New Details on the Anxious Return of Car Racing in Jamaica this Easter

Jamaican sporting events came to a stand still in 2020 as a result of lockdowns which have spilled over into 2021. However, according to Doug Gore, the Jamaica Race Drivers Club is in communication with the Ministry of Health, chartering a way to resume racing under special Covid-19 protocols.

In an exclusive interview held with Mr. Gore he stated, “We’re hopeful that an Easter meet will be available to us, we’re not jumping the gun but I’m really looking forward to racing again. If all goes well, we might have as many as 6 events this year.”

This update from the Jamaica Race Drivers Club board member is much needed as many racers and their fans alike anxiously look forward to the return of racing.

Despite the lack of confirmation, Gore remains certain that our sports will bounce back after the pandemic, but for now he mentions that, “we have to follow the protocols to keep ourselves and others safe.” Further optimism from Gore, lauding the resilience of the Jamaican people, gave him the assurance that we will get over this challenge.

However, the standstill in sporting events should not be idle or wasted time. Racers should continue practicing on improving their lap times and maintaining their cars while the fans should continue supporting their racers until they can personally experience the adrenaline of trackside racing again.

State of Jamaican Sports

Doug also reminisced on the progress of Jamaican sports and how we can accelerate the development of our sporting industry. Summarily, he emphasised the “lack of unity” present in the industry.

He stated, “All sports show room for improvement, but I believe our lack of unity in our sport pose the biggest challenge – bad mind for lack of a better word! I think that if we all realize that if we work together, we as Jamaicans can be unstoppable.”

As evidenced by Mr. Gore, the problem is not our skills per se, but our mind-set in not wanting to see others succeed. 

Doug is not alone in recognising this challenge endemic to Jamaica. This sentiment is also shared from senior leaders in Jamaica’s music industry. 

With this said, let us all make a conscious effort to encourage each other to build our sports emphatically.