IT MAY not be as historic as Sabina Park or Collie Smith Drive, but the Dover racetrack in St Ann draws as much excitement and diehards as those two fabled grounds.

The Jamaica Race Drivers Club (JRDC), promoters of racing at Dover since 2003, plans to commemorate 20 years of competition there with a major Caribbean meet on May 25.

JRDC president, Hilary Jardine, says details of the celebrations will be given on May 18 during a press conference at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston.

Jardine was born in the Demerara region of Guyana but has lived in Jamaica for 40 years. He has been involved motorsport since the 1950s, helping to promote cards in his homeland and Trinidad and Tobago.

One of his first tastes of Jamaican action came in the early 1970s at the Vernamfield track in Clarendon, where another motorsport enthusiast named Alfred Chen was also a regular.

In the 1980s, Chen, Richard 'Dickie' Crawford and Junior Lincoln were co-owners of Dover, a 100-acre property, with Chen being the major stakeholder.

They formed Motor Sports Jamaica Limited, which race fans credit with jump-starting local motor racing at Dover - a 1.6-mile-long circuit with 12 corners which can accommodate a maximum field of 15 cars.

"More than anything he (Chen) wanted to put a racetrack on the property to revive motorsport," Crawford told Automotives recently. "We had a test meet in December 1988 but the first official meet was in February 1989. That was awesome!" he exclaimed.

Some of the drivers who shone during the glory days of Vernamfield, such as Peter Moodie and Clinton 'Pinky' McGann, were among Dover's early stars. They clashed with young Turks like Jeffrey Panton and David Summerbell Jr, as well as the experienced Peter 'Bull' Thompson.

Crawford estimates that during its heyday, as many as 15,000 fans turned out for meets at Dover. After a lull early this decade, Jardine says the crowds have returned with a bang, largely through attractive Easter, Independence and Heritage weekend meets.

Many-time champion Summerbell Jr and Thompson are still top drivers, but Jardine says there has been an influx of new blood in recent times. The biggest concern for organisers, he says, is finding sponsorship.

"That is very difficult, always has been. When you go to sponsors they say, 'That's a rich man sport'," he said.

Dover has known its share of tragedy. Chen was killed in Trelawny while flying his helicopter in October 2000, while motorcyclist Lance Douglas died while competing at Dover in April 2002.

Safety measures are one of the most significant changes at Dover. At meets, there are trained marshals, three ambulances, doctors and scrutineers.