The 2008 Motorsports season is near to its end, however the Grande Finale is just beginning. Rally Jamaica is the premier motorsports event for the year attracting more international competitors than any other event. This year’s Rally will feature 43 talented drivers, 35 of whom are Jamaican. This is the highest driver turnout the rally has seen in nearly a decade. This higher turnout is as a result of campaigns to get more people racing in Jamaica, with special mention of Dave Lee’s Spot Valley Series, which lured many drivers to race for a Million Dollar prize. Of the 43 Cars participating in the event, five of them are World Rally Championship (WRC) Vehicles. These WRC cars are built from new shells with the latest technology to run professional rallies worldwide.
The Rally will begin Day 1 at The National Stadium with a 4:30 PM start. There will be two runs of the course by each competitor and with 43 competitors it is expected to be roughly 3 hours of high octane fun.
Day 2 begins at Petcom Ocho Rios (near White River) at 8.00 AM. 11 stages totaling 91KM will be run between Reynolds and Lydford and is expected to be finished by 4:30 PM. The final stage will join the Lydford and Airstrip stages, creating a single 13KM stage.
Day 3 begins at Petcom Angel’s Plaza in St. Catherine. 9 stages totaling 68 KM will be run in Bybrook, Wakefield and New Works. From there competitors will travel on main roads to New Kingston where the final stage will be held with 3 runs. This is where most people get their taste of Rally Jamaica.
As a note, some stages this year have been shortened and some lengthened, but no word on what exactly has been done until official courses have been released.
Work has already begun on stages but organizers have noted that the initial stage conditions this year have been good, and are hoping to have good weather to keep them that way.
This year’s Rally Jamaica is sponsored by Swiss Stores, Digicel, Petcom, Pace Lubricants, Xsomo, KIG, The Hilton, Good Year, Seaboard Marine, Busta, Tru Juice and Tropical Battery.
More information will be released at the Driver’s Meeting on December 3rd, and Race Jamaica will be there to provide all the details.
