JUST WHAT is it about motor racing that makes thousands of Barbadians forget the toughest of weather conditions and flock to Bushy Park for any racing meet? It could be the thrills, it could be the spills, but it's probably the high speeds. Barbadians don't get to watch high-speed racing that often, although the sport runs throughout the year.
But since the re-opening of the one-mile St. Philip circuit by the Bushy Park Racing Association, more than 20 000 fans have watch the action. That could soon be history however, as local developers are in the process of finalising plans to build a multi-million golf course complex, expected to bring millions of dollars in tourist expenditure to the island. The motoring fans don't care about the money it may bring. They want their beloved Bushy Park to stay.
NATION SPORT spoke to a number of drivers, officials and fans about the plans to develop the St. Philip area of the course. Most of them said it was great for either private or government enterprises to increase tourist arrivals and expenditure, but not at the expense of a growing sport. One man noted that motor sport remains the world's most popular sport after soccer, and should not be put by the wayside. Another driver, who insisted that over 10 000 people would never visit any golf course in Barbados, said that similar amounts of money could be spent to refurbish and widen the Bushy Park Circuit, since it had much more money making potential. That same driver added that golf has never been a sport played or watched by the masses in any country in the Eastern Caribbean, and in Barbados, crowds that could provide income would stay away, even if tourists frequented the courses.
"Racing must stay at Bushy Park", driver Dick Smith told NATION SPORT in the club house at Bushy Park after last Monday's Pirelli International meet. "Golf has never been a popular sport in Barbados. Motor racing is, and people have spent a lot of money in putting it in the spotlight again. There is no reason to suddenly take it away. It will never bring the same type of crowds like today", Smith added.
The driver added that the crowds which have attended Bushy Park for the two meets since its historic re-opening, have given a clear indication as to how much Barbadians have always been interested in high profile motoring.