Sicily – a happy hunting ground for Malta drivers

Alfred Farrugia

Aug 3rd 2011, 17:40

I wish to congratulate Trevor Muscat, Domenic Zammit and Alan Curmi for their successes. May I suggest that Domenic and Alan approach the local representatives of Alfa Romeo and Suzuki with a view to put their competition cars on display at their showrooms for a couple of days.

May I remind Joe Anastasi and Charles Sammut that some members of parliament are taking note of the successes of our drivers in Sicily. Hon. Karmenu Vella has recently tabled a number of parliamentary questions on motor sports and the drivers who are competing successfully in Sicily.

Motor sport followers are also taking note of those members of parliament who are taking an interest in their favourite sport. These followers are expecting some concrete steps in the coming Budget, not empty promises in an electoral programme. Social media is becoming very powerful, including Facebook. There are more than 3,000 friends in the groups associated with motor sports, and there are thousands more who do not participate actively in these social networks. But they are all watching and evaluating the double standards applied to their favourite sport when compared to the White Rocks and the Marsa projects. It is said that the US President Barack Obama won the presidential election through the use of social media, and the Tea Party movement is doing the same now. A few thousand votes can make a difference in the next local elections as has happened in the last one.

Mr Joe Anastasi

Aug 3rd 2011, 15:51

Excellent, Charles Sammut, except ..... allow me to comment on your very last sentence.

If politicians were indeed concerned about the electoral returns where motorsport is involved, then we should have the greatest racing circuit in the world, for I am sure that some serious talk at government level about building such a complex would procure thousands of votes at the next general election.

But then having worked for years with politicians, I still haven't quite fathomed out how their brain ticks.

Successive governments have had offers from serious businessmen and experts in the field of motor circuit construction and management for over 40 years, but each of these offers has been ignored, despite the fact that millions have been spent on other sport facilities.

So I can only conclude that government doesn't want to support local motorsport enthusiasts, in the same way as it supports enthusiasts of other sports. It obviously doesn't need our votes.

Charles Sammut

Aug 3rd 2011, 15:07

In Maltese we have a saying that goes "Baqra tajba tinbiegh pajjizha." But sadly this does not seem to be the case in a number of sectors, including motor sports. Our drivers have to look overseas to practise their sport.

It is only thanks to the initiative of private individuals like Joe Anastasi through whose unstinting efforts Maltese drivers have been able to develop their talents. There must be a reason why the local authorities are willing to spend huge amounts of public money to develop facilities for sports activities in which we consistently fare very poorly abroad, while totally neglecting one of the handful of sports in which we have proved ourselves equal or better than others.

Is it possible that the stink presently wafting in the corridors of FIFA has percolated down to the local corridors of power as well? Is it possible that politicians are only concerned about the electoral returns where sports is involved?

James Aquilina

Aug 3rd 2011, 14:23

Proof that we are better @ racing than football!!!!!!
Proof also that having a racing circuit will benefit our youth.

AND we will no longer have to be happy meta "Naqalaw 6"