Many of you that know me, are aware I have a certain affinity for Barbados, having been to the island a number of times. This year marks 20 years since I first brought a car to what was then the Barbados Rally Carnival to compete on their special stage rally.

Little did I know when I decided to do the event in 2003, that it would lead to meeting my wife out there and us being together ever since. You could say it’s the most expensive souvenir Ive ever brought back from holidays but that wouldn’t be fair on her as shes a real gem. Since that first year driving (at the time a Vauxhall Nova), Ive done event safety officer roles, driven 00 car, codriven once and brought my Astra(s) over a further 5 times to the island, although I seem to have settled into a spectating role the past few years as it’s a lot less stressful and allows me to have a proper holiday.

If you have ever been to Mull, then you understand about island rallying.. Barbados is Mull hospitality, a fair bit of extra heat and rum instead of whisky.. The rally this year was a 3 day affair with a circuit superspecial on Friday night, 9 stages (3 loops of 3 stages) on Saturday and 10 stages (3 loops of 3 stages plus a circuit stage to finish) on the Sunday and provided a load of entertainment for the crews and crowds..

At the sharp end, Hayden Paddon (ex WRC star) took victory by 2 seconds on the final stage to win the event by 0.8 seconds overall and had been swapping stage times with local Dane Skeete all afternoon. Further down the classes, Brits mixed with locals and other Caribbean drivers battled across the event which was very hot, this year was dry and that took a toll on cars and crews alike as did the short but challenging stages.

However, just as important as the rally driving itself is the excitement that surrounds and vast crowds that come out to support locals and visitors alike. Most people come in pickup trucks, with sun umbrellas, coolers, bbqs or premade food and spend the day socializing and watching and that in itself is great entertainment in many cases.

If you have ever thought about going, I’d definitely recommend it – whether that’s as a spectator as part of a holiday or as a competitor.. If your interested then I can give you some pointers.