Karyll Iton is hoping to rev his racing dreams to the limit.
The former head of the Cayman Motorsports Association is resuming his chase for checkered flags in the southern United States. Iton, who turned 35 in November, is competing for Opa-locka-based J and A Motorsports, Inc. in the Florida region of the National Auto Sport Association, an organization that is part of the American club road racing circuit and on the same level as the Sports Car Club of America. The Prospect native will be racing a modified 1995 BMW M3 E36 in the German Touring Series, with his first event at Sebring International Raceway on March 29-30.
Iton said he has been pursuing the winner’s circle in the U.S. for more than a decade and started out at a motorsports school.
“I went to the race school at Sebring and got my competition license in 2003/2004,” Iton said. “I did races after Ivan with a BMW team. I ran in the past, round 2005, with a Mitsubishi Evolution in a different group in the SCCA. I’ve primarily ran Hondas the last few years. Over the years, I’ve attended tracks in the U.S., especially Sebring and Palm Beach International Raceway, formerly Moroso Motorsports Park, and I’ve even raced at Homestead, which is a National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing track.
“Last season I did hot laps and testing on a Acura RSX Type-S that was heavily modified with a engine swap for a 2.4-liter motor and took part in the NASA Honda Challenge 1 for the fastest group of Hondas. I was basically doing prep work to get the NASA regional competition license and I got that last season. Now I’ve moved up to the BMW, which has 50 more horsepower to the wheels than the Acura.
“The GTS group has five classes according to the car’s power to weight ratio and the GTS3 class I’m in is the most popular with primarily BMWs and Porsches. Basically, more mods will equal significant upgrades and of course, more investment.”
The Sebring race is a 3.7-mile, 12-hour course. Iton will have two additional chances to tackle the track with the association scheduling meets for June 21-22 and Oct. 4-5. From there, focus shifts to Daytona International Speedway on Nov. 1-2. Outside of Florida, He hopes to qualify for the association’s national championship at Road Atlanta on Aug. 29-31.
Iton, an insurance manager, said those races are a big deal. “After the Daytona race, I can say I ran all of the major tracks in Florida. With the race in Atlanta, my focus is to qualify and run. It’ll be a good experience no matter what happens. I’ve been dreaming from 2005 of competing in the national championship. A lot of guys who have made it in racing, such as Tracy Krohn of Krohn Racing, started out with me at the Sebring race school. It’s disheartening in one sense because they made it over the years and I didn’t, but then again, they had the option to just take the car to the track for a weekend.
“For us, it’s about taking a car to the States and thousands of dollars every weekend just to get it there. I’m not the only Caymanian to race abroad, as Michael ‘Bad Oil’ Williams, Andy Bodden and Sacha Tibbetts have done it for years. It’s difficult doing anything of this magnitude from here. This year, anyone that wants to sponsor me is welcome to do so by calling 929-2297 or emailing me at [email protected]. With that being said, I couldn’t do what I’m doing right now without local support from Cayman Airways and Tony Williams of Tony’s Toys, and I thank them for that support.”
For Iton, the foray back into American racing is part of his racing evolution from novice to experienced driver and motorsports authority. The father of three says his long-term goals go beyond the track.
“I was here in Cayman from age 6-12 and I was back and forth in between Cayman and Jamaica,” he said. “I’ve been back the last 14 years, since September 2000. When I moved back in 2000, I was invited to a Cayman Hot Rod Association drag race in East End at High Rock with the black Toyota Supra I had but I was drawn to circuit racing. Between 2002 and 2003, that’s when I made a commitment to the sport.
“I won the local motorsports association time attack championship in 2007. I then became the motorsports association president in 2012 before becoming the director of circuit racing with the hot rod association in 2013 to help get the new track done. For me, racing abroad again is a chance to bring my experiences back and involve them locally with our motorsports subculture.
“I have two daughters, 14 and 3, and an 8-year-old son. From my experiences, I hope to inspire the next young person to race full-time and get them to know to never give up. With the right person, companies can back this sport.”
Related Videos
