Sport News

The Barbados Motoring Federation (BMF) has today (January 27) published a revised calendar for the 2023 motor sport season following consultations with its Member Clubs since the turn of the year. As before, the year’s programme will start over the first weekend of March, with 50 events scheduled to be run under permits issued by the BMF listed between then and early December.
 BMF Vice-President David Williams explained: “Since we published our provisional 2023 Calendar last October, it has become necessary to revisit a number of the dates, so we wanted to complete this before the season got under way. The date change for Rally Barbados and its related events obviously had a knock-on effect both for other clubs and for venues, so there was some work to do.
 “I’d like to thank the representatives of all the affected clubs and the management at Bushy Park for their time and co-operation over the past couple of weeks. We have worked hard to make sure that the changes would not have any adverse effects on their members or patrons and we are now looking forward to getting the competition season started in a few weeks’ time.”
 The calendar lists a broad cross-section of motor sport disciplines, from grass-roots autocross and karting events, through circuit racing and drag racing to off-road 4x4 navigational safaris, rallycross, rallysprints, special stage rallies and sprints, organised by the Barbados Association of Dragsters & Drifters (BADD), Barbados Auto Racing League (BARL), Barbados Karting Association (BKA), Barbados Rally Club (BRC), Bushy Park Motor Sports Inc (BPMSI), the Motoring Club Barbados Inc (MCBI) and the Vaucluse Raceway Motorsports Club (VRMSC).
 The opening round of the BRC Autocross Championship starts the new season on Saturday, March 4, at Bushy Park, with the BKA and BADD getting under way at the same venue the following day. The BRC MudDogs will run their first Navigational Rally on Saturday, March 11, followed by two days of action the next weekend, with the MCBI Sprint on Saturday (March 17) ahead of VRMSC’s Single Venue Stage Rally on Sunday. BARL’s first race meeting is scheduled for Sunday, April 2, the BRC’s Shakedown Stages three weeks’ later (April 23), while BPMSI will kick its season off on Sunday, April 30.

Editor’s note: the Barbados Motoring Federation (BMF), which is affiliated to the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) and the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) is the island’s governing body for motor sport; it also represents the interests of its Member Clubs in discussions with Government departments which facilitate the sport in the island, in particular the Ministry of Transport, Works & Water Resources, which permits road closures for an agreed number of events each year. Away from motor sport, the BMF affiliate which answers the FIA Mobility remit is the Barbados Automobile Association (BAA).

Barbados Motoring Federation
Revised Motor Sport Calendar 2023

Mar 4 - Autocross (BRC) – Bushy Park
Mar 5 - Drag Racing (BADD) – Bushy Park
Mar 5 - Kart Race Meet (BKA) – Bushy Park
Mar 11 - Navigational Rally (BRC MudDogs) – Islandwide
Mar 17 – Social Event (BMF) – venue tbc
Mar 18 – Sprint (MCBI) – venue tbc
Mar 19 – Single Venue Rally (VRMSC) – Vaucluse Raceway
Mar 26 - Drag Racing (BADD) – Bushy Park
Mar 26 - Kart Race Meet (BKA) – Bushy Park
Apr 2 – Race Meet (BARL) – Bushy Park
Apr 15 - Navigational Rally (BRC MudDogs) – Islandwide
Apr 23 - Special Stage Rally (BRC) – venues tbc
Apr 30 - Race Meet (BPMSI) – Bushy Park
May 1 – MudFest (BRC MudDogs) – venue tbc
May 6 - RallySprint (VRMSC) – Vaucluse Raceway
May 7 - Drag Racing (BADD) – Bushy Park
May 7 - Kart Race Meet (BKA) – Bushy Park
May 13 - Autocross (BRC) – Bushy Park
Jun 4 - Sprint (BRC) – venue tbc
Jun 10/11 - Special Stage Rally (BRC) – Islandwide
Jun 24/25 - Navigational Rally (BRC MudDogs) – Islandwide
Jul 1 - Drag Racing (BADD) – Bushy Park
Jul 1 - Kart Race Meet (BKA) – Bushy Park
Jul 16 – Sprint (MCBI) – venue tbc
Jul 23 - Autocross (BRC) – Bushy Park
Aug 13 - Drag Racing (BADD) – Bushy Park
Aug 13 - Kart Race Meet (BKA) – Bushy Park
Aug 20 – Sprint (MCBI) – venue tbc
Aug 26 - Rallycross (VRMSC) – Vaucluse Raceway
Aug 27 - Sprint (BRC) – venue tbc
Sep 2/3 - Race Meet (BPMSI) – Bushy Park
Sep 9 - Special Stage Rally (MCBI) – venues tbc
Sep 16 - Drag Racing (BADD) – Bushy Park
Sep 16 - Kart Race Meet (BKA) – Bushy Park
Sep 17 - Navigational Rally (BRC MudDogs) – Islandwide
Sep 23 - RallySprint (VRMSC) – Vaucluse Raceway
Sep 24 - Autocross (BRC) – Bushy Park
Oct 1 - Drag Racing (BADD) – Bushy Park
Oct 1 - Kart Race Meet (BKA) – Bushy Park
Oct 8 - Race Meet (BARL) – Bushy Park
Oct 15 - Sprint (MCBI) – venue tbc
Oct 22 – Special Stage Rally (BRC) – venues tbc
Nov 5 - Drag Racing (BADD) – Bushy Park
Nov 5 - Kart Race Meet (BKA) – Bushy Park
Nov 12 - RallySprint (TBA) – Bushy Park
Nov 19 - Navigational Rally (BRC MudDogs) – Islandwide
Nov 24/26 – Race Meeting (BPMSI) – Bushy Park
Nov 26 – Single Venue Stage Rally (VRMSC) – Vaucluse Raceway
Dec 2 - RallySprint (VRMSC) – Vaucluse Raceway
Dec 3 - Rallycross (VRMSC) – Vaucluse Raceway

NB: events are described by the generic names under which they are granted a BMF permit. Organising clubs may apply different titles to their events, for instance to reflect individual sponsorship commitments

Key to abbreviations:
BARL - Barbados Auto Racing League; BKA - Barbados Karting Association; BPMSI – Bushy Park Motor Sports Inc; BRC - Barbados Rally Club; MCBI - Motoring Club Barbados Inc; VRMSC - Vaucluse Raceway Motor Sport Club

For media information only. No regulatory value.