Rivaled perhaps only by the Alaska Raceway Park and the Bristol Dragway in Tennessee, the St. James Raceway on the relatively tiny Caribbean island of Nevis in the West Indies might be the most scenic drag strip in the world. While the two aforementioned strips get their breathtaking views compliments of area mountain ranges, the St. James track is situated right on the Atlantic Ocean coast — its starting line no more 200 feet from the crashing waves on the shoreline. Off in the distance is a range of island rocks, only adding to the view.
Nevis, the smaller of the two islands — the other being Saint Kitts — that comprise the nation officially known as the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis, is just a meager 36 square miles in total area, but it does have a dragstrip. Located on the Eastern side of the island, the track measures 1,000-feet in distance and has the modern conveniences you’d expect of a legitimate dragway, including the christmas tree and timing system, and a sand trap at the end of the relatively short shutdown area. Noticeably absent, however, are guardrails; go off the track to the left and you’ll end up on the adjoining return road, and to the right, you’ll plunge down onto the shoreline. But regardless, it’s a place to race, legally, for the islanders who call the beautiful part of the world home.
The strip, a half-mile in total length, opened in 2008 and conducted its first major race in September of that year. The track was the end result of a campaign promise by Hon. Roberto Hector, a Representative for the St. Pauls constituency, as a means to get racers off the streets, to create employment opportunities, and to add to the tourism draw of the island.
“During the campaign of 2006 we sought to introduce drag racing as a sport to the general public. We felt there was an opportunity for us to introduce it as a sport at the same time it had great implications in terms of the tourism product,” he said. “A section of the half mile drag racing track is under construction at New River. When completed by the end of August the track will have a top-of-the-line surface, international markings and will also meet international safety standards.
“Drag racing is an effort to take racing off the road and to give an avenue for youngsters to develop themselves and to practice racing as a sport. In getting the facility now at New River, it is an opportunity for this to be a reality,” he said.
The St. James strip has drawn competitors in from other neighboring islands, including St. Maarten, Antigua, St. Croix, and Santo Domingo — the latter three of which have dedicated strips or temporary facilities — and at the time of its construction, Anthony deCastro of BVI Motor Sports Association viewed it as a legitimate opportunity to create a series of drag racing events up and down the Caribbean.
“It is good when you see the government step forward and do something. That means it would be accessible to the masses instead of sometimes you can and sometimes you can’t race and that’s the beautiful thing about doing this here in Nevis, because you know that this is a government-backed and sanctioned track, so you know that you will be able to race and do what you gotta’ do.
“A lot of other places, I think, they are going to follow the example that Nevis has set because it is all about trying to get a circuit through the Caribbean. If we have a circuit in the Caribbean we can race up down, sideways, here today this month we’re in Nevis, three months down the road we’re in Trinidad. So you always have races going on and keep the fuel going for the interest to be there. I hope that you [Nevis] are all ready for what’s coming because it’s going to be a tidal wave,” he said.
The majority of the cars that compete at St. James are imports and sport compacts, with an American muscle car or two and some purpose-built race cars sprinkled in here and there. The most exotic (at least from what we could find) was a supercharged, alcohol-burning dragster that may very well hold the track record.