On his final event in a rally car, VK Vent Axia rally driver Paul Bird bowed out in style with a superb runner up position on the SOL Rally Barbados last weekend.

Driving the Subaru WRC, the Penrith driver had enlisted his 2005 ANCRO Championship winning co-driver Ian Windress for the two-day event and after a cautious start, the pair were soon inside the top ten on the opening day, ending up third overall behind Kris Meeke and Gary Gregg, despite losing the spotlights on the latter stages.

With typical style, Bird - who was keeping one eye on his World Superbike team's exploits in the USA at the same time - continued his charge and after setting an unprecedented fastest time on the Kendal South stage [SS15], he set about reeling Meeke in.

Nearly a minute adrift at the final service, Bird ended up less than thirty seconds behind the eventual winners after the twenty-two stages around the Caribbean island and declared at the finish that he'd thoroughly enjoyed himself.

"What a fantastic event and a great result for us," he reflected. "I'm delighted to have finished second behind a world class driver such as Kris Meeke but I'm even more thrilled that I beat my old mate Steve Perez, especially seeing as though I used his old tyres!

"We got some serious air over the jump on the Superspecial and I could hear the crowd cheering, it was superb.

"The only downer is I forgot to take my phone out of my pocket when I went swimming in the sea earlier in the week but despite that, the champagne will taste even better tonight, seeing as though Steve is buying yet again!"