Powerboat horse power at Arima

THE Carib Beer sponsored Friday Lime featuring an exhibition of the Great Race powerboats gives added impetus to the vision of the Arima Race Club to get ordinary people involved in the “Sport of Kings.”

President of the ARC, Gerard Ferreira, former Mayor of San Fernando said yesterday the Friday Lime seven-race card starting at 2.30 pm is crucial to the recreation of the image of the club as a modern entertainment centre. “It is an exciting opportunity, aptly titled ‘Where the Surf meets the Turf,’ for everyone including children to participate in an evening of fun and entertainment which will go right into the night,” said Ferreira. He was speaking at a media conference in the hospitality suite of Carib Brewery, Champs Fleurs attended by Colin Murray, Public Relations Manager; Alfred Bell, secretary of the Powerboats Association; and Richard Ramdwar, Committee Member. Ferreira said apart from the action on the track and the dazzling prospect of viewing the racing machines up close, there will be an assortment of activities including music by a DJ, the presence of the attractive Carib Girls and hampers at stake in draws for the “lucky losers” who place bets on the card. He said although the card was hastily put together, he was impressed with the co-operation of the trainers and owners to make the Friday Lime a reality. “Every effort was made to frame the races with horses that would not interrupt the regular programme of racing. Fields comprise seven to 12 horses with an average of ten. A total of 63 horses have taken entry,” said Ferreira. Feature event will be named after champion powerboat Mr Solo.

In his opening remarks Murray said the Friday Lime presents a unique combination of Great Race competitors and horse racing. “It’s a pity the boats couldn’t go around the track at Santa Rosa Park,” quipped Murray. He said he expects a bumper crowd, bigger than what turned out for the last Friday Lime when the West Indies and Australian cricketers were honoured during the last Cable and Wireless series. Bell, representing the Powerboats Association said both sports have a lot in common. “Both are very competitive, have highly trained riders, can easily reach their members, race in classes, both like the Carib Girls, love to lime and are driven by horse power,” Bell explained. He said it was a great way to amalgamate both sports and thanked Carib Beer for the opportunity to bring powerboat racing to fans who normally would not get a chance to interact with the exclusive sport. Bell said the boats will be on display in the forecourt of the ARC from 11 am until just before sunset since the boats must ready for an exhibition at the Grand Bazaar the next day. Richard Ramdwar, son the former Commissioner of Police Dennis Ramdwar who was a top powerboat official himself, expressed his appreciation to the ARC for making several adjustments at Santa Rosa Park to accommodate the powerboats. “We made a site inspection and the ARC were quick to reconfigure the main gate so that the boats could come in unimpeded. We were also impressed with the layout for the exhibition,” Ramdwar said.

Among the boats on display tomorrow are reigning Great Race champion Mr Solo, newcomer Roughneck, Mobil Heatwave, Castrol Extreme, Matrix, Hero, Intense Too and Harddrive, several champions in their respective classes. Bell said that patrons in the Friday Lime will be able to get a good view of the powerful engines that drive the speedboats and officials will be present to answer any questions concerning the machines and the Great Race. Ferreira also threw out the suggestion to the sponsors of the boats setting up trade booths to disseminate information about the products which could amount to a marketing coup for all those who grasp the opportunity offered. The Great Race to Tobago, from Bayshore to Store Bay is on Saturday, August 23 with 18 boats confirming their participation so far.