School engineering projects, esports and a driving league in a car park underpin the federation’s efforts to widen participation.

In the Cayman Islands, one route into competitive motorsport begins in a supermarket’s overflow car park. Drivers navigate a course marked out with cones, competing against the clock rather than racing side by side.

That modest setting is part of a broader programme that has earned the Cayman Motoring Federation the 2026 José Abed Award from the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile, motorsport’s world governing body. Announcing the winner on 2 September, the FIA cited the federation’s combination of engineering education, esports and practical driver training. The award was presented at the FIA American Congress in Buenos Aires.

“I am delighted to recognise the incredible work of the Cayman Motoring Federation today,” FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem said in the announcement. Citing its work in engineering education, access to motorsport and safer driving, he said it had “embodied everything this award stands for”.

Established in 2023 in memory of José Abed, a former FIA vice-president for sport, the annual award recognises contributions by motorsport clubs across the Americas to participation, knowledge-sharing and links between sport and mobility.

For Cayman, the practical question has been how to develop organised competition without a large permanent motorsport facility. CMF’s answer has centred on activities that can use existing spaces, supported by the FIA’s Motorsport in a Box initiative, which helps clubs stage grassroots events at temporary venues.

“We looked at what we had, rather than what we did not have, and built from there,” CMF president Jane Scaletta told congress delegates.

From one event to a national league

CMF’s auto slalom programme began with a single event in 2024, expanded to four in 2025 and became a six-round national league in 2026. The federation says support through Motorsport in a Box included funding and training for event officials.

The competition remains small. Its fourth round in August drew 13 competitors and more than 40 spectators, the largest turnout since the programme began, according to CMF. Three women competed, also a record for the programme.

The format allows drivers to compete on a closed, paved surface without needing a purpose-built racing circuit. They take turns negotiating the cone-marked course, with an emphasis on vehicle control and avoiding penalties. Points accumulated across the season determine championship results.

Engineering before the driving seat

During Cayman’s first STEM Racing national finals in April, teams from five schools competed with miniature Formula One-style cars on a 20-metre track. Students used computer-aided design and manufacturing tools, while judging extended beyond racing performance to engineering, project management, branding and presentations.

Apex Racers, from Layman E. Scott High School in Cayman Brac, won the national title. The competition concluded a season of work that had begun in September 2025.

“Education has always been central to what we are building,” Scaletta said in the federation’s award statement. CMF’s stated ambition is to connect school-based engineering and design with other ways of participating, including digital racing and grassroots driving events.

Digital competition has also grown from a small base. The FIA said CMF’s esports participation had increased from two active racers in 2024 to more than 50.

The federation’s next priorities include developing esports and introducing karting, alongside its existing competition and education programmes. Its next STEM Racing season is scheduled to run from September 2026 to April 2027.

For the slalom drivers, the next step is more immediate: the league’s fifth round is scheduled for 20 September, back at Foster’s overflow car park.