Living Barbados Magazine November 2014 Edition April 2014 edition | Page 30

Doug Maloney, seen in his current
Audi A4 quattro, is unique in
having raced over five decades

But it was not to last. After just 2 years, the Pirelli International
of October 1994 was described as “the grand farewell”, with Prime
Minister Owen Arthur promising his Government would assist in
keeping the sport alive in Barbados. As the circuit closed for a
second time, Bizzy Williams, who raced a saloon car that day, was
still the outright lap record-holder: while his time of 42.6s, set in a
Brabham BT28 single-seater in 1975, had not been beaten this time
round, the saloons of the modern era were not far off – Sean Gill’s
Toyota Starlet was the fastest, a t 43.98s.
Island fans were not starved of circuit racing for as long during
Bushy Park’s second hiatus, as the newly-formed Barbados Auto
Racing League (BARL) ran its first full season in 1997, building on
unofficial gatherings of competitors in the intervening couple of
years. From small beginnings, BARL grew steadily in membership
and secured increased sponsorship, while Bushy Park benefitted
from a swathe of improvements - electronic timing was introduced,
followed by new start lights, roofing of the pits and newly-painted
grid markings, while diligent work by Wendy Williams and her crew
brought the grounds back to their former glory.
BARL’s first International Race Meet in 2003 was sponsored by
Williams Industries, as the venue attracted revived interest from
the region, Barbados becoming one of the host countries of the
Caribbean Motor Racing Championship in 2008. In recent seasons,
around 100 local drivers have raced at Bushy Park each year ...
and Doug Maloney is still one of them. The region’s only driver to
have competed across five decades - when Bushy Park was closed,
he ‘filled in’ with rallying and speed events – he is now the proud
grandfather of third-generation Maloney racers, while son Mark is
the lead investor in the re-development of Bushy Park.
Other current track stars have past connections, too, not least
Stuart Williams, who has followed father Bizzy as outright lap
record holder; his time of 40.866s (2012, Lotus Elise) will stand

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LIVING BARBADOS APRIL - AUGUST 2014

Nearly all of the original 1.3-kilometre layout remains although it has
been excavated and re-laid to blend in with the new southern loop
bringing the total length to 2.2kms, with a constant width of 12 metres,
developed to achieve FIA Grade 3 approval. Internal link roads create
a kart circuit of 1.2kms, which will meet Grade A venue requirements
for CIK-FIA events. Once licensed, Bushy Park will be able to host
International circuit-racing categories such as Formula 3 and Touring
Cars,and karting events up to World Championship level. In addition
to circuit racing, there is a drag strip, while other disciplines, such as
autocross, dexterity, drifting and rallycross will be catered for, along
with industry and road safety driver training programmes.

forever as the old circuit record, while Roger Mayers and his Ford
Focus will stand as fastest four-wheel-drive, his time of 40.996s
clocked in March 2007 finally dislodging Bizzy, almost 38 years on.
The last line of chapter three was written in June 2013, when
BARL brought the curtain down on its 17-year tenure, Bushy Park’s
longest period of continuous use... over 42 years, each of the
island’s motor sport clubs have organised events there and all of
them eagerly wait to see what the new multi-purpose facility has
to offer.
Following three years of planning and consultations, supported by
motor sport’s world governing body, the Federation Internationale
de l’Automobile (FIA), the Government of Barbados and the
Barbados Motoring Federation (BMF), work started last August
and was progressing well at press time towards completion in late
March. Funded by a group of local investors, the developer and
operator, Bushy Park Circuit Inc (BPCi), is turning the dreams of
island motor sport fans into reality.
A major coup for the circuit, for Barbados and for the wider
Caribbean is the arrival of Top Gear Festival Barbados, along with
the opening round of the Red Bull Global Rallycross Championship;
this has been long in the planning, with the BMF and BPCi working
alongside the Barbados Tourism Authority to bring it to fruition.
The spectacular programme of activities will not only provide the
island’s enthusiastic and knowledgeable fans with a weekend to
remember, but also launch Bushy Park Circuit to a worldwide
audience in print, broadcast and social media.