Local franchise holder of Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), Restaurants of Jamaica, has spiced up the inaugural staging of the Jamaica National (JN) Racers Grand Prix with a US$25,000 ($3.1-million) contribution.

The meet, scheduled for June 11 at the National Stadium, promises to be an explosive festival of speed and will feature a number of Jamaica’s finest against some of the world’s other elite athletes.

With the objective of the Grand Prix aimed at garnering funds to assist with the development of the next generation of athletes, Andrei Roper of KFC believes the partnership with the Track Club was naturally a “big deal” in more ways than one.

“We are extremely excited to be a part of bringing what is a world-class track meet to Jamaican shores, and we at KFC are looking forward to it. This partnership with the Grand Prix is only natural, because Jamaica’s track and field athletes are icons and are truly a big deal, which fits in line with our many iconic items,” Roper told the Jamaica Observer at a press conference at the Jamaica Pegasus hotel recently.

He continued: “We definitely understand the importance of Racers Grand Prix getting the required infrastructure to better help the athletes prepare for Rio (Olympics) and beyond, as well as to keep the track club at the top, producing quality athletes.

“So this meet is just the start of what we hope will be a partnership with Racers, but definitely ensuring that we help to put on a quality track meet.”

The Racers Grand Prix is a critical plank in the club’s development and is anticipated to be a never-to-be forgotten event, which is aligned with the club’s vision to become the world’s number one.

Roper, who dubbed Jamaica’s athletes, particularly those signed to Racers Track Club, the “biggest deal in track and field”, explained that KFC will be on the ground living up to its slogan and doing their part to make the meet a “big deal” indeed.

In addition to their cash sponsorship and a performance by their “big deal” artist Chris Martin, patrons will be able to enjoy their favourite KFC meal items at the Stadium, among other activities.

“I don’t want to give away too much, but we are always thankful for the support we get from the Jamaican public after more than 40 years in Jamaica. The brands continue to grow strong, and so whatever way we can give back to the Jamaican community, whether through sports, education, entertainment or culture, we will continue to do so,” Roper noted.

“We will be helping to ensure that there is a nice entertaining package to enjoy. We have done a lot of sporting ventures, and we are also involved in culture and entertainment. So we are looking forward to making sure that it is a big deal meet with big deal athletes right in line with our big deal KFC menu items,” he ended.