Rally from the West Indies

The Barbadian pair of Sean Gill and Michael Cummins ended the first day of Rally Jamaica 2011 in first place. By the time it ended in downtown Kingston on Sunday, December 5, they had lost the top spot to John Powell and Nicholas Telfer, who were in a World Rally Car (WRC) Subaru Impreza S14.

However, Gill and Cummins laid claim to a special place for their WRC 2003 Suzuki SX4, emphasising that the car was prepared in the Caribbean for the rally series which takes place across the region.

Simon Willis explained that it took extensive preparation to get the SX4 ready, including a time investment of about two years. "The car is built by us here," Bruce Wilkie of the Barbados-based Simpson Motors said. This is in contrast to the extensive overseas input in other cars built up to compete in Rally 2011.

There are, of course, substantial differences between the rally SX4 and the one available to the public, but there is a marketing motive behind race version. "We want people to be excited about the brand, to keep it in the minds of young people," Wilkie said. While the team would not say how much money had been spent on the SX4, they conceded that "a lot of money has been spent to prepare the car".

Among the more striking features of the rally-ready SX4 are its engine leaned backwards, the clutch on the left front of the vehicle, and a rear axle that is easily removed. The clutch position and the axle design make for speedy changes on rally stages, when there may be problems during stages.

Automotives was shown a computer system controlled by the navigator giving access to a number of screens which give in-depth data on the car's status and performance. The on-board computers are also read by the team at the checkpoints in a rally, allowing them to prepare for and deal with problems quickly. The data also forms a point of reference for refinement of the vehicle's performance over time.

There was another kind of computer connection with the SX4 at Rally 2011, as there were cameras on the roof and inside the vehicle, looking ahead at the road and back at the driver. The videos were loaded on a Facebook page.

Gill noted Suzuki's deep rally history in the region, saying that the company had started with an Ignis, then moved to a Swift and is now with the SX4.