EFG International, represented in The Bahamas by EFG Bank & Trust (Bahamas) Ltd. — the private bank whose name is synonymous with vintage and classic motor cars, paved the way for Bahamas Speed Week Revival, organizers said today, as the clock ticked away the hours to the start of the 5-day event drawing cars and drivers from around the world to Nassau for time trials, sprints, island tours, displays, socials and fund-raisers starting next Wednesday.
“We have been so fortunate getting great sponsors for Bahamas Speed Week Revival,” said David McLaughlin, the U.K.-based former race car driver who now organizes events like Bahamas Speed Week. “But I really want to single out EFG International because it was EFG that gave us the push we needed when we first started talking about this. They started the engine revving.”
For EFG, it was a natural. The company and classic cars are as intertwined as hub and cap. Think one, think the other. “A number of our clients have a passion for cars in terms of driving, collecting and racing and we are involved in supporting a variety of historic motoring events,” says an official company statement. But it’s even more personal for Ludovic Chechin-Laurans, Managing Director of EFG Bank & Trust (Bahamas) Ltd. He was born inches from the Le Mans track in France, his first recollection of sound the purr of an engine, his first car a classic followed by sports and racing Porsches and other exotics.
Chechin-Laurans, who used to live in Nassau, was working in Luxembourg when he got the word to head to Nassau. EFG is one of the two main sponsors of the Le Mans Classic. It also sponsors the Classic Endurance Racing, the Gstaad Classic, the Grand Prix de Pau Historique and more.
Chechin-Laurans says when he first heard about the revival of Nassau Speed Week, a highlight of the social calendar from 1954-1966, he was impressed, surprised and pleased — impressed at how large the event was a half century ago and pleased that it was being revived. A group of incredibly enthusiastic people have made this happen. As the private bank for historic motor racing, EFG International is proud to have helped make the revival of Bahamas Speed Week a reality. It has been a pleasure working with such enthusiastic individual and I am convinced the event will be a great success, in car terms and for The Bahamas.”
Speed Week (November 30 – December 4) is expected to have immediate and long-term economic impact. Vendors on Arawak Cay have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars preparing and upgrading. Roads have been paved. Foreign entrants are staying at luxury hotels and on mega-yachts at Atlantis Marina. A slew of foreign media is coming from France, the U.K., Canada and the U.S. EFG has clients and their families visiting the event.
“The beauty of this,” says Jimmie Lowe, the hands-on president of Bahamas Speed Week, “is that it affords every Bahamian an opportunity to see these amazing classic and vintage racing cars up close, to talk to the drivers and to experience this in a more personal way than they can anywhere else in the world. At the same time, it is an opportunity to showcase The Bahamas. If you look around, it feels like the whole island is getting dressed up for the party.” There is also an impressive list of Bahamian entries.
Other sponsors include Ardastra Gardens, Aquapure, Bahamas Ferries, Bahamas Waste, Bristol Wines & Spirits, Callenders & Co. , Carlo Milano, Graycliff, the Ministry of Tourism & Aviation, Ministry of Youth, Sports & Culture, J S Johnson, Nassau Paradise Island Promotion Board, Oasis Chic Living, Bahamas Out Island Promotion Board, Red Bull, Schooner Bay and Sun Oil. Tickets start at $20 and are available at two locations on Arawak Cay, Dwight’s Place and Coca-Cola truck (starting Monday), at Global Ivory Management at most Shell service stations, online at BahamasSpeedWeekRevival.com or by phoning 676-4503.
