Rally Barbados 2025 gears up with record 126 entries

The BCIC Rally Barbados 2025 is poised to shatter previous records in both local and regional rallying, with 126 crews confirmed on the provisional entry list.

The announcement was made during a media briefing held at the Open-Air Suites at Bushy Park, Barbados, on Thursday.

The 35th running of the Barbados Rally Club’s (BRC) flagship event will take place from Friday, May 30, to Sunday, June 1, featuring 22 challenging special stages. Preceding the main event, the Auto & Rally Show and First Citizens King of the Hill (KotH) — the seeding and shakedown competition — will be held on May 24 and 25.

From an original 147 online entries submitted since last October, 126 crews have now confirmed participation, breaking the previous record of 108 set in 2012. This year’s field includes 51 overseas crews from 13 countries — surpassing the 2015 high of 44 — and 99 individual overseas competitors, up from 88 in 2015.

Local involvement has also increased, with 75 Barbadian crews (up from 64 starters last year) and a record 39 cars in the 4WD classes (beating 2015’s 27). Additionally, the number of female competitors remains strong at 24, matching the 2024 total.

Event Director Neil Barnard noted the unprecedented international interest in this year’s edition of the island’s premier motorsport event.

“Rallying in Barbados experienced real growth during 2024, but the overseas response to our event this year has been astonishing,” Barnard said. “After starting a record 100 cars last year, we were confident that the event was well on its way to recovering from the effects of the pandemic. To see an entry of 75 local cars is unheard of, but the overseas response to our event this year has been astonishing.”

He said he was particularly pleased to see such a large increase in crews from Ireland — “13 cars is a record number for one event” — and newcomers from Scotland, too. “In keeping with tradition in our motorsport island, most have been encouraged to travel by friends who have been here before, so our word-of-mouth reputation continues to be strong.”

The BCIC RB25 will kick off on the last Friday of this month with two floodlit SuperSpecials at Bushy Park, sandwiching a run through nearby Malvern. Saturday will feature three loops of three high-speed stages across the island’s southeast, while Sunday will shift to the north for nine more technical stages, culminating in the Final Stage — not included in the overall results — and the Rally Finish at Vaucluse Raceway in St Thomas.

While all stages are familiar to rally fans, one comeback is generating particular excitement: Hangman’s Hill returns to the course after a six-year absence. Resurfaced last November by the Ministry of Transport and Works, it forms a key section of the Content to Hopewell stage, which will be featured during both King of the Hill and Sunday’s final leg of the main event.

Adding to the buzz, the Rally Experience (formerly the VIP area) and a large spectator zone are also making a long-awaited return to the iconic ‘Vaucluse 90’ — back for the first time since 2014. Barnard expressed gratitude to the rally’s growing network of partners.

BCIC’s General Manager of Marketing, Lori-Ann Glasgow, speaking at the launch, added: “Our renewed partnership reaffirms BCIC’s commitment to challenging convention, enhancing customer experiences, and building lasting trust.”

CEO of First Citizens Bank Barbados, Claire Jordan, said the financial institution’s sponsorship is part of a larger commitment to the communities it serves.

“King of the Hill brings people together, fuels local pride, and inspires bold ambition, and I am looking forward to the return to Vaucluse to see what this iconic location can bring,” she said.

Sports Manager at the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. (BTMI), Kamal Springer, highlighted the broader tourism impact of the event: “BTMI is excited to once again be a partner. The event broke records last year by attracting over 500 people and is set to go further, aiming to surpass 600 visitors this year. We are working with our international travel agents and operators to create travel packages for 2026 to see how close we can get to
1 000 next year.”

A further sign of confidence in the strength of motorsport in Barbados comes from new event partners: Inchcape Barbados, Megapower, and Platinum Motors. Under its Riddara electric vehicle brand, Megapower will sponsor the May 30 floodlit stages at Bushy Park as well as Saturday’s Padmore stage. Inchcape will sponsor the popular Kendal stage in St John the next day, and also supply safety vehicles for the official convoy ahead of Car 0. Platinum Motors, the island’s authorised Honda dealer, will provide two vehicles for the Stage Setup Safety Team. (PR/BT)