Defending Rally Barbados champs set to compete following accident

Despite a heavy crash during last Sunday’s First Citizens King of the Hill event, defending champions Kyle Gregg and co-driver Kreigg Yearwood are set to be among the starters when BICIC Rally Barbados gets underway on Friday night with the Riddara Bushy Park Super Special.

Speculation had been rife about the pair’s participation, particularly after footage emerged of the accident that left them uninjured, but heavily damaged their vehicle, which also overturned.

Barbados TODAY has however been reliably informed that repair work on their Ford Fiesta Rally2 has been progressing quickly. 

Speaking to Barbados TODAY following Wednesday’s briefing meeting, Rally Director Neil Barnard also revealed that Jamaican Frasier McConnell, who flipped his car last Sunday, will be competing in a R5 Skoda Fabia instead of his damaged Mitsubishi Evolution.

One of the features of this year’s rally will be the return of day/night action and Bernard said while it’s not new to the event, participants have not faced the additional test of their skills for several years.

“Normally what we would have done is in the first 10 or 15 years of the event’s history, was have this very robust Saturday, which would normally have 12-15 stages in some instances going through to about 9 p.m.

“So we’ve moved away from that and adopted more of a daylight kind of rule with the event, perhaps with some action on Friday night. But we’re going to revisit some history here with a few night stages on Saturday starting later so that we’re not going to go into the same kind of 10-12 hours worth of rallying that we used to do,” Barnard said.

Huge crowds are expected during this weekend’s event and Barnard believes the Automotive Art Padmore stages on Saturday will be fan favourites

“There is ample area to the south of Bushy Park that allows for unrestricted access and really good parking to watch the action from there,” Barnard said.

“So I would say that would probably be my first choice. On Sunday there are a number of vantage points that you can definitely go to without having to be trapped into a stage with road closures or anything like that. Definitely one would be Cherry Grove to Culleton.”

While the areas around Easy Hall and Malvern will also offer good viewing points, Barnard said the final stage of the event on Sunday is ideal.

“Definitely the last stage of the loop is one that starts at Three Houses and ends in Bushy Park itself. So if you really wanted comfort in terms of viewing on Sunday, I would say go and watch the Bushy Park stage that actually ends in the circuit itself and will be followed by the podium ceremony,” he said.

British driver Joe Cunningham and Kari Bates were the overall winners of King of the Hill, while Suleman Esuf and Asif Suleman finished as the top  two wheel drive crew. With defending champions Gregg and Yearwood coming into the event following their big crash, a high quality field featuring 2024 champs Stuart Maloney and Kristian Yearwood and the absence of leading two wheel drive competitor Roger Mayers, Barnard believes picking overall and class winners in this year’s rally, will be difficult.

“I think that it’s one of the most open rallies that we’ve seen, whether it’s for outright runners, four wheel drive or two wheel drive competitors and I think that it’s going to be closely fought. 

“The weather forecast is for a dry rally, which is a good thing, but honestly, you’d be a brave man to bet on who’s going to win,” he concluded.

 

(KH)