Battle lines drawn for a tight 2wd fight in BCIC RB25

Six different drivers have won the coveted Top 2wd Trophy in the last six editions of the Barbados Rally Club’s (BRC) premier event, the toughest title to win, and BCIC RB25 could add a seventh name to that list in three weeks’ time. The opposition for the traditionally dominant local stars includes two-time European Rally Champion Simon Jean-Joseph and former American Rally Champion Barry McKenna.
  BCIC RB25, the Caribbean’s biggest motor sport international, will run from Friday, May 30 to Sunday, June 1. The Auto & Rally Show, where every car entered is on display in an annual celebration of island rallying, and the final shakedown and seeding event, First Citizens King of the Hill, fill the previous weekend (May 24/25).
  Both will compete in SuperModified 2, the event’s biggest class with 23 starters, Frenchman Jean-Joseph in a Porsche 991 GT3, McKenna in a Toyota Starlet, which has become legend in his home country of Ireland in the hands of Declan Gallagher. All but one of the most recent 2wd winners were driving SM2 machinery, although front-runners in other Modified and SuperModified classes are always in the fight for the places.
  Barry Mayers, the last to win back-to-back 2wd trophies in 2017 & ’18, is the most successful in Rally Barbados, with six wins since 2001, four in a Starlet before his Ford Fiesta. Barry’s brother Roger has won three times in his Starlet, most recently in 2023, and also has a hat-trick of First Citizens King of the Hill wins to his credit since 2022.
  The threat of reliability issues which are the Achilles Heel of these often-fragile cars are always in the background, however, as engineers work to extract maximum speed. With new engines and a few other upgrades, the two M&M Racing Team cars ran for the first time at a Rally Club Test Event in St John yesterday (Sunday). All went well with the Fiesta, but the Starlet had some niggling issues needing replacement parts to be shipped in this week.
  Of the opposition, Barry said: “I’m excited to see Simon in the Porsche. Obviously he’s blisteringly quick in Martinique, but our roads are not as flowing and certainly not as grippy as Martinique, but time will tell. We'll know soon enough at King of the Hill. I think the person to beat as usual will be my brother - I think he's done enough to get the car reliable - and of course Rhett Watson will be knocking on our doors as well.”
  Brother Roger failed to even start last year after a cracked cylinder head was found after KotH, his first engine failure in some time. Once the small issues with the Starlet are cured, he’s feeling confident for this year and looking forward to the overseas challenge: “I expect them both to be quick but think the biggest challenge will come from Barry McKenna. Starlets suit Barbados and can change direction really quickly.
  “Simon has experience on the island, he knows our roads, knows what to expect in terms of grip levels, but that Porsche is a big car and our roads are small. But with his talent he may be able to get it to fit through our tight roads well enough to get the job done, we'll wait and see.”
  Last year, Rhett Watson (BMW M3) claimed his third 2wd title, nine years after his back-to-back wins in 2014 & ’15. Competition was tough, stage wins swapped back and forth - Barry Mayers won eight, Watson seven, Mark Kinch (BMW M3 Compact) four and Andrew Jones (Ford Escort MkII) one – and a late puncture nearly cost Watson the win.
  Of the upcoming events, Watson says: “There's no doubt that Simon is a phenomenal driver, but where he'll fit into the mix, I’m not sure. I suspect between Roger, myself Barry and Mark, somewhere in there. I honestly think Simon will be in the top three overall on the Kendall stage, which will suit his car the most out of all of our stages. As for McKenna, we know his talent. Never underestimate the Irish.”
  The Mayers brothers and Watson are not the only island drivers in with a chance of 2wd honours: Jones was top 2wd in 2020, an accolade still awaiting Kinch, who has rarely contested full seasons in the island, but he was third in 2wd last year, just 10secs adrift of Watson. If reliability becomes an issue for the front-runners, those waiting in the wings include Nigel Reece (back after 13 years away from competitive driving) in the ex-Josh Read Starlet, and former Champion Driver Daryl Clarke (Suzuki Swift).

Rally Barbados 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; the previous Sunday’s King of the Hill ‘shakedown’, run under a similar arrangement, features four timed runs on a roughly four-kilometre stage, the results of which are used to seed the running order for the main event.

For media information only. No regulatory value.

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