Shakedown Stages the first big test for BCIC RB26

Nine stages in the north of the island in Sunday’s (March 29) Barbados Rally Club (BRC) Shakedown Stages will give crews from home and abroad their first big test ahead of BCIC Rally Barbados 2026 (May 29-31). Fifty-one cars will line up for the first closed-road rally of the season.

  Seeded at number one in the running order published at last night’s (Thursday) Briefing Meeting at the BCTSA Clubhouse, Searles, Christ Church, is Jamaica’s Kyle Gregg (Ford Fiesta Rally2). Victories in BCIC RB25 and the BRC Winter Rally last October contributed to him winning the 4wd Championship.

  He heads a 12-strong FIA R5 entry – the event’s biggest class – which pack the top 10, apart from the Subaru Impreza WRC S12 of two-time Rally Barbados winner Dane Skeete, who will start at three behind Gregg and Josh Read (Fiesta Rally2), as they finished in the Winter Rally. Now armed with a brand-new Fiesta Rally2, Adam Mallalieu will start at four, with five-time winner of the island’s premier event, Jamaica’s Jeff Panton (Fiesta Rally2) at five.

  Former Rally Club Champion and BCIC RB24 winner Stuart Maloney (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2) starts at six, competing in the island for the first time since his accident in BCIC RB25, with brother Mark at seven in a newly acquired Fabia RS Rally2. The Fabia Rally2 evos of Britain’s Rob Swann and island veteran Roger Hill plus David Husbands in his unique-to-the-island Volkswagen Polo GTi R5 complete the top 10.

  Starting at 11 is two-time Modified 4 Champion Kurt Thompson (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX), whose younger brother Mark has stepped up to the FIA R5 class in the ex-Paul Horton Citroen C3 Rally2. M4 still includes his elder brother Neil, however, along with BimmaCup graduates David-Anthony Balgobin and Savio Walcott – all three in Evo IXs – and British crew Chris Shooter and Bev Le Good (Evo VIII FQ).

  A close battle for 2wd honours is on the cards, too. SuperModified 2 front-runners Barry Mayers (Ford Fiesta) and reigning class and 2wd Champion Rhett Watson (BMW M3) are the top seeds, at 12 and 14, but there is quality behind. Next up are Suleman Esuf, increasingly at one with his V8-engined BMW M1, and Logan Watson, fastest 2wd at the Motoring Club Barbados Inc’s (MCBI) Spring Blaze 26 in his Ford Escort MkII, both new combinations since this time last year.

  Among other off-season changes in the classes, Ahmed Esuf joins brother ‘Sol’ in SM2, now with V8 power for his BMW M3, Chris Hoad steps up to Modified 3 in the BMW 325 driven last year by Ian Warren and Jermin Pope has moved forward a couple of Honda Civic generations, now equipped with the ex-Geoff Noel car.

  There are nine stages at two venues in the north, with the Service Park at the Conrad Hunte Cricket Ground in St Andrew. In the morning, three runs from Lamberts to Pickering (3.50kms) in St Lucy, the first scheduled for 10.20am, will alternate with two from Swanns to Rock Hall (3.10kms), which passes from St Peter into St Andrew.

  After the lunch break, with the re-start scheduled for 2.15pm, Rock Hall will run in the same direction twice, but the two Pickering stages will be reversed. Organisers expect the event to finish around 5.30pm, with a Prizegiving to be held within the hour.

BRC Shakedown Stages - Sunday, March 29

2026 BRC Driver’s & Class Championships, round 3 Final running order at March 26:

1 Kyle Gregg – JAM/Kreigg Yearwood (FIA R5 York Investments/B D Gregg Ford Fiesta Rally2)

2 Josh Read/Mark Jordan (FIA R5 Seawell Inc/Stihl/H & B Hardware/Hankook/Weetabix Ford Fiesta Rally2)

3 Dane Skeete/Tyler Mayhew (WRC Automotive Art/C O Williams Sand & Lime/Sol Subaru Impreza WRC S12)

4 Adam Mallalieu/Peredur Davies - WAL (FIA R5 Terra Caribbean Ford Fiesta Rally2)

5 Jeffrey Panton – JAM/Michael Fennell Jnr – JAM (FIA R5 KIG/Sandals Ford Fiesta Rally2)

6 Stuart Maloney/Kristian Yearwood (FIA R5 M-Jet FBO/Imagine Developments/Bushy Park Barbados Skoda Fabia RS Rally2)

7 Mark Maloney/Calem Maloney (FIA R5 M-Jet FBO/Imagine Developments/Bushy Park Barbados Skoda Fabia RS Rally2)

8 Rob Swann – ENG/Steve McNulty - ENG (FIA R5 GO Car Rental/Cygnet Plant Ltd Skoda Fabia Rally2 evo)

9 Roger Hill/Graham Gittens (FIA R5 Mobil 1/Max Mayer Paints/PPG Paints/Motormac Skoda Fabia Rally2 evo)

10 David Husbands/Joshua Plaza – T&T (FIA R5 Volkswagen Polo GTi R5)

11 Kurt Thompson/Adam Straker (M4 Glassesco/NKM Clothing/Bio-Beauty Day Spa Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX)

12 Barry Mayers/Moishe Steinbock (SM2 Kooyman/Chefette/Frosteez/Milwaukee/Hankook/BSC Essex/Sign Depot Ford Fiesta)

14 Rhett Watson/Andrew Croney (SM2 Chefette/Frosteez/Bajan Pure/Hankook/Gliptone/Stihl BMW M3)

15 Suleman Esuf/Asif Suleman (SM2 Express Motors BMW 1M)

16 Logan Watson/Barry Ward (SM2 Cargo BGI/Don Henrique Tequila 100% Agave Azul/Tequila Quinto Sol 100% Agave/KIG/FRII GUYS/Hankook/Colour XL/C3 Communications Ford Escort MkII)

