Relocation will save money

Approximately 30 power boats including last year’s defending champion Paramount will be vying for bragging rights of the fastest boat to reach Store Bay on August 19.

In an interview, Collier explained after the withdrawal of the competition’s main sponsor, Carib, the race is expected to be as exciting as any during the past 49 years.

He stated, “Seeing that there is no sponsors, they would just race to Store Bay on their own which would not require much funding and they will go for bragging rights.

“What I am saying is that the prize is not all that important. I think the bragging rights is what is important in the Great Race since they race for little to no prize money.

“The prize money that we normally get can’t even buy the gas to travel from Trinidad to Tobago.

With the withdrawal of the sponsors the racers decided to go on their own race to Tobago and that’s it.” Collier continued, “All I can say is when it was moved from Store Bay to Scarborough it was the biggest crowd that the competition ever had in history and it was moved because of the conditions at Store Bay.

“When we moved it to Scarborough we tried to make it a family affair using the whole of the Esplanade where persons could have seen the boats coming in closely.” He pointed out, “I know there would be a lot of people who would be disappointed but what we have to think is, in terms of if all those people at the Esplanade would (have) come out and supported it financially, I don’t think it would have been moved at all.

“We keep depending on the big sponsors when a lot of the (businesses in Scarborough) benefit from it and they never come out and say ‘here look something to put towards the event to support it’.” He said none of the racers have withdrawn from the race because of these changes.

He further stated there is no major effect from the changes made this year.

Collier added that the Sargassum seaweed stacked on the shores of Scarborough had nothing to do with the relocation of the finishing point of the Great Race competition.

“It’s just a matter of the Association not having the finance to do what they wanted to do.

“There will be no other major changes, as far as I gathered.

“It will start on time and it will go down to Plymouth, pass on the outside of Store Bay, pass Store Bay circle and come back to Store Bay.”