Panton Triumphs in 2023 R5 Rally Championship, Benefiting Charities

In an exciting debut season, Jamaica's Jeff Panton secured victory in the 2023 R5 Rally Championship presented by First Citizens. He accomplished this feat while driving a Skoda Fabia Rally2 evo, marking his first departure from Ford rally cars in over a decade. In a strategic move to secure the championship, Panton opted to pace himself during the final round, the BRC Winter Rally, which took place on October 22. He finished in the third position, allowing Mark Maloney to claim his first R5 win after a thrilling battle with Britain's Rob Swann.

As a result of Panton's success, the charity he nominated, Food for the Poor/The HUB People-Helping-People, will receive a generous $5,000 donation from the title sponsor, First Citizens. The Barbados Motoring Federation (BMF), the championship's administrator, will also contribute $1,000 and $500 to the charities chosen by the runners-up. Despite his withdrawal from driving the previous month, Reigning Champion Stuart Maloney secured the second position in the standings, continuing his support for the Because of Jenna Trust. In the third place, Kyle Gregg of Jamaica nominated the Autism Association of Barbados.

Teaming up with his regular co-driver, Mike Fennell Jnr, Panton managed to secure victory in three of the points-scoring rounds. Due to the cancellation of rounds eight and nine caused by Tropical Storm Tammy, the championship was reduced to six rounds. Mark Maloney claimed victory in four rounds, including two non-scoring events in March, and he also served as the co-driver for his brother in their victorious performance in the Skoda Fabia Rally2 evo during the last round.

Panton reflected on their championship-winning strategy, saying,

“We were leading the R5 championship needing eighth or higher to secure it. So, we made a decision to pace ourselves and not go for the win in the event but to focus on the overall championship we were leading. We didn’t drive ten-tenths but drove to maintain our spot in the middle of the pack, and it worked out in the end.”

— Panton

Despite this strategic decision, the final round was filled with drama and tension as nine R5s competed on two different stage venues in St John and St Joseph. Gregg and his Bajan co-driver, Orry Hunte, set the early pace in their Ford Fiesta Rally2, securing a narrow victory in the first run through the four-kilometer Society to Cherry Grove stage. Swann, accompanied by his fifth different co-driver of the season, Geoff Goddard, was second, and Panton was third. The Turks & Caicos Rally team's Paul Horton, driving a Citroen C3 Rally2 with triple British Rally Champion Matt Edwards, made a strong start by finishing fourth.

Josh Read and Calem Maloney, driving a Fiesta R5, won the first alternating Blackmans to Tappy Pond stage. However, Gregg maintained the lead, though it was reduced to just 0.4 seconds, with Panton still in the third position and Mark Maloney moving up to fourth.

With three more stage wins before lunch, Gregg extended his lead to nearly 6 seconds, while Mark Maloney passed Panton for the third position after the second Society to Cherry Grove stage, trailing Swann by just over 3 seconds.

In the morning session, Roger Hill and Graham Gittens, driving a Fabia R5, consistently held the fifth position. Read moved up to sixth place by lunch. Horton slipped to seventh, and the Fiesta R5s of his fellow Turks & Caicos entries, Ben and Stan Hartling, completed the field, with son Ben co-driven by Kreigg Yearwood ahead of his father, co-driven by Jeremy Croney. Both Hartlings were in need of seat time in their first outing of the season.

The day took a dramatic turn for Gregg after lunch when he clipped a chicane near the beginning of the first Blackmans stage, causing a puncture that cost him dearly. This setback pushed him down to the fourth position, more than 7 seconds behind the new leader, Mark Maloney, who not only won the stage but also snatched the lead from Swann. Swann, mystified about the reason for losing a couple of seconds to the local driver on every run through Blackmans, made a comeback in the first run through the reversed Cherry Grove to Society stage, becoming the third different leader of the event, but only by a margin of 0.8 seconds. However, Mark Maloney's lead extended to nearly 3 seconds on the final Blackmans stage, securing his victory.

Mark Maloney attributed his success to his brother Stuart's coaching over the final events, saying, "It was a fun day, and I'm finally getting into the R5 now." Swann, eager to have a good event after earlier disappointments, stated, "I dropped time to Mark through Blackmans but struggled to see where. I felt we attacked every corner, but I lost a couple of seconds each pass, which ultimately cost us the win."

Panton finished in the third position, securing the championship title, with Josh Read taking the fourth position after winning both Cherry Grove to Society stages after lunch. Although Read's progress briefly pushed Hill down to the sixth position, Gregg's spin and further time lost on the second afternoon Blackmans stage saw him drop behind Hill.

Gregg commented on his performance, saying,

“It was a promising start, leading after the first five stages. Then we clipped a chicane in SS6, got a puncture, and it went downhill from there as we lost 16 seconds. These are the highs and lows. I know my pace is there but I just need to keep it clean. Overall, I’m happy... but not happy at the same time; I finished the year strong with good times and good stage wins.”

— Gregg

Horton finished in the seventh position, with Ben and Stan Hartling completing the field. Horton expressed his satisfaction, saying,

“It was a nice end to the year, especially after the incident in Sol Rally Barbados. To get back to where I am now with that confidence and feeling in the car, I’m really happy.”

— Horton