Bushy Park hosts 2017 curtain-raiser for BPMSI & BADD

Tuesday 14th March, 2017

Bushy Park Motor Sport Inc (BPMSI) and the Barbados Association of Dragsters & Drifters (BADD) will share Bushy Park Barbados on Sunday, March 26, to launch their respective Championship seasons. Track and drag strip activity will alternate during a 10-hour programme, as drivers seek to open their 2017 accounts.

Competitors from both Clubs - on two and four wheels - grasped the opportunity for a shakedown at Sunday's (March 12) Open Track Day, which had been structured to allow both disciplines time for testing, with three hours of on-track action for bikes, road cars and race cars followed by a two-hour slot on the drag strip.

Reigning BPMSI Group 1/Class 2 Champion Adrian Bailey, who was also seen testing at the February Open Track Day, was in action in his Peugeot 205; others included Kevin Armstrong (Nissan), Ross Callendar (Daihatsu Charmant), Tremaine Forde-Catwell (Datsun), Robert Gill (Toyota Starlet), Jason Harewood (Toyota Starlet), Devan McCartney (Honda CRX) and Joe Troulan (BMW 318ti). On two wheels, BPMSI regulars Marc-Lee Bascombe, Kevin Graham, Terrance Ollivierre, Jason Griffin and Shirley Scantlebury all put in a good number of laps.

From a BADD perspective, Chairman Jason Downey was very upbeat after a healthy response from members to the practice day, which started at 3.30pm: "We had close to 50 vehicles take the start in our session, so it was a very encouraging turn-out ahead of our opening event." BADD's timing equipment was fresh off the Admiral Bay vessel, having been shipped back from St Vincent & The Grenadines, where four of the Club's officials had assisted in the running of an historic 1/4-mile drag race meeting at the recently de-commissioned E T Joshua Airport last weekend.

Reflecting on Sunday's Bushy Park action, Downey added: "Racing is not allowed outside our official race dates, so the guys only ran single-file and there are no times published; among those who ran was Defending Champion Jeremy 'Silent' Greenidge, who made one pass in his Mitsubishi Colt, before retiring with an alternator failure." Series regulars such as Barry Gilkes (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo III), Kevin Griffith (Suzuki Swift), Damian Johnson (Honda Civic) and Dan Johnson (Westfield Megawatt) also turned out to shake off the rust, which would have accumulated in the more than four months since the last event on October 30 last year.

Sunday, March 26 (gates open 8.00am): Gate 1 (Grounds & Open Air Suites) - $20; Gate 2 (Race Control Premium) - $30; Cyclone Zone - $25 per vehicle & $20 per person. Tickets available on the gate of on-line at http://www.bushyparkbarbados.com/buy-tickets

Provisional Timetable

These scheduled starting times may be changed by the Organisers

8.00am: Practice 1 - BPMSI Bikes A & B

8.15am: Practice 2 - BPMSI Group 1

8.30am: Practice 3 - BPMSI Groups 2, 3 & 4

8.45am: Qualifying 1 - BPMSI Bikes A & B

9.00am: Qualifying 2 - BPMSI Group 1

9.15am: Qualifying 3 - BPMSI Group 2

9.30am: Qualifying 4 - BPMSI Group 3

9.45am: Qualifying 5 - BPMSI Group 4

10.00am: Race 1 - BPMSI Bikes A & B, race 1

10.20am: Race 2 - BPMSI Group 1, race 1