CMRC November race meet launched

– Package to be developed to attract tourists

By Melinda Bishundyal

The third leg of the 2012 Caribbean Motor Racing Championships which is scheduled for November 11 was launched on Sunday night at the Guyana Motor Racing and Sports Club (GMRSC) booth at GuyExpo at the Sophia Exhibition Centre.

The race meet will see seven racers from Jamaica along with racers from Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, USA and Canada competing with local drivers and riders. It is the final of the three round competition, following the first that was held in Jamaica in May and the second in Barbados in September.
Executive member of the GMRSC, Vishok Persaud, recalled that they have been partnering with the Ministry of Tourism for the past three years to promote the championship as sport tourism for the Caribbean. He pointed out that its high point was in 2007 when it managed to attract more spectators than any match in the Cricket World Cup held earlier that year.
According to Persaud, since then, the GMR& SC has been on a high and had received support from Seaboard Marine, the major sponsor and transporter of the cars from country to country.
Persaud also expressed his gratitude to Seaboard Marine, noting that the price tax amounted to over US$ 100,000 per event and the club had to pay it before Seaboard came onboard.
“Now Seaboard has reduced the cost to allow for more participants. They have been moving the cars between the countries. It is safe to say that Seaboard is the reason for the growth of competitors and cars in the Caribbean Motor Racing Championships,” stated Persaud.
He also thanked the other sponsors Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GT&T) that have been with them for the past four years as well, Banks DIH, Kings Jewellery World, Rent-A-Tent, Bounty Farm, and the home of motor racing for that weekend, Princess Hotel.
Persaud stated that motor racing took a different dimension since 2011 with GMRSC partnering with the Tourism Ministry to resurface the track at Timehri. According to him, it cost over Gy$ 90M with the Ministry giving Gy$ 40M. The club executive believes that putting Gy$ 40M into the development of a sport facility is a significant accomplishment.
He added that the new track has enabled the dropping of record times; the record prior to the new track was 35s while the current record is 33.5s.
Continuing on the partnership with the Tourism Ministry, Persaud claimed that a private document based on how the club deals with the government has been adapted by other Caribbean countries. “The document deals with duty free cars and how spare parts are imported. Jamaica and Barbados have used a replica of it and they succeeded in getting their governments’ support, said Persaud.
Persaud thanked the government, stating that without their support the championship would not have been a mega event, adding that over 2000 people usually grace the weekend of races but they are looking towards attracting over 5000 this year.
Acting Minister of Tourism, Irfaan Ali, said motor racing is an opportunity for his ministry, adding that their role is to facilitate and provide an enabling environment through which such entities can thrive. He claimed that the Caribbean Motor Racing Championships has led to tremendous growth in Guyana’s tourism sector.
The minister stated that they are trying to utilise sporting events and culture to provide packages to bring people to Guyana. He disclosed that they have sold 2700 packages with EZjet, and they are working with the airline to develop packages for the weekend that will be advertised in North America, Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados with the aim of getting over 5000 persons to come to Guyana. He added that they are also working on packages for hotels and the entertainment industry.