today. After stage 12 – day one’s final stage – we had a comfortable class lead of almost two minutes and held 51st overall. Not bad at all for a 1300cc Micra!

Sad to say though that as we crossed the finish line of the final stage, something was amiss with the engine. Just after we handed in our time cards, it cried ‘enough’.

Needless to say we’re both bitterly disappointed after what had been a fantastic day. The crowds were out in force like I’ve never seen before. We felt like superstars driving through stage 10 after it had been cancelled. Waving to the thousands (that’s no exaggeration) of spectators lining the stage, we could hear their cheers as they waved back. Incredible!

If you have never been to the rally, it is an absolute must. Get it in your diary for next year NOW! The people over here are all so friendly, the food is great and the atmosphere on the stages is like nothing I’ve ever experienced before.

We’ll head out to the stages tomorrow as spectators but hopefully it isn’t the end of the Barbados journey…there’s always next year!

It’s a hard life! Thanks to those lovely people in Barbados and Pacenotes Rally Magazine, I’m off to the Caribbean later this week to represent the mag at what must be one of the most talked about events of the year – the Sol Rally Barbados!

And after a chance conversation with Glen Campbell, it looks like I will be navigating for him in his Micra…provided I can squeeze into the car! Otherwise, there might be a bit of co-driver swapping before the event…

It’ll be an experience…although I’m sure we’ll struggle to cope with the heat inside a rally car. Last time I checked, it was 28 degrees…at 7.30am!

Best go catch some ZZzzzzzz’s.