TRAINING COURSES FOR MOTOR SPORT COMPETITORS

As competitors from across all the motor sport disciplines prepare to embark on the second half of the island's 2014 domestic season, with at least one event every weekend between now and the end of November, the Barbados Motoring Federation (BMF) this week continues its ground-breaking operational and safety training programme.

The expanded schedule was launched in March, when BMF Trainers Wayne Clarke and Kreigg Yearwood delivered a refresher session for course marshals and Leslie Alleyne and John Croney conducted a timing marshals course; the National Sporting Authority's focus now turns to rally and speed event competitors - drivers and co-drivers - who are mandated to attend before they enter any of the season's remaining events.

On Tuesday and Thursday (August 19 & 21), Yearwood and Neil Corbin will host a two-part training course at the Sir Garfield Sobers Gymnasium in Wildey; the course has been split into two sessions, so that participants can spread their time across two evenings during the working week - sign-in is at 5.30pm for a 6.00pm start.

Using a mixture of interactive, Powerpoint and video presentation, the two-hour courses will cover topics including basic first aid, what to do during an incident, rally safety for competitors, the essentials of fire-fighting, personal and vehicle safety and preparation, along with legal and insurance requirements.

Chairman of the Motorsport Training Committee Warren Gollop said: “As we work to keep pace with the overall developments in island motor sport, this is an exciting year for the revitalised BMF Training Committee. Thanks to our work with the Motor Sports Association (MSA) in the UK, majority funded by the sport’s world governing body, the Federation Internationale d’Automobile (FIA), we now have local volunteers accredited to deliver bespoke courses, which we are building into a more structured programme, in a more contextually relevant setting.”

Chairman of the Barbados Rally Club (BRC) Mark Hamilton applauded the efforts being made by the BMF to further enhance training in the island: "It is important to note that the Clubs that make up the BMF have fully supported this initiative and endorsed the mandatory attendance of all competitors wishing to compete in future speed events or stage rallies . . . and that includes our own Summer Nights Tarmac Stages on August 30.

"This represents an important departure from voluntary participation, which has been the norm in the past. However, such is the priority given to safety from the highest level of the FIA, it was felt by all concerned that every effort should be made to have 100 per cent compliance."

In January 2013, MSA instructors led the island’s first-ever senior officials training course, which was attended by more than 30 local volunteers. Clarke, Corbin and Yearwood flew to the UK later in the year for the ‘Train the Trainers’ course, which offers MSA accreditation, enabling them to train island officials and competitors in the future. As the courses are further developed, the BMF plans more frequent sessions, with smaller groups concentrating on more specialised topics – fire-fighting, first aid or radio communications, for instance – among the additions being planned.

Yesterday's (Sunday) August MudFest at Three Houses Plantation, organised by the BRC's MudDogs off-road division, was the first event in the 2014 season's second half, after a break of four weeks since the middle of July; in the coming weeks, events scheduled include the first BRC Autocross for the year, activities at Bushy Park Circuit, and the BRC's Summer Nights Tarmac Stages, which will incorporate the Barbados Historic Rally, organised by the Vaucluse Raceway Motor Sport Club.

Editor’s note: affiliated to the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), which rules the sport worldwide, the Barbados Motoring Federation (BMF) is the island’s governing body for motor sport; it also represents the interests of its member Clubs in discussions with Government departments which facilitate the sport in the island, in particular the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, which permits road closures for an agreed number of events each year. Away from motor sport, the BMF affiliate which answers the FIA Mobility remit is the Barbados Automobile Association (BAA), which is an executive committee member of the Government’s Barbados Road Safety Council.