RSS Feed
Follow us on Twitter
Star YouTube Channel
Adam Stewart
Adam Stewart, Deputy Chairman of the ATL Group, has through his company committed a million dollars to installing protective barriers at the Dover Raceway in St Ann.
The money is being made available following an incident at the Dover racetrack during the Heroes of Speed race meet on October 17, when a child running across the racetrack while a race was still in progress, was hit by a speeding car.
In the final Modified Production Class 3 and 4 race of the season, David Summerbell, seconds after he completed the race lost control of Evolution 8. The car ran off the track and into bushes at the edge of the track, prompting spectators, many of whom were viewing from an adjoining property, to rush to see what had become of the car and driver. The child, while running across the still 'live' track, was hit by an oncoming race car. He was rushed to hospital where his condition was stabilised. "Initially we had heard that there was a loss of life and this quite frankly, was frightening," Stewart said.
"Dover is a place for enjoyment, somewhere that you should be able to take your family to, without fear of harm."
But while it was an impromptu move on the part of his company to make the donation, Stewart urged other companies to follow suit and help making the facility safer for drivers and spectators alike.
"There was no consultation (with the meet organisers, the Jamaica Race Drivers Club, JRDC). The decision was simply taken immediately in the aftermath of the accident. A gesture, partly as a result of how tragic and upsetting the incident was for all, and also because of the continuous organisational effort of the JRDC. There are no conditions - except that the funds are used strictly for the fencing/safety measures."
Stewart, whose company sponsors Doug 'Hollywood' Gore, the winner of the race in which the incident occurred, said he was disturbed by the accident and said he hopes that his cash donation will go some way into preventing a recurrence because should something similar be allowed to occur, it could affect the future of the sport.
"It was devastating. In any arena where there are large gatherings, people will unintentionally get themselves in dangerous situations if safety measures have not been thought through for them, and put in place on their behalf. It is extremely important (that there is not a repeat of what occurred on Heroes Day). Securing the track is imperative to the long term operation of the raceway at Dover."
JRDC President Hilary Jardine expressed his gratitude for the money and says it will go a long way in helping achieve their objectives of securing the track. "We truly appreciate what ATL Autohaus has done," he said. He revealed that JRDC vice president Mark Carey is to engage the services of an engineer to determine what the best solutions to the problem are.
