As preparations for this weekend’s Digicel Williams Seaboard Marine International Race Meet at Bushy Park move into top gear, the Barbados Auto Racing League (BARL) has confirmed that motorsport fans around the region will be able to enjoy live television coverage of the event.
In a joint venture with BARL, the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) will broadcast the day’s entire race schedule, the headline event of which is round two of the 2012 Seaboard Marine Caribbean Motor Racing Championship (CMRC).
While not available live in Barbados – local fans will be able to view the coverage later in the evening – the programme will be seen in the wider Caribbean, including CMRC competitors the Cayman Islands, Guyana and Jamaica, and also via Cablevision in the New York tri-state area.
“This is a first for motor racing in the region. In the past, there has been live coverage over the Internet from all three CMRC host countries, but this is the first time a whole day’s racing has enjoyed live network TV coverage across the region,” said BARL chairman Adrian Mayers.
“We are delighted to partner with the CMC to bring this to the Caribbean’s thousands of motor racing fans.”
Friday has been set aside as a day of free practice, particularly targeted at those visitors who will be racing here for the first time, to learn about an appropriate set-up for the 0.8-mile circuit. In the evening, there will be a social in the “Corral”.
Qualifying is slated for Saturday at 1 p.m. There will be seven 20-minute sessions, starting with Williams Equipment Group 1 and working up through the groups to the Seaboard Marine CMRC cars, which are scheduled to be on track at around 3 p.m. A further period of free practice will be permitted until 6 p.m.
Bushy Park’s gates will open Sunday at 6 a.m.
The programme is now set at 22 races, as the proposed Barbados Rally Club Challenge events have had to be abandoned.
“Unfortunately, with the Rally of the Sun & Stars falling just a week after Bushy Park, there was insufficient interest in BARL’s invitation to the rallying fraternity to race with us as they did last year, so those races have been dropped,” said racing director Kurt Seabra. (PR)
