By Neto Baptiste
Raising the necessary funding required to properly run and manage the sport of drag racing will be one of the first priorities of newly elected president of the Antigua and Barbuda Drag Racing Association (ABDRA), Jerry Roberts.
Speaking on the Good Morning Jojo Sports Show, Roberts said the body needs to find ways to improve its revenue stream and that one of the first ways in which they will seek to do so is by monetising the gates at the body’s North Sound facility.
“We have a facility and we need to shut off all of the free entries in whatever means or ways that we can and go on membership drives and sponsorship drives. I have already gotten commitment to do several capital improvements so I would say that revenue is extremely important because without revenue no sport can thrive,” he said.
Roberts was elected unopposed during last Tuesday night’s elections during the body’s AGM. The racing enthusiasts said a number factors influenced his decision to run.
“Probably mostly because I feel as if my health is on the rebound and I feel as if I have something to offer. I can’t do it all in one day, I don’t have a magic wand and I think it was time. Everybody who have been there before have done yeoman service irrespective of what people may think and I think it’s my time to do the same,” he said.
Drag racing, like many other sport, has been negatively impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic and has seen little to no public activity over the past two years.