First Citizens back as title sponsor for King of the Hill

For the fifth straight year First Citizens will be the title sponsor for the King of the Hill event.

The Barbados Rally Club (BRC) made the announcement on Thursday, while also revealing that the event, which will run on May 24, will return to a four-kilometre stage at the popular Stewarts Hill location in the south-east corner of the island for the fourth time.

King of the Hill, used since 2008 to seed the running order for the following weekend’s Rally Barbados, has been sponsored by the First Citizens Group since 2022. 

The company has a wide footprint across the Eastern Caribbean in Barbados, Saint Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Costa Rica and its flagship location, Trinidad and Tobago.

“It’s fantastic to have First Citizens back on board as we return to Stewarts Hill in St Philip. It’s a real fan favourite and seeing the cars coming down the Thicket straight to turn left up the hill is always spectacular,” Event Director Neil Barnard said.

CEO of First Citizens, Claire Jordan reaffirmed the company’s commitment to sponsoring the event.

 “Since we began this partnership, our goal has been simple: to help elevate this event into an experience that inspires both competitors and spectators alike. Our shared vision is that King of the Hill continues to bring international exposure to Barbados’s vibrant motorsport community and supports economic opportunity for our people,” Jordan said.

  Last year, Stuart Maloney became the fourth different winner since 2022, driving a Skoda Fabia Rally2.

After the inaugural event in 2008 at Turners Hall in St Andrew, King of the Hill switched venues; first to Stewarts Hill, then Sailor Gully in St Peter, before finding a more permanent home on Hangmans Hill in St Thomas (2011 to 2018), apart from a switch to Luke Hill in St Lucy in 2013. 

After two years back at Stewarts Hill, the 2021 event was lost to the pandemic. Between 2022 and 2025 the event ran twice each in St Thomas and on a stage running past Society Plantation in St John.

(PR)