The Barbados Rally Club (BRC) MudDogs March Safari returns on March 8 after a four-month winter break.
The opening round of the 2026 Chefette MudDogs Safari Championship promises fierce competition, as crews battle across challenging routes over five rounds through November.
Eight crews are set to compete, evenly split between seasoned campaigners and newcomers. Class A features top drivers including father-and-son duo Stephen and Ben Moore, while Class B showcases rising talents and previous champions, setting the stage for a thrilling start to the year. They face Ben Norris and Kirk Watkins (Jeep Rubicon), who have three times finished second in the MudDogs year-end standings since 2019.
The class is completed by Christopher King and Warrick Eastmond (Suzuki Jimny), and reigning Class B Champion Driver Alexander Gill (Isuzu DMax) paired with Gary Mendes. In Class B, George Mendes and Johnathan King (Suzuki Vitara) and Charles Clarke and Austin Barber (Mitsubishi Pajero) will do battle, with Mendes having beaten Clarke in a tie-break to claim the 2024 Champion Driver title.
Completing the class are two relative newcomers, both with female navigators: Nadcarnie Cyrus has 2024 Class B Champion Navigator Leslie Evanson guiding him through the day in his Range Rover Classic, while Jaden Eastmond (Nissan Frontier) is joined by first-timer Trislyn St Hill.
Speaking ahead of the new season, MudDogs Chairman Ricky Holder said: “Everyone is looking forward to getting started again after the long winter break. A special thanks to Chefette, who are entering their 17th year supporting MudDogs, and their 13th as title sponsor, also to Ace H & B Hardware for hosting the start and supplying some prizes.
“The entry is healthy, with a number of previous Safari winners and the Class B Champions from the last three years, and it is encouraging to see some new or less familiar names on the list. I wish everyone good luck.”
Crews will set off from Ace H & B Hardware, Warrens, St Michael, at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday to tackle two routes set by Wayne Clarke. The shorter morning test, roughly 45 kilometres, will include two Driver Challenges: the first on the south side of the Vaucluse Raceway in St Thomas at around 8 a.m., and the second at Manor Farms, Clifton, in the same parish just over two hours later. The lunchtime rest halt will be at Chefette, Charles Rowe Bridge, St George, at approximately 11:00 a.m.
The longer afternoon route, around 80 kilometres, will include a third Driver Challenge back at the Vaucluse Raceway, then carry crews north through the parishes of St Joseph, St Peter, and St Lucy to finish at Chefette Speightstown at around 5 p.m.
The results of the BRC MudDogs March Safari will be declared at the Prizegiving, which starts at 7 p.m. on March 10 at Savvy on the Bay.
(PR)
