BARBADOS IS SMALL, BUT BIG IN MOTOR SPORT

Despite being a tiny island in the Caribbean, Barbados has a secure future in world motor sport. So says Jean Todt, the President of the sport’s world governing body, the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), whose remarks came during a recent visit to the island as part of a tour of FIA member countries in the region.
Addressing a representative gathering of public and private sector stakeholders in island motor sport, along with competitors and officials from the seven member clubs of the Barbados Motoring Federation (BMF), President Todt said: “You are small, but you are big for the FIA. I want you to know that Barbados is an important member of our international organisation in sport, and in mobility, where your representatives Andrew Mallalieu and John Sealy each play a role in our business.”
Of the FIA’s 135 member countries, Barbados is one of only 10 with a population of less than 1 million; with a total of more than 400 competition licences issued during 2011, it also has arguably the most active motor sport community per head of the population of any country in the world.
During the lunchtime reception at The Villages at Coverley, former Ferrari F1 team manager Todt said: “You have here a real appreciation and passion for cars, for racing, it’s a culture. It is fascinating when you think that, in Barbados, there are just 275,000 people living in this island . . . but you have created the BMF.”
The delegation, which also included FIA Vice-President Jose Abed of Mexico and America’s Nick Craw, President of the FIA Senate, was on a whistle-stop tour of the Caribbean, visiting Cuba, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Barbados and Trinidad & Tobago on its way to the XIVth American Congress of the FIA in Cancun.
As the FIA flight arrived on the evening before Kadooment, the BMF arranged a day of relaxation mid-way through a gruelling 12-day schedule for the FIA delegates. Tuesday’s official events began with a brief ground-breaking ceremony at Bushy Park, after which the delegation was transported to Coverley, where there was a display of nearly 30 competition vehicles, representing all the disciplines of the BMF’s member clubs.
After touring the display, President Todt said: “I was very impressed this morning with what you have started at Bushy Park, and it has been a privilege here to be able to speak to your drivers, starting from eight years old, as well as the managers of your clubs, and share their passion and fascination with our sport. It has been a short visit, as we have been jumping from one country to another, but I look forward to coming back to your country and enjoying the beaches and the motor sport.”
The FIA’s motor sport remit runs in parallel with its commitment to mobility, in particular the United Nations’ Decade of Action for Road Safety (2011-2020), a cause close to the hearts of Todt and his partner Michelle Yeoh, who was unable to make the trip to the Caribbean. During their visit, members of the FIA delegation joined in a meeting arranged by Barbados Automobile Association President John Sealy and chaired by the Hon. John Boyce, Minister of Transport and Works, to discuss mobility, making roads safe, and the Decade of Action for Road Safety.
Highlighting the work of the BMF during his address at Coverley, President Andrew Mallalieu said: “The acquisition of Bushy Park by the Government of Barbados was the start of the journey to create a permanent home for motor sport. We have a development plan that, when implemented, will include areas for each discipline in our Federation to develop its capabilities, including a kart circuit that will be the springboard for our young drivers to have the opportunity to move on to the international scene.
“The Barbados Automobile Association will develop a driver and marshal training centre that will serve to improve safety in motor sport and on our roads - such a facility does not exist in Barbados today. Although no date is set for the start of work, as there are some final details to resolve, it was appropriate to involve the FIA delegation, as they are hugely supportive of our plans for developing island motor sport and the funds from the FIA Institute’s Facility Improvement Programme were vital to kick-start the project.
“The facility could not come to fruition without the assistance of the private sector. Not one dollar of public money has been used in the development of this plan. The land will be leased from the Crown on a long-term lease and 100 per cent of the cost to develop the facility is being raised through private means. At the end of the lease, the facility will revert to the Crown, ensuring that it remains permanently as the home for motor sport.
“While the strategy to acquire Bushy Park was hatched under then Prime Minister Owen Arthur, the acquisition of the land occurred under Prime Minister David Thompson and, today, the ground-breaking was held in Prime Minister Stuart’s term, demonstrating the country’s on-going commitment to this long-term goal.
“I would like to say a huge thank you to Mark Maloney, who has assembled a group of investors, including Bizzy Williams, who have committed to funding the development of the facility at no cost to the BMF. Without Mark’s vision, tenacity and generosity, we would not have achieved what we have thus far. I look forward to the day when I can call on all present today and you, President Todt, to join with us again for the opening of the completed facility.”
Welcoming the attendees to the earlier ground-breaking ceremony, Bizzy Williams said: “I am delighted to see the top brass of the FIA here to join with us in developing Bushy Park further, as it was the grant from the FIA which enabled us to develop the Master Plan, and their investment was significant. There is tremendous potential here in what is, in my opinion, the best site for motor racing in Barbados and I look forward to seeing the development starting in earnest.”
The Hon Michael Lashley, Minister of Housing & Lands and Acting Minister of Sport, then welcomed the FIA visitors, not only to Barbados, but also to his constituency of St Philip North. He said: “In the 2011 Budget, the Government of Barbados had given its commitment to the motor racing fraternity, and we have thereon committed to assist wherever possible. The Ministry of Housing & Lands is now working feverishly with the ever-pressing Mr Mallalieu to make sure that all things are sorted out.
“Indeed, we are, I would say, one step away . . . and it is really a manifestation of Government’s commitment. This facility offers great potential for the growth of this parish and, by extension, of Barbados and the tourism sector. We have an opportunity to create a facility that will stand out regionally and internationally, and I am 100 per cent behind this development.”
The Minister was then joined by FIA President Todt at the controls of a JCB 3CX; under the guidance of an operator from C O Williams Construction Ltd, which had provided the equipment, they broke ground on the grass infield of Bushy Park, close to the marquee where the formalities had been held.