The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

WITH the progression of the EduKarting series, the attention drawn by Bahamas Speedweek Revival, enthusiasts of the sport suggest it is now time to make good on plans to construct a state-of-the-art motorsports circuit in conjunction with the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), world motorsport’s governing body.

David McLaughlin, who served as chairman of the Bahamas Speed Week Revival, FIA director for the Bahamas and the Caribbean, and managing director for Karting Bahamas, said the motorsports circuit is one that can create several unexplored opportunities for the Bahamas.

“The government has agreed to give 200 acres, I have an investor lined up, so hopefully we can get this deal done. It is more than just about Speedweek or Karting. It’s a $5 million dollar asset that can come to the Bahamas of no cost to the government. It can be a benefit to road safety, emergency medical service training and can serve so many different purposes,” he said.

“Over the course of years to come once it’s created, it will really be a benefit to many, many people in the society. The FIA are not just interested in Formula One but very much interested in grassroots and motorsports for all the social aspects it brings.”

McLaughlin has had a long and storied involvement with auto-racing, spanning more than three decades. Through his company FORCE he established the historic Formula One Series in 1986, which was later officially recognised by the FIA.

He also created the FORCE Classic Grand Prix Series with rounds in nine European countries. He said the circuit will create a series of new programmes and create new opportunities for budding programmes such as the EduKarting Camp.

He said the Bahamas should build on the history it has established in motorsports in decades past.

“You can’t buy heritage, you have to own it. So you have something that was so important to the Bahamas from 1954-1966 and it genuinely did put Nassau on the map in those days, it was one of the biggest motorsports events in the world. I referred to it as the World Cup of motorsport because the Europeans would come down, the Americans would come down and then would have a playoff. The Bahamas has an illustrious history in motorsports,” he said. “At that time, the Indianapolis 500 was most popular and had the biggest cash payout in the world, and at that time, in the early 1960s, the Bahamas Speedweek was second in prize money. Part of the reason for bringing the event back was to get the Bahamas on the world sports map. Sports tourism is a very big deal because you get far more back than you put in. It generates huge publicity. And to get ultra high net worth individuals like Rob Walton and Sir Stirling Moss to race their cars can pay dividends.”

When the partnership between FIA and the Bahamas was announced in  2014, Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Dr Daniel Johnson set an early target date for the project.

“Once we have the international body, appropriate sponsorship, a local agreement, then the government will make a commitment to build a motorsports track in the Bahamas and we hope to be finished by next year. We want to have an event the next year, because 2016 will be our breakout year for sports tourism.”