The roar of engines filled the air on 24 Aug. as the Cayman Motoring Federation (CMF) hosted its second Motorsport-in-a-Box Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) Autocross initiative this year.
The initiative, brought to Cayman by the FIA, showcased Cayman’s diverse motoring culture, drawing vehicles such as powerful exotics and high-performance saloons to SUVs and eco-friendly hybrids.
Designed to be a safe and accessible entry point into motorsport, the event which featured 15 participating cars, transformed a simple parking lot – specifically the parking lot opposite Priced Right near the airport – into a safe autocross track.
Autocross emphasises precision and car control over raw speed, and all participants were required to attend a safety briefing and walk the course with CMF officials before competing. Vehicles also underwent a technical inspection to ensure they were safe for the track.
Competitors each took three timed runs of the course, with their best two runs combined to determine final standings.
Throughout their attempts, any wrong turn or a missed gate resulted in a DNF (Did Not Finish), reinforcing the need for precision while utilising speed.
In the Heavy/EV Class, Jason Butcher took the top spot in his Range Rover with a time of 49.23 seconds, followed by Allan Larsen in a Porsche Cayenne (52.42 s) and Jane Scaletta in a Porsche Cayenne e-Hybrid (58.71 s).
The Medium Power/Saloons Class saw Adis Kevorkian come out on top with a time of 42.98 seconds in his VW GTI.
Rounding out the podium were Abraham Stroh, who took second in his BMW M4 with a time of 48.59 seconds, and Rory Scheepers, who finished third in his Audi Q3 at 49.49 seconds.
In the High Power/Exotics Class, Mike Stroh took first place, piloting his Porsche 911 Turbo to a time of 42.28 seconds. He finished ahead of Jose Hane, who secured second with a 49.14-second finish in his McLaren MP4-12C.
Beyond the excitement on the track, the event put focus on incorporating sustainable practices which falls in line with CMF’s goal of achieving FIA 1-Star Environmental Accreditation.
One of these practices included eliminating paper usage by using online registration, waivers and payments.
Another practice included the elimination of single-use plastics usage while at the venue as well as the collaboration with Refuel Cayman, who provided fuel certificates to encourage the use of cleaner fuel options.
The commitment to sustainability was further highlighted by a post-event survey for both drivers and spectators, aimed at building a greener motorsport community in the Cayman Islands.
The efforts continued as CMF measured the carbon footprint of the event, concluding that the entire event’s footprint was only around 10–12 kilograms of carbon dioxide which CMF said is “very small compared to everyday driving” in a recent press release.
“Importantly, drivers using Refuel’s cleaner, more sustainable fuel were able to further reduce their emissions, showing how greener fuel choices can make an immediate difference,” CMF added in the release.
