Glenroy Sinclair, Assignment Coodinator

MEXICO'S TOP rally driver, Ricardo Trivinio, headlines a list of international drivers confirmed to compete in Jamaica's premier motorsport event, Rally Jamaica 2008, which gets under way on December 5 at the National Stadium car park in Kingston.

The event is scheduled to restart at 8:00 the following morning at the Petcom Service Station in Ocho Rios, St Ann. The competitors will then negotiate the speedy terrain of the old bauxite mine and airstrip in Reynolds and Lydford, St Ann.

On Sunday, the rally restarts at 7:00 a.m., this time in Bog Walk, St Catherine, covering the Bybrook and Tru-Juice stages and the Wakefield Water Splash Stage. Rally Jamaica 2008 concludes on Sunday afternoon in New Kingston.

Special stages

According to the president of the Jamaica Millennium Motoring Club (JMMC), Errol Anderson, this year's event will take competitors across 25 special stages and about 170 kilometres. The prime vantage points for spectators will be the Reynolds Stage in St Ann and the Bybrook and Water Splash stages in St Catherine.

A lot is expected of Trivinio and his co-driver, Borja Aguado, who will be driving a four-wheel drive 2000 WRC Peugeot 206.

Trivinio is hoping to shrug off the disappointment he had earlier this year while competing in Rally Mexico.

After finishing eighth, he was disqualified from the event for wearing the wrong driving gloves, or incorrect safety equipment.

Foreign drivers

Up to yesterday morning, at least 49 local and foreign drivers/co-drivers had already registered and been confirmed for Rally Jamaica 2008.

The list includes Barbadian teams Jonathan Still/David Anderson, Sean Gill/Michael Cummins, Harold Morley/Geoffrey Goddard, James Bets/Jeremy Gonsalves, Dean Serrao/Clint Gregory, Paul Bourne/Stuart Maloney and Roger Skeete/Robert Simmons.

The Jamaican charge will be led by defending champion Gary Gregg and his co-driver, Hugh Hutchinson. They are expected to be seriously challenged by Jeffrey Panton and co-driver Mike Fennell Jr Gregg and Panton will be competing in a Ford Focus World Rally Car.