Gregg, Panton are Jamaican one-two in BCIC RB25

The Rally Barbados trophy is heading to Jamaica for the seventh time. Kyle Gregg, whose father Gary won the event 19 years ago, and Bajan co-driver Kreigg Yearwood celebrated a Jamaican one-two at the Vaucluse Raceway finish of BCIC RB25 on Sunday with Gregg’s fellow-countrymen Jeff Panton and Mike Fennell Jnr, whose run of four back-to-back victories had ended in 2018.
  Josh Read and Mark Jordan were the first local crew home, completing a Ford Fiesta Rally2 podium lock-out in third place. A record number of 121 cars had started the 35th edition of the Barbados Rally Club’s (BRC) premier event under floodlights at Bushy Park on Friday evening (May 30), with 73 classified as finishers. Almost half the record number of 99 overseas drivers and co-drivers travelled home with a trophy.
  After 19 special stages in the south-east and north of the island, Gregg’s winning margin was 12.16secs, with Read a further 7.32secs adrift of Panton. Roger Mayers and Barry Ward (Toyota WR Starlet), who failed to start last year, dominated 2wd, finishing ninth overall, a top 10 result not anticipated with a record entry of 37 4wd cars.
  Speaking at the finish, Gregg said: “There are a lot of emotions right now. A big thanks to the entire crew, I was happy with my effort, not one mistake, best I've driven in my life! Sunday I had two favourite stages where I could apply some pressure which we did.” Co-driver Yearwood, whose brother Kristian won BCIC RB24, now adds a Rally Barbados win to his victory in First Citizens King of the Hill in 2022 with Zane Maloney.
  Two 2.2-kilometre Riddara Bushy Park SuperSpecials sandwiched a 6.0km run through Malvern in St John on the first night, but safety concerns resulted in the long stage being cancelled. As last year, former Caribbean Junior Karting Champion Adam Mallalieu was quick at the St Philip facility, this time fastest both times to lead overnight in his Fiesta R5 with British co-driver Steve McNulty, albeit by just eight-tenths. Mark Maloney and son Justin (Skoda Fabia Rally2 evo) lay second, Gregg third and last year’s winners Stuart Maloney and Kristian Yearwood (Fabia RS Rally2) fourth.
  Admitting to not favouring the Bushy Park stages, Maloney set the pace on Saturday morning – as he said: “when the real rally starts”. Fastest throughout the first loop of Riddara Padmore, Inchcape Kendal and Malvern, just over 21 kilometres of largely high-speed running, he led Gregg by just over 8secs, with Panton, Mark Maloney, two-time European Rally Champion Simon Jean-Joseph and Patrick Pivato (Porsche 911 GT3 Cup) and Read completing the top six.
  That first loop was interrupted following an accident involving the Fiesta R5 of Mallalieu’s father Andrew, with a big impact close to the end of the first Kendal resulting in the stage being cancelled. Both Senator Mallalieu and co-driver Geoff Goddard were injured, the latter with a broken ankle.
  While Gregg was fastest on the second and third Padmore runs, he only made a small dent in Maloney’s lead, the Skoda driver ending the day with a cushion of 15.4secs, with Panton and Mark Maloney battling over third. Jean-Joseph was fifth, ahead of two-time winners Dane Skeete and Tyler Mayhew, recovering from a repeat of the launch control issues that plague the Subaru Impreza WRC S12, only to then suffer failing oil pressure.
  Sunday dawned bright on three intricate and more technical stages in the island’s north at Dark Hole, Automotive Art Hangman’s Hill and Mount Poyer. Gregg was fastest on the first Dark Hole, reducing Maloney’s lead to around 10secs - the Skoda driver only eighth fastest – but normal service was resumed at Hangman’s Hill, Maloney fastest from Gregg and Panton. But his progress ended abruptly on the first run through Mount Poyer.
  Maloney struck a concrete bridge, the impact causing major damage to the Skoda and the stage to be cancelled. As both were quickly transported to the Sandy Crest Medical Centre for assessment of their injuries, fourth-placed Mark Maloney withdrew from the competition to be at his brother’s side.