17 Mark Thompson/Ron Greaves (FIA R5 Glassesco/NKM Clothing/Bio-Beauty Day Spa Citroen C3 Rally2)

18 George Sherman - USA/Scott Pinheiro – T&T (FIA R5 Tide/GS in Motion Skoda Fabia Rally2 evo)

19 Brian Gill/Robert Ryan Wood (FIA R5 Skoda Fabia Rally2 evo)

20 Nigel Reece/Jason Tull (SM2 Subzero Services/Hankook Tyre/Quality Tyre Plus/Ultrabright LED Solutions/Sing Station Toyota Starlet)

21 Andrew Jones/Lindsey Pilkington (F) – ENG (SM2 Gale’s Agro Products/Hankook/Tunnocks/Weetabix/Southern Surf Holiday Apartments/Whistling Frog Designs Ford Escort MkII)

22 Neil Thompson/Neil Gilkes (M4 Glassesco/NKM Clothing/Bio-Beauty Day Spa/SMT FIT/Exclusive Fitness/Kristina Creations Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX)

23 Neil Corbin/Matthew Staffner (M2 Nassco/Superfeeds/Stamina Energy/ColourXL/Auto Solutions/Pressout Performance Toyota GT86 CS-R3)

24 Edward Corbin/Johnathan Alleyne (SM1 Prosales/Automotive Art/Hilti/Bajan Pure Daihatsu Charmant)

25 Daryl Clarke/David St Hill (SM2 A & A Autoparts Suzuki Swift RS)

26 Wayne Archer/Derek Edwards (M3 Archers Hall Design Centre/Arrow Construction/Arrow Woodworking BMW M3)

27 Sean Corbin/Emily Kinch (F) (M2 Super-S/Bajan Pure/Foxin/Carter’s Pitstop/Guava Tech/First Stp Security/Gunk BMW 318ti Compact)

28 Mark-Anthony Hinkson/Alec Doodnauth (SM2 BMW M3)

29 David-Anthony Balgobin/Elijah Marshall (M4 DKK Industrial Supplies/Da-Shem-Rae Inc Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX)

30 Savio Walcott/Christian Hinds (M4 Worthing Secured Services/Movements Plus Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX)

31 Chris Hoad/Natasha Farnum (F) (M3 DMS Engineers/ANSA Merchant Bank/Subway/Dasani/Formula 1/Aqualawn Services/Hankook/Printmax/ColorXL/ETravel Services/Guava Tech BMW 325)

32 Chris Shooter - ENG/Bev LeGood (F) – ENG (M4 Sparrowhill Cars Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VIII FQ)

33 Calvin Briggs/Fabian Morris (SM2 Krave The Band Ford Sierra Evo)

34 Ahmed Esuf/Bibi Suleman (SM2 Express Motors BMW M3)

35 Shareef Walcott/Justin Lynch (M2 Fusionz Auto World/Movements Plus/Reef Motorsport Toyota Corolla)

36 Stewart Gordon - ANT/Rene Forde (C2 BimmaCup)

37 Jermin Pope/Pierre Clarke (M2 Glassesco/NKM Clothing/Bio-Beauty Day Spa Honda Civic)

38 Horatio Brown – JAM/Leslie Evanson (F) (SM2 Express Motors/Garage 61/Davco Repairs Citroen C2)

39 Allan Kinch/Kyle Proverbs (C2 Savvy on the Bay/Tranquility Cruises/Yorkshire Agricultural BimmaCup)

40 Sebastian Thompson/Noah White (C2 Glassesco/NKM Clothing/Bio-Beauty Day Spa/SMT FIT/Exclusive Fitness/Kristina Creations BimmaCup)

41 Spencer Hutchinson/Gayle Hutchinson (F) (C2 BimmaCup)

42 Luke Cozier/Benjamin da Silva (C3 BimmaCup Too)

43 Jayden Thompson/Jacob Mustor (C2 Glassesco/NKM Clothing/Bio-Beauty Day Spa BimmaCup)

44 Kyle Gill/Gerald Gill (C1 Expressionism/Fun Miles/Chicken Stop Mitsubishi Colt)

45 Simon Tempro/Cody Mark (C2 Salt Café/Guava Tech BimmaCup)

46 Daniel Ullyett/Hailey Brathwaite (F) (C2 BimmaCup)

47 Jason Downey/Kyle Bentley (C2 Country House Caterers BimmaCup)

48 Antonio Springer/Felicia Springer (F) (SM1 Lamar Mechanical Services/Trey Vision Toyota Starlet)

49 Natya Soodeen (F)/Sameisha Williams (F) (M1 Fun Miles/Executive Auto/Mark’s Auto Spares/Servall/Hilton Barbados Resort Peugeot 208 R2)

50 Mark Brome/Miguel Hunte (SM1 Huntes Auto Spares/BizNeedz/LMB Cooling/Prime Garage/Limitless Auto Clinic/Kell’s Fish Shack/Momos Coco Loco Suzuki Swift Sport)

51 Allister Nurse/Kenniah King (F) (C2 DKK Industrial Supplies BimmaCup)

52 Shawn Brathwaite/Jonathan King (C1 Homeomart Barbados/Security Hub Inc Toyota Corolla)

For media information only. No regulatory value.

For further media information, robin@bradfax.com Web site: www.barbadosrallyclub.com