Here's the thing about rallying: it reaches places other sports simply cannot touch, and sometimes that machinery does far more than just chase stage times. Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness has personally expressed his gratitude to Filippo Marchino and co-driver Alex Kihurani for their innovative disaster relief initiatives following Hurricane Melissa.
Now, Marchino and Kihurani contested several rounds of the 2027 FIA World Rally Championship in the WRC2 category, running an eye-catching Jamaican-themed livery on their Citroën C3. The Italian-American wanted to raise awareness for the relief efforts in Jamaica after Hurricane Melissa struck the Caribbean island in late October 2025, causing widespread destruction and claiming nearly 100 lives.
By leveraging the WRC platform and its global audience, Marchino helped keep the disaster relief effort in the public eye and raise funds towards the substantial cost of rebuilding. Initiatives included auctioning the overalls he wore on Rallye Monte-Carlo and displaying a website address on the side of his C3, directing spectators to a platform where they could make donations.
Marchino and Kihurani then had the honour of meeting Prime Minister Holness early last month, presenting him with a Jamaica-branded racing suit.
“Rallying 4 Recovery brought Jamaica’s story of resilience to the international motorsport stage,” expressed Prime Minister Holness.
“I thank Filippo, Alex, [Jamaican rally driver and President of the Jamaica Millennium Motoring Club] Jeffrey Panton and everyone involved in Rallying 4 Recovery for standing with Jamaica and using their platform to support our people as we continue the work of recovery,” the Prime Minister continued. “I want to thank you for your consideration of Jamaica in your sport, and in your professional endeavours. Almost a year ago, we were hit by the third most powerful hurricane ever recorded and its devastation accounted for more than half of our GDP and the pain that it has caused still lingers here even now.”
“Any help that we get, we want to make sure it is used frugally in a way that delivers tangiable results and that can be properly accounted for so we are always happy to see Jamaicans and well-wishers generally rallying to our cause. On behalf of the people of Jamaica we are grateful.”
Said Marchino of the experience: “We were incredibly grateful for the Prime Minister’s words and, above all, for the warmth and support we received from the people of Jamaica. It was truly an honor to use our small platform in support of the country’s recovery efforts; Jamaica will always hold a very special place in our hearts, and we will always be proud to stand with its people.”
