Female drivers gear up for Rally Barbados

Three women will line up as drivers in BCIC Rally Barbados 2026 when the island’s premier rally runs from May 29–31, marking the first time the event has featured a trio of female drivers. The Barbados Rally Club confirmed the entries just days ahead of International Women’s Day on March 8, highlighting the growing presence of women in local motorsport.

Welsh newcomer Debby Goodband will join England’s Cheryl Spencer, a 10-year veteran of the event, and Barbadian driver Natya Soodeen on the start line.

The trio will headline a strong female presence in the event, which is also expected to feature more than 20 women competing as co-drivers.

Rally Club Secretary Leslie Evanson, who also leads the island’s Women in Motorsport initiative, welcomed the development as a significant step forward for the sport locally. Evanson, herself an experienced co-driver who has partnered Jamaica’s Horatio Brown, said the growing female participation reflects years of encouragement and development within the sport.

“To have a three-way contest for the top female driver award is brilliant news. Co-driver numbers are strong again, too, and I wish them all good luck,” she said

Goodband and co-driver Clare Berrisford tested their Suzuki Swift in North Wales on Saturday (February 28) for the first time, supervised by Goodband’s long-term partner Cliff Evans, who built the car specially for the BCIC RB26 entry. Goodband is returning to rallying after a long break – she rallied a Ford Escort MkII then a Ford Focus in forest and tarmac events between 2001 and 2010 – but has more recently competed in a few Classic Trials, finishing 14th out of 120 starters in her last event in 2024.

With more time to give to the sport after retiring, she was Chief Marshal of the 2025 Cambrian Rally, final round of the British Championship, and endorses Evanson’s further comment: “Women in Motorsport isn’t just about competitors, it’s also about all aspects of the sport, officials, stewards, marshals, timing officials, just to name some.”

While Berrisford is new to stage rallying, she has been driving in autograss since her teenage years and is a four-time National Champion, currently campaigning a Class 8 open-wheeler with a Hyabusa bike engine. Both were at BCICC RB25, travelling with Evans, who serviced for Rupert Lomax, whose main motorsport focus these days is autograss, both driving and as Chairman of North Wales Autograss.

Goodband says: “Last year, Clare sat in a hire car with me as we navigated Barbados to support Rupert and co-driver Andy Darlington. We both decided we could give this a good go. Clare is a seasoned autograss driver and me with past tarmac and forest rally experience – how hard could it be?”

Recently, the island’s only female rally driver has been former show jumper Natya Soodeen, who switched horsepower in 2019 with a BMW 318ti in the local BimmaCup. She used the same car to win the BRC’s Autocross Championship in 2022, then last year bought a Peugeot 208 R2, winning the Modified 1 class in both BRC and Motoring Club Barbados Inc (MCBI) Championships with co-driver Sameisha Williams.

They are among four drivers in the Executive Autocentre team, which recently confirmed a new sponsorship deal for 2026 with Fun Miles, a regional customer loyalty programme, Williams also separately competing as a driver in Autocross.

Britain’s Cheryl Spencer will compete for the 11th time with husband and co-driver Barry, who were married at The Boatyard on the outskirts of the capital Bridgetown in 2008. Having replaced their increasingly unreliable Vauxhall Astra GSi with a BMW Compact last year, they finished the event for the sixth time, third in their class. (PR)