THE seven Guyanese karters, who will be a part of the historic Caribbean Junior Karting Academy Trophy (CJKAT), will benefit from the highest calibre of training.
Three experienced motorsport professionals, led by Dubai Grand Prix Clerk of the Course Ronan Morgan, will conduct a two-day programme of training at Bushy Park, Barbados on January 10 and 11 ahead of the opening round.

The Guyanese drivers are Jeremy Ten Pow, Paige Mendonca, Nathan Rahaman, Faraud Mohamed, Elan Rahaman, Rayden Persaud and Zachary Persaud.
Morgan’s Deputy Clerk Gordon Mellis, a kart racing expert, and former F1 driver Tommy Byrne complete the team of FIA-accredited Regional Training Providers (RTP), who will work with the karters registered for the new series, along with a number of the island’s volunteer officials and marshals.

Administered by the Barbados Motoring Federation (BMF) and sponsored by Bushy Park Circuit Inc. (BPCI), Chefette, Sol and Terra Caribbean, CJKAT will be contested by racers aged 11 to 15 from Barbados, Guyana and Jamaica.
The competition will take place at three double-headers on January 12-13, February 2-3 and March 2-/3.

CJKAT is modelled on the CIK-FIA Karting Academy Trophy, which has been the first rung on the ladder of the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile’s (FIA) single-seater path to F1 since 2010.

BMF president Andrew Mallalieu, is upbeat about the opportunities presented by the FIA support for the regional initiative: “Our first regional karting championship has been eagerly supported by the FIA in many ways, perhaps the most important of which is the training programme. This is a world-class team of trainers, with an impressive background in organisation across many disciplines, but with specific knowledge of the karting world.
Morgan’s career in motorsport spans more than 40 years as competitor and organiser.

As general manager of the Automobile & Touring Club of the United Arab Emirates (ATCUAE), he oversees and licenses more than 140 motorsport events annually in the Emirates, including the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, of which he has been Clerk of the Course since its inception in 2009.

Mellis has acted in senior roles for categories as diverse as Formula 1 (he is Deputy CoC at the Abu Dhabi GP), the Formula 4 UAE and Radical Middle East Series, V8 Supercars, MotoGP and World Superbikes, his experience in the world of karting is of particular value in his forthcoming visit to Barbados.

In 2013, he wrote a booklet titled Racing Rules Explained, initially targeted at kart racers in the 6 to 12-year-old age bracket in the UAE, and their parents, but which has since been taken up by karting bodies across the world. Worldwide he has officiated at more than 100 FIA and CIK events since 2016, but also retains links with his native Scotland as Clerk of the Course at the Knockhill Circuit and for the North of Scotland Kart Club.

A key role in the Young Driver training will be played by former F1 driver Tommy Byrne, who is now a Senior Instructor at the Mid Ohio Driving School and owner of the Diablo Drifter Driving Academy in the US.