Tourism Minister Alli launches November 11 ‘C/bean Race of Champions’ Meet

Oct 02, 2012 Sports

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– calls for more collective commitment

By Rawle Welch
It is little surprise that success has followed the Guyana Motor Racing & Sports Club (GMR&SC) over the past three years and it simply has to do with the unmatched cadre of executive members with entrepreneurial skills that make up their ‘Think Tank’.
The club which has been able to form advantageous partnerships with the Government and corporate community over the period once again displayed its marketing and strategic planning skills after seizing the opportunity to launch its ‘Caribbean Race of Champions’ November 11 Meet on the final day of this year’s GuyExpo which ended on Sunday, at the Sophia Exhibition Centre.
The entity had sensibly added the ‘meet and greet the competitors’ segment in addition to showcasing the racing machines to its repertoire of bringing awareness and understanding of the sport to the patrons attending GuyExpo.
Among those in attendance at the Launch were executive

members Vishok Persaud, Raj Boodhoo, David Fernandes, Angelique DeGroot and Ray Seebarran, while major sponsors such as the Government, Seaboard Marine and Rent-A-Tent were represented by Minister of Trade and Tourism Irfaan Alli (Acting), Peter Peroune and Ray Rahaman respectively.
Delivering the feature address before a fair-sized crowd, Minister Alli spoke of how the collaboration between his Ministry and the GMR&SC has given him a stronger understanding and awareness of the sport, adding that the partnership has worked positively for both.
He reminded those present that the crucial role of Government is to facilitate the process and pointed to the dynamic leadership of the club as the main reason for the success the sport currently enjoy.
The Minister disclosed that measures such as a weekend package with EZ-Jet is presently being discussed and with the airline’s approval, the November Meet could very see far more fans from across the Region come to Guyana and fill the facility at the South Dakota Circuit.
“We will work with the club to organize a package that will be affordable to most and that could guarantee that more fans come to Guyana to witness the races for the weekend,” Alli stated.
He added that the package will allow them not only the opportunity to come for the weekend for the races, but for entertainment and glamour and total enjoyment of this beautiful country.
Because of the event, the idea of the collaboration between the Government, airline industry and the GMR&SC was born and through the agreement to implement a special package to attract more fans, it was noted that it has the potential to become the catalyst for linkages to be made in many other endeavours, the Minister said.
Minister Alli, shortly before stressing the need for more collective commitment gave a brief summary about the performance of the tourism sector in relation to visitor arrivals and the high rate of occupancy within the hotel industry which he disclosed had veered positively to the right.
“Staying at a hotel has become far more affordable and more and more families are realizing that they could stay at a hotel for a reasonable cost and still have enough to visit relatives,” Alli mentioned.
Persaud in his remarks spoke of the improvement and positive strides that the club has made over the past three years, pointing to the refurbished circuit which was done to the tune of $90 million with the Government responsible for $40million and the renovation of the clubhouse as testimony to the entity’s buoyancy resulting from effective stewardship.
He highlighted some of the innovations that the club has made over the period including its effort to join forces with the Government, while the Duty Free model, another initiative of the club has now been adopted in Barbados and Jamaica, the two other countries where the Caribbean Motor Racing Championship is staged.
The GMR&SC official underscored the need to partner with the Government, adding that it is critical for the success and sustenance of the sport.
Persaud gave figures of the achievement of the November Meet, aptly describing it as the biggest in the Caribbean with over 2,000 spectators from overseas making the trip every year to witness the final showdown in the Series.
He thanked the Government, Seaboard Marine, GT&T, Rent-A-Tent, Valvoline, Princess Hotel, Banks DIH, Bounty Farm and all the other sponsors for their support throughout the years.
A special expression of gratitude was extended to the GuyExpo Committee for facilitating the Booth which according to Persaud has set the stage for a successful Meet next month
Fernandes, who is usually tasked with the responsibility of setting the rules and ensuring that competitors adhere to them in addition to overlooking the general preparations of the venue spoke of the recent refurbishment of the paddocks, while Peroune, whose Company is the designated transportation provider for all the cars travelling to the various countries said that they were glad to be back on board and looks forward to maintain the relationship for years to come.
He mentioned the pivotal role the Company plays within the motor racing fraternity, adding that they are among the major sponsors of the event for the past four years.
Judging from the curiosity and frenzy witnessed, next month’s motor racing showpiece already seems to be a sold out.

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