We want to race!
Gore, McConnell push for the return of local motor sports
Published:Wednesday | June 23, 2021 | 12:10 AMKavarly Arnold/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
Jamaica’s Rallycross standout Fraser McConnell and iconic race car driver Doug Gore have both urged the Government to release the brakes on the local motor racing industry, which is yet to receive approval for resumption, after being parked by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic last year.
Both drivers spent last Saturday at the Dover Raceway in St Ann, where mechanics and technicians from McConnell’s Olsberg MSE team were brought in to work on Gore’s Audi race car.
“We hear that entertainment is going to go on and we’ve seen other sports such as track and field, football, cricket and so on resume activity. Motor sport is also a very integral part of our sports here in Jamaica and we want to see it return,” Gore said.
McConnell, who became the first Jamaican to win an international motor sport race, with his historic RallyX Nordic first-round win last month, leading to praise from Prime Minister Andrew Holness and other government officials, is also hoping to see the sport resume locally in short order.
“I’ve been pushing for racing to start back up. As you know, I represent Yaad Man Racing. Dover is my early stamping ground and the amount of racing and exposure I’ve gotten here at Dover is priceless. It would be a shame to see it deteriorate and not have any races. I know that everyone involved in motor sport in Jamaica is pushing really hard to make sure that racing does come back here,” said McConnell, who is currently ranked fourth and looking to move up on the RallyX Nordic table, with the final round to go in August.
Following his success on the international scene, McConnell added that he is keen to develop rallycross in Jamaica through Yaad Man Racing – a new project based in Bog Walk, St Catherine.
Gore, who believes motor sport would not be the same without spectators, is hoping that a return of the sport would also involve spectators, pointing out that they have enough space at the racing venue to facilitate social distancing.
“Dover is 17 acres of land, we can put spectators all over this entire property. We can do what the Ministry (of Health and Wellness) wants. If the want 10-10 people here and there, we can still hold 5,000 people here easily without compromising anything. We have sponsors that are willing to give out masks to every single patron that comes in, sanitising stations and so on. We will do everything it takes to bring back motor sport to what it used to be,” Gore said.
“We are inviting the ministry to come, take a walk around and tell us the protocols they would like us to put in place. Realistically, without the fans here, it would be like nothing. When I think about last Saturday when I went to the supermarket and see the place rammed with people in such chaos in an AC (air conditioning) environment; we would be out in the hot sun here at Dover. Come on, bring it back, we want to race!” added Gore.