USVI Receives Donation of 2.5 Acres for Drag Racing Strip
The Territory received a donation of 2.5 acres from a local industrial realtor for the redevelopment of a drag racing strip in St. Croix.
2021-12-14 18:20:01 - VI News Journalist
Governor Albert Bryan Jr. announced last week it had entered into an agreement with St. Croix Renaissance Group which will allow for an extension of the 16-acre St. Croix Motorsports Complex and an enhancement of safety measures, according to a press release from Government House.
The governor signed the agreement with Jehangir Zakaria, Vice-president of Engineering/Energy for Renaissance Group during a ceremony last week alongside VI Sports, Parks and Recreation Commissioner Calvert White and St. Croix Administrator Samuel Sanes. President of the Caribbean Drag Racing Association Arthur Hector, Sr., and member Ramon Cuencas also attended the meeting.
“We are pleased to be able to assist Mr. Hector and his Association board members in developing this site and the sport of drag racing and being able to invite cars and drivers from other islands to come to the VI to race,” Governor Bryan said. “The Government of the Virgin Islands appreciates the good corporate citizenship of St. Croix Renaissance Group in making the donation as part of its EDC Benefits responsibilities. The agreement for the undertaking has been several years in the making.”
The effort to rebuild and renovate the St. Croix Motorsports Complex represents one component of the administration’s efforts to bolster youth activity and sports-related tourism in the Territory.
In October, Gov. Bryan bestowed the CDRA, which manages the development of the site and leases the land from the VI Port Authority, with $337,750 in funding to install safety walls and fencing and pave the return lane of the track. That figure represents half of the funding authorized by the 34th Legislature in 2021.
In 2020, the CDRA received $500,000 in additional private sector support to repair and improve the racing complex. With the initial round of funding, the CDRA built a better, safer track, paved the main drag racing strip, constructed ADA-compliant bleachers and erected a judge’s tower with a VIP section.
The St. Croix Motorsports Complex, which lies just east of the Henry Rohlsen airport and adjacent to the 2.5 acres of donated land, sustained severe damage from Hurricane Maria in 2017 and has not hosted a race since.
Currently, the VI Port Authority owns the land and leases it to the CDRA. When completed, the Dept. of Sports, Parks and Recreation will supervise events at the site.