Champion racer Naomi Garcia wants home for karting

NAOMI Garcia, who was crowned the Caribbean Junior Karting champion in July, is hoping her victory will bring awareness to the sport and racers can be given a local home to develop their craft more regularly.

Garcia, 13, won the crown at the Palisadoes International Raceway in Jamaica from July 21-23. She sealed the title with a victory over Jamaican racer Zander Williams by eight-hundredths of a second in the last race over the weekend.

"On the final day and the final race, it was really that race would have made or break me, so I was kind of nervous going into that last race," Garcia told Newsday.

"The last lap, he (Williams) was catching up to me, (but) I did not look back – I just kept going."

A total of 12 races were held over the weekend and the racer with the most points won the title. Garcia was the only girl who competed at the championships.

Despite her achievements, Garcia does not get to practise often.

"Unfortunately, TT does not have a permanent karting facility, so the only time we get to be on the track is on the weekends that TTKA (TT Karting Association) hosts races and there are only six-eight races per year.

"To be able to develop as a driver, ideally I should be on a track two-three times per week.

"Trinidad has a lot of local talent and if we had a permanent track, it would do so much for developing drivers and growing motor sport in TT, maybe even hosting regional and international events like they do in Barbados and Jamaica. Not only is it great for sport tourism but TT can also produce drivers to be on the world stage, such as Zane Maloney from Barbados and Alex Powell from Jamaica."

Garcia, a student at the International School of Port of Spain, said Maloney and Powell are her heroes in the sport, as they also come from the Caribbean.

What has helped Garcia improve her skills in racing is travelling to compete in the US.

"I am grateful that I often get the opportunity to travel to the US for practice and sometimes races, which has been huge for my development."

She also enjoys interacting with people from other countries "who share the same passion for racing. I have made a lot of friends.

"But we all know when the helmet is on and the visor is down, there are no friends on track."

Garcia used to find it difficult controlling her nerves, but has learned how to manage it.

"When I first started racing I used to get nervous, but with experience I've learned to take control of my emotions and channel those feelings positively. We get up to over 70 miles per hour on some tracks, which does not scare me, but the start of the race can get very hectic."

She explained that because so many cars compete in a race, the participants are all bunched closely in the early stages.

"With some of the US national races having 50-plus karts, the first few corners can have you on edge. The last thing you want to do is tangle or crash at the start and ruin your race."

Garcia constantly tries to lift her performance.

"After every session on the track we look at videos and data to analyse strengths and weaknesses and go over things I need to improve upon. Racing involves a lot of strategy and race craft is something I put a lot of effort into."

The talented racer is keeping her options open, as there are various forms of racing.

"For now, I would like to continue to excel in karting and possibly move into the Junior Formula ranks and see what opportunities open up. There are many different motor sport disciplines, so there are a lot of options."