Rally Club renews focus on safety and sustainability

As it heads towards its 70th Anniversary in 2027, the Barbados Rally Club (BRC) is redoubling its efforts to secure a sustainable future for motor sport and further enhance the efficient and safe running of its events, following the unprecedented success of BCIC Rally Barbados 2025.
 The 35th running of the BRC’s premier event was a record-breaker across a raft of optics, including participation, spectator engagement and media coverage: 121 cars participated, including a record 51 from overseas, with more than 4,500 visitor nights recorded, surpassing numbers recorded before the pandemic.
 Addressing the Club’s Annual General Meeting at the Garfield Sobers Gymnasium, St Michael, last Friday (January 30), Chairman Neil Corbin said: “Without question, 2025 was a landmark year for the Barbados Rally Club, one that demonstrated the strength of the sport, the growing international pull of Rally Barbados, and the dedication of our volunteers and organising teams.
 “But it was also a year that reminded us - very clearly - that rallying carries real risk, and that safety must always remain front and centre. Two serious accidents occurred and both crews required medical attention. We are extremely grateful that the injuries were not more severe, but these incidents have led to deep and ongoing discussions on how we further improve safety for rallying as a whole, from stage design and spectator management to response procedures, training and equipment. While risk can never be eliminated, it is our responsibility to continually reduce exposure and raise standards.
 “A major positive step in this direction was the Barbados Motoring Federation’s training programme held in February, led by WRC co-driver Paul Nagle. The sessions combined theory and practical scenario-based training for marshals and officials, and the impact of that work was evident throughout the season.”
 In a detailed briefing, BCIC RB26 Event Director Neil Barnard explained the planning that goes into the event. He highlighted the key improvements of recent years, such as investment in radio equipment, which has transformed the quality of communications, enabling ever more efficient, safer and more timely running of events.
 Among changes for the upcoming season are extending the use of vehicle tracking to National events as well as Rally Barbados, which first adopted the RallySafe rally management system in 2019. In addition, plans to reduce congestion and safety concerns caused by support vehicles following competition cars on the route, will see a change in servicing regulations. Under Any Other Business, there was a lengthy and robust discussion about these changes, with contributions from many of the 40-plus attendees. Barnard noted a number of suggestions from the floor to consider further, as the organising team works to finalise the revised regulations in the coming weeks.

 The Club’s competition calendar begins in a month’s time with the opening rounds of the BRC Autocross Championship (March 7) and the Chefette MudDogs Safari Championship (March 8).

BRC CoM for 2026: Chairman, Neil Corbin; Vice-Chairman, Robert Simmons; Treasurer, Jeanne Crawford; Competition Secretary, Jason Downey; Assistant Competition Secretary, Geoffrey Goddard; Assistant Competition Secretary, Ricky Holder; Vehicle Classification Officer, Adrian Linton; Secretary, Leslie Evanson; Marshal’s Liaison Officer, Dexter Griffith; Equipment Officer, Jason Tull; Public Relations Officer, Neil Barnard; Entertainment Secretary, Ben Norris

BCIC Rally Barbados (May 29-31, 2026) is a tarmac rally with around 20 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; King of the Hill (May 24), run under a similar arrangement, features four timed runs on a roughly four-kilometre stage, with the results used to seed the running order for the main event.