Motorsport in Barbados
For an island only “as big as a salt-bread” – a common Bajan saying – Barbados is full to the brim with Motorsport enthusiasm.
On an average weekend in Barbados, there is always something going on and quite a lot of the action can be found at Bushy Park Circuit. If you’re not having some fun enjoying a driving experience at the facility which starts with the fun-karts, you can spectate at the Barbados Karting Association’s (BKA) local rounds which are held all year round – one of the many benefits of living on a Caribbean island with permanent sunshine!
Our competitive karting body is quite impressive and Bushy Park plays host to the Easykart series in Barbados which allows for an across the board platform from which karters can compete on a level playing field. With three competitive classes, 60 cc/100 cc/125 cc, it is truly a family sport where kids and parents can compete at the same event.
Barbados also boasts an impressive number of Motorsport clubs which means that we are never short of events! Track racing has always been an integral part of the Motorsport landscape and the locals are always reliving the glory days.
Bushy Park in its original form would have been 45 years old in 2017 – but with a full redevelopment in 2013 into 2014 we can now say with pride that Barbados is home to the finest racing facility in the Caribbean.
Aside from our local track events, Barbados is also involved in the Caribbean Motor Racing Championship (CMRC) which travels around the region. Legs of this event are also contested in Guyana, Trinidad and Jamaica, all of which are also steeped in their own Motorsport history.
Bushy Park is also the home of the only formal drag strip on the island. This is where our local motor-heads “duke” it out for sprint titles. Bajans truly love a good drag race! Our track days are also becoming quite popular as more people are keen to see how far they can push their cars on our track.
Most popular however, amongst all forms of racing that Barbados has to offer, is our local rally scene. While we have events happening year round, double header events and Sunday morning events, Barbados is nothing short of shut down for two days while we host our internationally acclaimed Rally Barbados.
Once again, Bushy Park is brought into the fold as, what is called Rally Central. Because of the large number of overseas competitors who grace our shores with a multiplicity of impressive machinery, they need somewhere to put their cars while they have some fun in the sun. So, for two weeks of vacation-interrupted-by-rally, Bushy Park hosts these cars and crews to make for the warm and friendly Barbadian hospitality that we are so well known for.
Safe to say that motorsport is alive and well on our small island, and Bushy Park certainly plays a pivotal role in keeping it that way.
