Twenty-five years after lifting his first two-wheel-drive (2WD) crown, veteran rally driver Barry Mayers of M&M Racing has etched his name deeper into the history books of Barbados’ most prestigious motorsport event, securing an unmatched seventh 2WD trophy.
Steered through the challenging stages of last weekend’s BCIC Rally Barbados alongside co-driver Moishe Steinbok in his trusted Ford Fiesta, Mayers finished 11th overall and claimed first place in the competitive SuperModified 2 division. Already the sport’s most decorated 2WD competitor with six championship wins dating back to his first title in 1999, Mayers has now extended his record ahead of his brother Roger, a five-time 2WD champion who missed this year’s event to recover from an ankle injury. This victory marked Mayers’ third 2WD title behind the wheel of his Ford Fiesta, pushing his career total to the historic seven-win mark.
Reflecting on the grueling four-day competition, Mayers acknowledged the effort that went into his win: “It’s been a long weekend. The car held together well so we were able to push on Sunday morning and keep ahead of Declan from Ireland. He is quick!” The veteran driver also noted a late-race setback that kept him just outside the overall top 10: “It’s a pity that this is the first 2wd win without a top 10 result, but we had a broken rose joint in the final Cherry Grove stage, lost 20 seconds and slipped back from 10th.”
Mayers went on to thank his team and sponsors, who he said made his historic achievement possible: “M&M Racing could not achieve what we have without the support of our sponsors, so my thanks to Chefette, Frosteez, Kooyman, Hankook, BSC Essex Freight, Sign Depot and Milwaukee Tool.”
In a surprising post-race announcement, Mayers revealed he will step away from the iconic Barbados rally for at least one to two years, and that his championship-winning Ford Fiesta is now up for sale. Citing the growing physical and mental toll of competing in the grueling event, he explained the break is intended to help him reconnect with his love for the sport he has dominated for decades: “This gruelling event is taking a toll on me and I have found it’s more stress than fun. I want to fall back in love with it, so I’m taking a one or two-year break from it so I’m really happy to be here with this winning result.”
Beyond his rally career, Mayers carries deep roots in Barbados motorsport as a former champion and current chairman of the Barbados Karting Association (BKA). He is also currently nurturing the next generation of racing talent in his own family, overseeing the early careers of his two children, Jacob and Ava, both of whom got their start in karting. Jacob, the 2024 BKA champion, is set to make his jump to senior competition later this year in the BimmaCup series.
The race for the 2WD title saw dramatic shifts in leadership over the weekend. Mark-Anthony Hinkson, driving a BMW M3, clocked the fastest 2WD time at Friday’s Riddara SuperSpecial stage, where intermittent rain showers created unpredictable, slippery track conditions at Bushy Park. However, Hinkson lost his lead early Saturday morning to Rhett Watson, also competing in a BMW M3. Ireland’s Declan Gallagher, behind the wheel of a Starlet, won the opening Padmore stage on Saturday and repeated the win at the end of the day, but Mayers’ consistent performance across seven winning stages left him 15 seconds clear of Gallagher by the close of the day’s racing.
Watson’s challenge collapsed on the final two night stages, when he lost both two spotlights and his distance lighting, allowing the gap between him and Gallagher to widen from just one second to 15 seconds. His campaign ended for good on Sunday’s second stage, when a suspension failure forced him to retire from the event entirely. Mayers extended his lead over Gallagher to a comfortable 37 seconds through a string of seven consecutive fastest stage times on Sunday, a buffer large enough to absorb the 20-second time loss from his late-stage mechanical issue and secure the historic win.