  Gregg inherited the lead in a manner he would not have wished for, with Read now third, ahead of Jean-Joseph’s Porsche. Britain’s Rob Swann and Tom Woodburn and local crew Suleman Esuf and Asif Suleman completed the top six in their Fabia Rally2 evos.
  Gregg was fastest on the second Dark Hole and Hangman’s Hill to extend his lead over Panton to 19secs, but 4secs of that dissolved on the second Mount Poyer, when Read, Panton and Swann all took time out of him. Read kept up the pressure on the third Dark Hole, closing to within 9secs of Panton, Swann won the final Hangman’s Hill and Read the last Mount Poyer, but Gregg had enough in hand to take an emotional victory.
  Swann came home fourth, his eighth top five finish in 17 attempts, the impressive Esuf fifth on his return to the Rally2 category for the first time since 2020, and Mallalieu Jnr sixth. Jean-Joseph’s growling Porsche was not eligible for overall position but had won the hearts and minds of many island fans and the respect of other drivers.
  Skeete’s overnight retirement reduced the WRC class to two entries, Kevin Procter and Patrick Walsh (Fiesta S2000T) and Procter’s nephew Joe Cunningham and Josh Beer (Fiesta WRC). Running together on the road, having finished ninth and 10th at KotH, they had switched during Saturday, Procter putting his 17 years of experience of the event to good use, easing out a gap of 18.67s by Sunday morning.
  Cunningham was faster on all but two of Sunday’s stages, in the top three twice, his eventual class win helped when Procter had a big spin off the startline of the second Dark Hole stage, losing 14secs. He still finished eighth, just behind Cunningham, while Roger Hill, who is the only driver to have contested all 35 events since 1990, finished 10th in his Fabia R5 with co-driver Graham Gittens, claiming a 26th top 10 finish.
  Kurt Thompson and Adam Straker (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX) claimed back-to-back wins in Modified 4, always ahead of two determined overseas crews, Welshmen Rupert Lomax and Andy Darlington (Evo V1) and newcomers Lee and Cole Hastings from Scotland in their Impreza GC8. Fourth in class Kyle Catwell (Audi TT-R) chauffeured sister Kayleigh to the Highest-placed Female Co-driver award.
  The fourth entry in WRC, Andy Scott and Owen Paterson (Fiesta S2000T), had a power steering pipe burst on Saturday’s first stage, so dropped out of the overall running. He won the Sunday Cup, fastest on seven of the eight stages – his times would have placed him 15th overall for the day. Second was Ireland’s spectacular Barry McKenna (Toyota Starlet) and Barney Mitchell, with Chris Ullyett and daughter Chantal, who had been strong challengers in Modified 2 in the early part of Saturday, finishing third.
  The 2wd battle was lively in the early stages, Barry Mayers (Fiesta) fastest on the two short Bushy Park stages and then on Saturday’s first Padmore to open up a gap of 8.79s to Rhett Watson (BMW M3). Then Roger Mayers (Toyota WR Starlet) beat Watson by five-hundredths on Kendal, claiming the first of what would become a perfect run of fastest times for the rest of the weekend.
  He assumed a 2wd lead he was not to lose on Malvern, where brother Barry dropped to 61st with a recurring electrical problem; he returned for a short while, then retired. As Mayers steadily extended his advantage and Watson built his own gap to the rest, there was a good scrap behind, involving Mark Kinch (BMW), Nigel Reece (Starlet), Andrew Jones (Ford Escort MkII) and, briefly, McKenna.
  By close of play Saturday, Mayers was 18secs clear and Watson had a 40secs cushion to Reece, who still had Jones, Kinch and now Neil Corbin (Toyota GT86-CSR3) trying to chase him down. The final chapter unfolded after the first Sunday loop, as first Kinch, then Reece (clutch issues) dropped out, promoting Jones to third, only for the Escort to start making ominous noises; he pulled over to investigate what seemed like a misfire, found a cracked exhaust, continued but lost a lot of time.
