Charities benefit from Barbados Rally2 Championship

Three local charities nominated by the podium finishers in the 2024 Barbados Rally2 Championship (BR2C) will shortly receive donations from the motorsport community. These bring to a total of BDS $18,000 the funds distributed since the championship was launched three seasons ago. BR2C 2024 ended at last Sunday’s Motorsport Island Stages.

Administered by the Barbados Motoring Federation (BMF) and promoted by BeSocial, BR2C is the country’s first national motorsport championship, encompassing events run by a number of the BMF’s member clubs. Sponsored this year by CIBC Caribbean and Ace H&B Hardware, the title sponsor for the first two seasons was First Citizens.

The championship rules require each driver to nominate an island charity to receive a BDS $5,000 donation from the title sponsor should he become champion. In seasons two and three, the BMF expanded the scheme by donating an additional $1,000 and $500 to the charities nominated by the drivers who finished second and third at year-end.

The 2024 champion, Josh Read, nominated the Because of Jenna Trust, which is dedicated to easing the suffering of severely brain-injured children in Barbados and improving their quality of life. The cause has benefitted in each year of the BMF championship, as it was also inaugural champion Stuart Maloney’s nominated charity. He then went on to finish second last year, earning a second donation.

The Championship runner-up in 2024 was Jamaica’s Kyle Gregg. His chosen charity, the Autism Association of Barbados, which works to foster understanding, acceptance and appreciation of the autistic community, has also benefitted more than once, as Gregg finished third in last year’s standings.

Third this year, in his first season of 4wd competition, was Logan Watson, whose nominated charity was the Ark Animal Welfare Society, a multinational group dedicated to animal rights.

The 2023 champion was Gregg’s fellow-countryman Jeff Panton, in whose name BDS $5,000 has been donated to The Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgetown. The funds will be used to support the Marina Brewster Centre at Farrs in St Peter, formerly the Farrs Children’s Home, which is on a road often used for transits and servicing for motorsport events. The money will also help provide food hampers for AIDS patients and victims.

BMF vice-president – Sport David Williams said: “When the R5 Championship, as it was first called, was launched, giving back to the community was an important theme. I am so glad that motorsport has been able to support such worthy island charities.”

(PR)