First Citizens King of the Hill moves to St Philip

The Barbados Rally Club (BRC) confirmed today (Thursday) that the First Citizens Group will be title sponsor of King of the Hill (KotH) for the fifth year. The event, which will run on Sunday, May 24, returns to a four-kilometre stage at the popular Stewarts Hill location in the south-east corner of the island for the fourth time.
 Event Director Neil Barnard said: “It’s fantastic to have First Citizens back on board as we return to Stewarts Hill in St Philip. It’s a real fan favourite and seeing the cars coming down the Thicket straight to turn left up the hill is always spectacular."
 King of the Hill, used since 2008 to seed the running order for the following weekend’s Rally Barbados, has been sponsored by the First Citizens Group since 2022. The company has a wide footprint across the Eastern Caribbean in Barbados, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Costa Rica and its flagship location, Trinidad and Tobago.
 The CEO of First Citizens, Claire Jordan said: “Since we began this partnership, our goal has been simple: to help elevate this event into an experience that inspires both competitors and spectators alike. Our shared vision is that King of the Hill continues to bring international exposure to Barbados’s vibrant motorsport community and supports economic opportunity for our people.”
 Last year, Stuart Maloney became the fourth different winner since 2022, when nephew Zane had been the youngest, at 18 years of age, both driving Skoda Fabia Rally2 cars. New Zealander Hayden Paddon (Hyundai i20 R5) won in 2023, then Dane Skeete claimed his second win in 2024 and the fifth for the family Subaru Impreza WRC S12, which father Roger had driven to three victories between 2009 & ‘15.
 Since First Citizens became title sponsor, only Roger Mayers has topped 2wd in his Toyota WR Starlet. Added to three victories between 2013 & ’19, those four straight wins brought his total to seven, six in the overall top 10. With an injured ankle, Mayers is not entered this year, which opens the door for a new winner, with his brother Barry (Ford Fiesta, 2 wins) and Rhett Watson (BMW M3, 1 win) the most likely candidates.
 After the inaugural event in 2008 at Turners Hall in St Andrew, KotH moved venues, first to Stewarts Hill, then Sailor Gully in St Peter, before finding a more permanent home on Hangmans Hill in St Thomas (2011 to 2018), apart from a switch to Luke Hill in St Lucy in 2013. After two years back at Stewarts Hill, the 2021 event was lost to the pandemic, since when KotH ran twice each in St Thomas (2022 & 25) and on a stage running past Society Plantation in St John.

King of the Hill – Roll of Honour
Overall: 4 wins, * Jeff Panton (JAM)
3w, Roger Skeete; 2w, Paul Bird (ENG), Paul Bourne, Dane Skeete; 1w, Neil Armstrong, * Simon Jean-Joseph (FRA), Stuart Maloney, Zane Maloney, Hayden Paddon (NZL)
* Jean-Joseph & Panton tied in KotH 2016
Top 2wd: 7 wins - Roger Mayers
2w, Neil Armstrong, Barry Mayers, Josh Read, Ian Warren; 1w, Sean Gill, Rhett Watson

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; First Citizens 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.