In front of a massive crowd and a record 121-car entry, Stuart Maloney and Kristian Yearwood soared to victory at the First Citizens King of the Hill (KotH), delivering a thrilling final run to secure the top spot in the island’s premier rally shakedown event. Driving a Skoda Fabia RS Rally2, the pair clocked a best time of 2:35.92 on their fourth run to top the leaderboard and set the pace for next weekend’s BCIC Rally Barbados.
Returning to St Thomas for a 4-kilometre blast from Content to Hangman’s Hill, KotH 2025 drew thousands of fans — many of whom packed the famous Vaucluse 90, where dramatic spins and power slides from crowd favourites like Edward Corbin and Robert Wood “Woody” delivered nonstop entertainment.
This year marked Maloney’s first win at KotH as a driver, adding to his earlier co-driver titles with the late Paul Bourne. Remarkably, it’s also the second time the Maloney/Yearwood combination has won KotH, following Zane Maloney’s breakthrough in 2022.
Overall Podium – First Citizens King of the Hill 2025
- 🥇 Stuart Maloney / Kristian Yearwood – Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 – 2:35.92
- 🥈 Dane Skeete – Subaru Impreza WRC S12 – 2:36.84
- 🥉 Kyle Gregg – Ford Fiesta Rally2 – 2:37.43
Notable Performances
- Dane Skeete came within a second of victory in his Subaru, showing strong form ahead of Rally Barbados.
- Kyle Gregg of Jamaica impressed with third, making a significant comeback after a disappointing run in 2024.
- Veteran Jeff Panton, Rob Swann, and Mark Maloney kept the Rally2 class tight, while Joe Cunningham and Kevin Procter rounded out the top 10 despite spins and overshoots.
- Simon Jean-Joseph, in his Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, thrilled fans and took Open Class honours, finishing 12th overall.
2WD: Mayers Makes It Seven
In the fiercely contested 2WD category, Roger Mayers, co-driven by Barry Ward, claimed his seventh KotH 2WD victory in a Toyota WR Starlet — making it four consecutive wins for the pair.
Top 3
- Roger Mayers – Toyota WR Starlet – 2:43.42
- Barry Mayers – Ford Fiesta – 2:43.82
- Rhett Watson – BMW M3 – 2:44.39
Just 0.97 seconds separated the top three, showcasing the high level of competition. Mayers noted: “I had to take some risks in the last run to make up time. We’ll get the car sorted out this week for Rally Barbados”.
Class Winners Round-Up
Modified Classes
- Modified 3: Wayne Archer (BMW) by just 0.16s over Jonathan Still
- Modified 4: Kurt Thompson (Mitsubishi Evo IX) beat brother Mark
- Clubman 3: Kevin Armstrong held off Ryan Wood by 0.86s
Other Standouts
- Group N: Larry Doyle (Mitsubishi Evo VII – Ireland)
- Historic 2: Robin Hamilton (Escort MkI – Scotland)
- C2: Chris Hoad by 2.29s over Allan Kinch
- M1: Carlos Edwards (Citroen C2R2 MAX), with Euan Mackay narrowly beating Richard Stewart for second
- Open Class: Simon Jean-Joseph (Porsche 911 GT3 Cup)
What’s Next: BCIC Rally Barbados 2025
With KotH now complete, the focus shifts to BCIC Rally Barbados (30 May – 1 June) — the Caribbean’s top tarmac rally event. Featuring 22 special stages across the island’s closed public roads, it promises intense action, with Maloney, Skeete, Gregg, and the full international field lead by Simon Jean-Joseph competing for glory.