Button to race against plane at Barbados Festival of Speed

Former World F1 Champion Jenson Button will have his work cut out at next weekend’s (Saturday, October 14) Barbados Festival of Speed. Among a number of challenges accepted by Button and current Sahara Force India driver Esteban Ocon is for the 2009 Champion to race against one of the Silence SA1100 aircraft which will be starring in the Twister Aerobatic Team’s daytime aerial ballet and twilight pyrotechnics displays.

  For the Aerial Challenge, Button will drive a Radical SR3 RS of the type in which Mark Maloney currently holds the Bushy Park Barbados Outright Lap Record; the Suzuki-powered Radical’s 1500cc engine develops around 250bhp, giving a maximum speed approaching 160mph, while the nimble Silence Twister, powered by a fuel-injected 110bhp UL Power UL260iSA engine, has a maximum speed of nearly 180mph.

  Button and Ocon will also pit their wits and their skill against one another in the Driving Challenge in Easykarts and Radicals. Later in the day, they will also team up and join members of the Barbados Karting Association (BKA) in the first Karting Handicap run under the new all-arena lighting. Button will make his final appearance of the day when he takes on rising local star Zane Maloney, fresh from an impressive showing at the CIK-FIA World OK-Junior Championship in the UK, where he was a front-runner all weekend.

  The second BFoS, which the first event to benefit from the facility’s new all-arena lighting, runs from day into night, starting at 2.00pm. In addition to the headline acts, highlights will include the spectacular Twister Aerobatics Team and the hugely popular Dreamers Banger Racers.

Still time to win petrol-head prizes

Since advance bookings opened on-line at bushyparkbarbados.com, patrons have been winning prizes in competitions on social media, ranging from one-for-one tickets for their friends to hot laps with Jenson Button . . . but the biggest prizes were saved until last, two Paddock Tickets each for the 2018 Canadian GP in Montreal (June 10) or the 2018 US GP in Austin (October 21), with a face value of more than US$5,200 each ticket. Two lucky winners will be chosen and their names announced during BFoS on Saturday, October 14; check out Bushy Park’s Facebook page for more details.

Local racers share centre stage with International visitors

Local motor sport is not forgotten at BFoS, with a cross-section of local disciplines on show. Topping the local bill will be the final rounds of the Suzuki Challenge Series SR3 Cup and Swift Cup . . . and the fight for both titles is going down to the last two races. The Barbados Association of Dragsters & Drifters (BADD) has created seven very closely-matched pairs to entertain (and educate) the crowd with examples of the various classes that race regularly, also targetting possibly the first 5-second pass on the venue’s one-eighth-mile strip. The Barbados Karting Association (BKA) will stage a demonstration Handicap Race, while it will be all business for Bushy Park Motor Sports Inc (BPMSI) competitors, as the Hilti Handicap is the final round of the 2017 Championship, with just a four-point spread across the top four drivers.

Cultural half-time show and Festival Village complete the package

During the break between the daylight and night-time activities, there will be a cultural extravaganza, produced by AJA and starring Alison Hinds, Nikita and Marz Ville, along with the Mosaic Steelpan Band, a fire-eater, dancers and stilt walkers. Up on The Hill, behind the traditional spectator area in the north, The Festival Village will be the site of a variety of displays, including the Force India VJR09, along with the marquee for autograph sessions with Jenson Button and Esteban Ocon, and a broad cross-section of food & beverage booths to suit all tastes.

Barbados Festival of Speed – ticketing information

Saturday, October 14, 2.00pm to 10.00pm (gates and ticket booths open 12.30pm)

General Admission - Bds $50; Child (7 to 12) Bds $25. Clubhouse (food and drink on sale) - Bds $150; Child (7 to 12) Bds $75. VIP (food and drink included) - Bds $500; Child (7 to 12) Bds $250. Corporate - Bds $100; Child (7 to 12) Bds $50. Children six and under are free. Hilti Hammer 4 x 4 Zone vehicle pass Bds $100, Cyclone 4 x 4 Zone vehicle pass Bds $100, plus General Admission pass for each occupant

Tickets are now available on-line at www.bushyparkbarbados.com and at the Bushy Park Circuit Office, also at Automotive Art Wildey, CS Pharmacy (Broad Street, Bridgetown) and Sol Speightstown, Warrens and Wildey. Patrons can buy their advanced tickets using the Massy Card at the Bushy Park Circuit Office and Automotive Art Wildey