While admitting that the performances of young sensation Alex Powell on the international circuit has given some traction to karting locally, Jamaica Karting Association (JKA) President Rugie Misir says more is needed to not only continue the progress, but more importantly, give karting the place it deserves in motorsport.

Misir, who took the reins in 2019 with the intention to give back to the sport and see to its development locally, has pushed beyond the sometimes uncomfortable means to get the sport on its current path, even after his efforts were initially derailed by the novel coronavirus pandemic-induced break.

“It’s going to take time to really get it where it needs to be because we just came out of two years of COVID-19, but we had our first summer camp with new five-year-olds and six-year-old kids and the Government is recognising us more. So those are steps in the right direction, but short of pouring a lot of money into this as a charity, its going to be a journey,” Misir told the Jamaica Observer in a telephone interview from Italy.

Though he has found success with a number of sponsors over the years, Misir explained that the JKA has been focused on beefing up its marketing efforts as it will require much stronger corporate support.

To that end, Misir said they are currently taking steps to make the sport more attractive and drive media coverage as part of the approach to achieve their goal.

“What we have done is , we have realised that for many years…and this is a wide paint of the brush because I don’t want to over generalise and say its not been good revenue for sponsors, because we have had dedicated sponsors and sponsors that have gotten mileage.

“But what we have been focused on is increasing the mileage that our sponsors received and, therefore, increasing the value of sponsoring karting and motorsport,” Misir shared.

“We have partnered with Bird’s Eye View and we had live high definition coverage of the last go-kart meet on Sunday. It was the first time we were having this level of webcasting with drones and several cameras, completely full digital information of karts, timing, and placing, just as you see on TV. We expect that to help with the development of the sport,” he noted.

“So we have three events left for 2022 and we have 10 events scheduled for 2023 and we’re going to continue along the lines of what we’re focusing on, marketing and development as well as providing ease of access for karters. But it’s great to see them [current sponsors] recognising the value of sponsoring tomorrow’s youth in karting,” Misir added.

The JKA president, who is currently in Europe to watch American-born Powell wrap up what has been a fairly successful season, told the Observer that since arriving in Italy he has been frequently asked about the possibility of Jamaica producing another sensation.

Powell, 15, won two races in the ultra-competitive four-race FIA Karting European Championships, while placing third in another, and recently drove his heart out to place fourth in the World Championships.

The young karting flag-bearer is also a Mercedes-AMG F1 protege.

“I think we have a few [Alex Powells] in the making, its just the opportunity that’s lacking and the cost of this opportunity is not small, even at our level in Jamaica is still not small. Jamaica is not short of talent, we are short of opportunities.

“So it has brought a new attention to the sport, and I think only international recognition and partnerships with key sponsors and key international companies can present those opportunity for our children. And not every kid is going to be an Alex Powell, not every athlete is going to be a Usain Bolt or Asafa Powell, but it’s important that we do enough to open doors so those aspirants have a shot,” Misir reasoned.

That said, Misir revealed that he is ready to step aside to allow someone new to take the reins as there are always fresh ideas to explore and solutions to find to develop and grow karting.

Cognisant that it’s not something that can be done overnight, Misir believes the work done by himself and previous presidents David Summerbell and Chris Issa provides a solid foundation on which his successor can build.

“I have invested a lot of time into this and its time for me to pass the baton as David Summerbell and Chris Issa before me have done. But there has been some continuity so it [transfer of leadership] won’t be a hot pick, more of a gentle pass,” Misir said.

“We also have a number of trainers in Colin Daley Jr, Peter Rae, and Ian Donaldson. So we have three main trainers at the track which gives you a choice and brings competition up to where it needs to go.

“Because the last two years we focused mainly on developing our beginners class and so our beginners class is almost at the maximum for the last two years, which is feeding 10 to 12 drivers every year into the next class moving up. So not this year, but as next year and the year after progresses. The junior kids are moving up so we are trying to fill the grid with young karters again,” he ended.