  With two stages to run, Corbin was now third with Edward Corbin (Daihatsu Charmant) and Jonathan Still (BMW M3) fourth and fifth. But the Daihatsu was slowing, allowing Still to improve, then Watson spent 23 minutes replacing a tie rod end that snapped in the first corner of the final Mount Poyer stage – “didn't hit anything, just metal fatigue it seems”, said a disappointed Watson - dropping him to 66th overall.
  Mayers said: “Friday night on Bushy Park was tough, as the car is really set up for the road. Sunday was the real day that I was hot out of the box and it was all pace until maybe the very last stage. It's the first time in my rallying career that I drove the last stage almost sensibly, knowing where my closest competitors were.”
  Last year, the top three in 2wd were also the SuperModified 2 podium, but this year only five of the 20 SM2 starters were classified as finishers, Mayers leading home two Irish entries, Gary Smith (BMW M3) and Martin Donnelly (Escort MkII). Corbin beat Sean Corbin (BMW 318ti Compact) and England’s Graham Haigh (Escort MkII) in Modified 2 by margins measured in minutes, while Still had a much narrower victory in M3 – just 10secs – over David St Hill (BMW M3). Delighted to finish their first Rally Barbados since 2019, Britain’s Cheryl and Barry Spencer were third in their new BMW Compact.
  Despite slipping back in the overall results, Edward Corbin still won SM1 comfortably – his 12th class win - from the Starlets from Roger Jordan and Kevin Wiggins, while Carlos Edwards (Citroen C2R2 MAX) won Modified 1, keeping at bay two Scottish entries, Richard Stewart (Peugeot 208 Rally4) and Euan Mackay (Peugeot 106 Rallye). Fourth in class, Natya Soodeen (Peugeot 208 R2) won highest-placed Female Driver.
  In the Clubman classes, Ryan Wood (BimmaCup Too) prevailed over Randy Reid (BMW) in C3 after Kevin Armstrong (BMW) retired on Saturday; Greg Cozier won the battle of the BimmaCups in C2, defeating two-time BimmaCup Champion Chris Hoad by 4.4secs, with son Luke third. For the second year, C1 went to Kyle Gill (Mitsubishi Mirage), who beat Ireland’s Aaron Doyle (Honda Civic) and Shawn Brathwaite (Toyota Corolla).
  Irish father and son crew Larry and Tommy Doyle (Evo VII) were alone in Group N, but finished to claim the trophy, as did Scottish couple Robin and Vanessa Hamilton (Escort MkI) in Historic 2. English first-timer Dan Gibson (Clan Crusader) beat Ireland’s Mick Smith (Sunbeam Imp) in H1, while winner Tom Stockdale (BMW Compact 3V6) and his father Martin (BMW 1M Coupe) made a second-placed sandwich of Andrew Costin-Hurley (Ford Puma Cosworth) in the renamed Open Class,
  While 48 overseas drivers and co-drivers were trophy winners, two other crews from the UK deserve mention: Matt Cusens (BMW M3) had built up a serious lead in M3 before he and local co-driver Stephen Bell hit a concrete well by the Vaucluse 90 on Sunday, while former Historic class winners Chris Shooter and Bev LeGood (Evo VIII) ran out of road on Mount Poyer, with some aches and pains resulting for the driver.
  After the results were made final yesterday (Monday), the Prizegiving at The Boatyard beach bar in the island’s capital, Bridgetown, was well attended. In addition to the individual trophies presented, The Spirit of the Rally Award was presented to Jean-Joseph and Pivato, Willy Nallamoutou Sancho and co-driver Philippe Eguoy and all the personnel from the Martinique Rallye Tour for the enthusiastic way in which they entered into the spirit of BCIC Rally Barbados 2025.

BCIC Rally Barbados (May 30-June 1) is a tarmac rally with 22 special stages run on the island’s intricate network of public roads, under road closure orders granted by the Ministry of Transport, Works & Water Resources; First Citizens King of the Hill (May 25), run under a similar arrangement, features four timed runs on a four-kilometre stage, with the results used to seed the running order for the main event.

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