At the conclusion of any Rally Barbados press conference, I'm usually hyped. After yesterday's however, I was buzzing. The promo video initiates the adrenaline spike and this year's promo is the best to date. An entry list 85 entries strong, including Hayden Paddon's first visit and Zane Maloney's return kicked it up a notch. After the presentations by the various officials and Q & A, it's usually time to catch up with fellow media and trying to get a bit of extra information from either Robin Bradford and Neil Barnard. This year the Barbados Rally Club had other ideas though. They had a special treat for their sponsorship partners and the media...passenger rides in rally cars.
Due to a collaboration between Bushy Park Barbados and the Barbados Rally Club, a short "stage" was set up at the Bushy Park Circuit. Stuart Maloney, Barry Mayers, Sean Corbin, Roger Hill and Neil Corbin were all on hand to give passengers a taste of what life is like from the inside of a rally car. Full credit to them, they didn't treat it as a leisurely cruise. They gave a you a real experience of what they and their cars can actually do.
When my turn came around I was directed to the Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo of Stuart Maloney. I've seen how nimble an R5 car is, how quick they are how impressive their braking is. That however was all from the outside. From the co-driver's seat, all of those attributes are magnified. While getting strapped in, Stuart politely requested permission (to be read as stated his intention) to do donuts shortly after the start of the stage.This resulted in a brief negotiation with Dylan, who conceded by saying "Just don't ruin the new paint job okay?" Yeah, Stuart's Skoda is rocking a stunning new livery for 2023. We set off down pit lane and right infront of the open air suites, Stuart nonchalantly sets the Skoda pirouetting into donuts. Just before we exit onto the track itself, Stuart tugs the handbrake, sending the Fabia sideways and accelerating, launching onto the straight. The sense of speed was surreal, with every gear change I was awestruck. Just when I was trying to process how quickly we arrived at the braking point at The Dipper, I had another sensory shock. Braking force. There I was, sent into delirium. We were just blasting up the straight, now the front of the car is almost kissing the asphalt. Down through the gears, handbrake, sideways, throttle, opposite lock, speeding down the pit straight. What? I know where we're going, but how did we get here so fast? We reach the end of the pit wall, about to enter the W's Hairpin. Down through the gears, handbrake, into a four wheel drift and catapult up the straight. This time, we have more momentum so we're going even faster than before. Braking point approaching, bracing for the G force to shove me through the firewall. Boom! Brakes engaged and it feels like The Hulk rested his hand on the front of the Skoda. Just to add the last bit of razzle dazzle, Stuart uses the handbrake three times like a magic wand, pitching the Fabia sideways from The Dipper, the into the pit entry (right turn, left turn, right turn) with ease. Passenger ride over. Mind. Blown.
Another thing that stood out to me yesterday was, at no point did I feel that the car was out of control. That stands as a testament to the engineering marvel that a modern rally car is and also to the skill that Stuart Maloney possesses. Sure, it wasn't a blast through Pickering with a Rally Barbados win on the line but that doesn't diminish my appreciation for what it takes to take one of these cars by the scruff of the neck and drive it the way it was meant to be driven. Not to mention the complete trust you have to place in someone to call pacenotes while they drive you like that.
I'd like to express my immense gratitude to the Barbados Rally Club, Bushy Park Barbados for putting it all together, the drivers for giving of their time and putting smiles on everyone's faces and everyone else who was involved for making yesterday a reality. A special shout out to Stuart Maloney for the incredible display. It was an experience that will never be forgotten but also one that I hope to replicate. My appreciation for both rally drivers and co-drivers definitely went up quite a few notches yesterday. Adrenaline...spiked. Rally Fever...cranked up to 11.
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