The Jamaica Karting Association’s (JKA) first ever Fun Nite last Saturday at the Palisadoes International Raceway was a success on two fronts: serving as the test bed for their upcoming night race on July 9 and providing a revenue stream for the club.

“There were a lot of positives to be taken away from the event,” David Summerbell Jr, JKA president, told Auto.

Summerbell Jr admitted to some nervousness at the start of the Fun Nite, but after post-event analysis he feels the club has learned enough to stage their first ever competitive night race.

“The first thing is that we have to double the amount of lights out on the track,” he said.

Other elements for night racing will include repositioning the track marshals, adding reflectors to the karts and safety flags. There will also be slight change to the racing format.

“We found the younger racers had a bit of trepidation racing in the dark. However, the older kids and adults had no problem,” he explained.

To handle this issue, the Comer80 and Minimax classes will be run in the afternoon light, with the remaining older drivers racing into the flood-lit night. Other than the thrill of racing at night, which pulled a few dormant names back into the sport for the evening, another positive revealed was the cooler temperatures the venue experiences for both drivers and spectators. The club’s experiment also unearthed a potential revenue stream when pre-bookings for the karts exceeded 200.

“There seems to be a need for this sort of entertainment,” said Summerbell Jr.

The significant subscription numbers, including those that showed up on the day to race, created a few delays, but quick thinking had it all sorted out in a timely manner leading to a steady stream of on-track action from the large crowd on hand.

“I just want to thank everyone that helped make it such a success. I really couldn’t have done it without the support of the club.”

— Rory Daley