Rare treat for motor sports fans at Bushy Park

More than 17 hours of on-track action, including the first stage of Suzuki Rocks! - the quest for the best in the island - will be packed into the BMF Club Meet on October 18/19 at Bushy Park Circuit, St Philip. With dragsters, karts and race and rally cars in action, the two-day meet offers motor sport fans and their families a rare treat.

For the first time since it opened, three of circuit's layouts will be in use on the same day as member clubs of the Barbados Motoring Federation (BMF) join together to present a multi-discipline festival of motor sport . . . and the winners won't just be on the track. There are six Radical Rides and three prize drives with drag race star 'DMZ' on offer to lucky patrons.

The Barbados Association of Dragsters & Drifters (BADD) will stage round three of its 2014 Championship; there will be three sessions on the drag strip each day, culminating in the Finals towards the end of Sunday's programme, with time also allocated for 'grudge matches' to bring the weekend's action to a close.

The Barbados Karting Association (BKA) will return to the facility for the fourth time since it reopened, racing on the 1.2-kilometre kart circuit, on which lap times have steadily fallen as its competitors have built on their experience; practice, qualifying and two race sessions on Saturday will be followed by two further race sessions on Sunday, counting towards the BKA's Frutee-sponsored Championship.

There will be racing on the full International circuit, too, in round two of Bushy Park Motor Sports Inc's (BPMSi) inaugural Championship, which opened at the Digicel Williams International Race Meet in July; following practice and qualifying on Saturday, there will be one race session on Saturday afternoon and three on Sunday, accommodating all the Club's classes.

Three demonstration sessions are allocated each day for the Radicals powered by Suzuki, of which there are now 10 in the island, while invitations have been issued to the Barbados Rally Club - the BRC Track Challenge events were among the most popular at the July International - and the island's bike racers.

The BMF had previously co-ordinated its member clubs in staging curtain-raisers to the island's motor sport season at Bushy Park in 2005 (Sol Motorsport Goes Live!) and 2006 (Sol Motorsport Interactive). Like the events of the past, there is something for everyone at Bushy Park Circuit on October 18/19, with no fewer than 30 sessions of on-track action.

Admission is free on Saturday, when action is slated for a 9.00am start, running until shortly before 5.00pm; on Sunday, track action will kick off an hour earlier, at 8.00am, and end roughly an hour later. General admission on Sunday is $10 for adults and $5 for children (12 years and under, with children six years and under admitted free). Patrons are encouraged to bring their coolers, food and drink (no glass bottles allowed) to make it a fun day out for the whole family.

Suzuki Rocks!

 The start of the Suzuki ROC Barbados Challenge - Suzuki Rocks! - is expected to be among the highlights of Sunday's programme. Twenty top local drivers will begin the battle to see who will represent Barbados in the ROC Nations Cup, the team event staged on the Saturday of Race Of Champions weekend (December 13/14).

Compiled from across the motor sport disciplines run under the umbrella of the BMF, the short list comprises Champion drivers who have won approaching 100 local and regional titles between them. The final two will be decided after a rigorous selection process, combining an on-line poll with on-track challenges. The first Driver Challenge on Sunday, October 19, at Bushy Park Circuit will be a low-speed, autocross-style event, with drivers at the wheel of identical 1.2-litre Suzuki Swift saloons; there will be no head-to-head racing, but performance will be measured against the clock.

In alphabetical order, the Team Barbados candidates are: Neil Armstrong, Jamal Braithwaite, Daryl Clarke, Edward Corbin, Sammy Cumberbatch, Kenrick Husbands, Andrew Jones, Steve King, Stuart Maloney, Trevor Manning, Roger Mayers, Philip Moe, Josh Read, Dane Skeete, Roger Skeete, Mark Thompson, Geoffrey Ullyett, Karl Waterman, Rhett Watson and Stuart Williams. Some will also be seen in action in other elements of the weekend's programme.