The road to the return of Rally Jamaica began on Sunday, May 18 when the Drivers Rallysport Club (DRC) held its first rallysprint event for 2025 through the Tru-Juice Orchards, Bog Walk, St Catherine.

“This event was a kind of breaking of the ice. It went as good as we could have expected. We thought there would have been more drivers coming out. However, that wasn’t the case. It was okay for those who came, and the persons who drove said they had a decent time enjoying the track,” Marcia Dawes, president, DRC, told the Jamaica Observer’s weekly Auto magazine.

For the DRC, their last event was a collaboration with the recently formed Mobay Racing Association (MRA) in 2024.

Since the lockdown on motorsports caused by the COVID-19 worldwide pandemic, the DRC has been trying to revive rallysport on the island with various levels of success.

“We haven’t had an event since last year, so this was just a way to break the ice, because the primary aim, for me, is to host back Rally Jamaica. And in order to do that we have to have events, although primarily the focus will be rallies,” Dawes said.

Rally Jamaica was last held in 2019. The event, which at one point was called the little Safari Rally due to its car breaking reputation, evolved from the annual International Stages Rally held at the end of each year, when rallying returned to the island in the early 90s. It was a premier rally event that drew overseas competitors, as well as displaying the top local talent in the genre. Names such as David Summerbell Jr, Jeffrey Panton, and Douglas Gore litter its winners’ table. It was last won by Kyle Gregg.

“We will have two rallies to give persons enough time to get used to their rally settings for Rally Jamaica,” said Dawes.

She explained that Rally Jamaica will be scheduled for December 5 through 7. The next event on the DRC calendar will be a rally on June 22.

As for the sprint itself, it was Fraser McConnell who took top honours.

“It can never be boring when you’re doing what you love. I love being in a race car, so I take any opportunity like the first DRC sprint for the year. I wouldn’t have missed it if I was going to be here in Jamaica. The entry field was very small, but I enjoyed myself and the fans had a great time. We’re just trying to rebuild the sport one race at a time,” said McConnell.

He showed his international pedigree, throwing his Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI at seemingly impossible angles through the course. He manged to post the fastest time and take the Championship Run win, trailed by Montegonians Brandon and Jason King.

He welcomed the thought of the return of Rally Jamaica to the local motorsports calendar.

“If Rally Jamaica is being put on and I’m in the country then I’m 1,000 per cent taking part. Believe it or not, Rally Jamaica is the thing that got me into motorsports, growing up in Bog Walk; watching the cars drive past my house sparked my interest to be a race car driver,” said McConnell.

Marcia Dawes, president, Drivers Rallysport Club (Photo: Rory Daley)