By Rajiv Bisnauth

All the big names in local and Caribbean motor racing are expected to take to the starting grid on November 11 for the final leg of the Caribbean Motor Racing ‘Race of Champions’ at the South Dakota Circuit, Timehri.

Drivers from Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Cayman Islands and the USA will converge on the circuit seeking supremacy in the various categories.

GMR&SC president Vishok Persaud yesterday confirmed that all the foreign cars are in the country and the competitors are expected to start arriving next Tuesday and Wednesday so that they may have valuable practice time.

He urged all to come out and witness the races since it is anticipated to be thrilling and competitive.

Persaud gave as examples the little difference between Guyana’s Andrew King, David Summerbell Jnr of Jamaica, Roger Mayers of Barbados, Mark Vieira and Kevin Jeffrey, informing that very little in terms of lap times separate them, while Canadian Kevin Graham and Stephen ‘Valentino Rossi’ Vieira, Carlos Rodrigues and Joel Neblett, all have some fantastic times and just as the cars, the disparity between them is slender. The Meet is the final leg of the Caribbean Championships and currently Jamaica lead the points standing with 113 points, followed by Barbados on 64, Cayman Islands on 26 and Guyana in the cellar on 21.

In the battle for individual supremacy, Summerbell, after copping a second and two third place finishes in Barbados, maintains his lead in the drivers’ championship after six races, with 50 points and he will be supported by Peter Rae and Andre Anderson.

Defending Caribbean champion Roger Mayers along Doug and Mark Maloney will lead the Bajans’ battle against the rest of the Caribbean, while the locals will be spearheaded by Andrew King with support from Mark and Paul Vieira, Vishok Persaud and Kevin Jeffrey.

Meanwhile, as part of their three-year contract deal with the Guyana Motor Racing & Sports Club (GMR&SC), the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GT&T) announced yesterday that tickets for the meet can be purchased through the company’s SMS system.

Speaking yesterday at the company’s canteen, BlackBerry Store Manager Alison Dundas disclosed that the new feature called ‘E-ticket’ allows patrons to purchase any amount of tickets, provided there is enough phone credit amounting to that of the cost of the tickets.

“Tickets cost $2000 for adults and $1000 for children and could be purchased by texting 620-race and specifying 1-A for the adults and 1-C for children, after which GT&T will confirm your text before deducting the amount from your core balance”.

“There after patrons can uplift their tickets at any of the GT&T outlets countrywide and by becoming an E-ticket costumer you are allowed access to the South Dakota Circuit via the fast lane entrance”.  Dundas said.

The fast lane entrance is a separate entrance to the venue and according to Persaud, persons who are eligible for the fast track deal are urged to use the Linden Highway entrance.  Also, on the day of the championships, GT&T has a ‘Race of the Deal’ promotion where patrons cannot afford to miss. A number of deals on blackberry phone will be on off as low as $31,999.

Meanwhile, Persaud in his remarks spoke of the partnership between the two entities which according to him dates back over eight years, but more importantly it was a reaffirmation of the three-year contract agreement that will see the disbursement of $40million over that period.

He added that GT&T has been the backbone to motor racing in Guyana and the clear signal from them is that they are prepared to preserve that status in the future.
“With the cost associated to host a Meet the magnitude of the Caribbean Motor Racing Championship, if we do not get the kind of substantial support that we’ve received from our title sponsor it would be virtually impossible for us to manage such a huge undertaking,” Persaud disclosed.

Some 26 races are carded and over 100 competitors are listed to compete.
Also, in attendance at the launch were GT&T Marketing Manager, Nicola Duggan, Guyenterprise Office Manager, Shameer Shahib, and GT&T PRO, Allison Parker.

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