[1]
Paul Woodford, whose informed commentary on British rallying has generated a huge following among competitors and fans alike, is to return to BCIC Rally Barbados for a second time. Confirmation of his trip follows a working weekend at the East Riding Stages Rally (February 23) in his home county of Yorkshire, which was contested by more than 30 past or future participants in the island’s premier event.
BCIC RB25, the Caribbean’s biggest motor sport international, will run from Friday, May 30 to Sunday, June 1. The Auto & Rally Show, where every car entered is on display in an annual celebration of island rallying, and the final shakedown and seeding event, First Citizens King of the Hill, fill the previous weekend (May 24/25).
Paul has been presenting rally programmes for more than 15 years, initially on Motors TV, since when he has presented coverage of major British championships on gravel and tarmac and is an engaging and ubiquitous presence on social media. He has rallied as both driver and co-driver, winning the 2012 Neil Howard Memorial Stages with Graham Coffey in the Subaru Impreza WRC S12B which Coffey finished eighth in Sol RB17.
Fronting a live Facebook stream of ERSR from the UK's leading producer of rallying coverage, Special Stage, Woodford was taken straight back to his debut in Barbados last year: “Interviewing Andrew Mallalieu live on TV on my home roads in East Yorkshire two weeks ago, I couldn't help but point out that, contrary to the first time we'd met, the young Bajan star was now in my neck of the woods.
“When I came to BCIC Rally Barbados in 2024, I became part of a family. Arriving back home to Yorkshire, my adventure didn't stop there. I quickly realised I'd joined a unique international travelling rally community, and the stories have continued since. I haven't stopped talking about my Barbados adventure. Yet for a man who has made a career out of words, I struggle to describe just what it is that makes the rally so special. It's a combination of the incredible people, marvellous variety of cars, challenging roads and of course the truly stunning locations.”
As well as being what he calls a “career-rallyist”, he’s also a classic car enthusiast, with his own immaculate 1970s Clan Crusader, so is particularly excited that this year’s entry includes Britain’s Dan Gibson in the only Clan Crusader rally car granted a Motorsport UK Historic Passport, saying: “You're going to love that!”
Among the drivers he interviewed in Yorkshire for the Special Stage coverage was fellow Yorkshireman Joe Cunningham, who finished an impressive 11th overall, clocking four top 10 stage times, against a strong field of British Rally Championship contenders in his uncle Kevin Procter’s Ford Fiesta S2000T. Cunningham and Josh Beer will return for BCIC RB25 in the Fiesta WRC that he missed out on driving last year when he had to return to the UK after King of the Hill because of a family emergency.
Procter is also confirmed to return in the Fiesta S2000T, chasing the podium finish which has eluded him in his 17 previous visits. In 12 top 10 finishes, he has been fourth four times, most recently in 2022 with former British Champion Co-driver Patrick Walsh, who is back with him this year.
Rally Barbados is a tarmac rally, with around 20 special stages run on the island’s intricate network of public roads, under road closure orders granted by the Ministry of Transport & Works; the previous Sunday’s King of the Hill ‘shakedown’, run under a similar arrangement, features four timed runs on a roughly four-kilometre stage, the results of which are used to seed the running order for the main event.
For media information only. No regulatory value.
For further media information: e-mail - robin@bradfax.com [3]
www.rallybarbados.net [4]; www.barbadosrallyclub.com [5]
Facebook/BarbadosRallyClub; instagram/@barbadosrallyclub
