RAIN-induced thrills ensured an exciting Club Day staged by the Guyana Motor Racing & Sports Club at the South Dakota Racing Circuit, Timehri on Sunday, with only rookie racer Mohamed Ali dominating his category. Ali won both his events while Shifter Go-kart racer Stanley Ming Jr was the other most successful with two wins, too, in a meet that started on time at midday after earlier qualifying rounds and in five hours some 15 races started, after which the presentation ceremony took place.
Rain poured about 25 minutes into the afternoon forcing two events to be black-flagged and several drivers and riders missed the turns or hit the tarmac, resulting in at least one person sustaining injuries and requiring an ambulance trip off the track.
The action began with the karters and Wayne Vieira shot ahead in a rolling start, was black-flagged but did not leave the track, finishing first. The battle, however, was between line starters Ming and Alexander Fiedtkou with Ming challenging on the turns and Fiedtkou surging ahead in the straights. Fiedtkou ended ahead of Ming and Raymond Seebarran came in a distant third.
Ming claimed the chequered flag in the remaining two races. In the first one, Marcus Fiedtkou shot ahead at the start but could not hold on to the lead for long, Ming crossing the finish line first, Nikhil Seereram second and Alexander Fiedtkou third.
In the third race, Jerry Max Gouveia took an early lead, but Seereram and Ming in that order, zoomed past him on the eastern stretch. However, Seereram was black-flagged and Ming again triumphed with Gouveia second and Marcus Fiedtkou third.
The first Rookie race saw WR Reaz in a black Toyota Starlet surge into the lead, only to deceive as his car lost power in the third lap, began smoking and was out. Ali in a Toyota EP91 took his first chequered flag, Christopher Young in a Toyota Corolla AE81 second and Omar D’Ornellas in a black Honda Civic third.
Ali took the lead early in the second outing, was strongly challenged by Shaun Lake, but Lake spun on the second turn, and Young moved up. However, after Ali crossed the finish line, D’Ornellas was second and Lake third.
Although winning only one race, Mohamed Roshandin in a white Toyota Levin grabbed the attention of the crowd. His number 30 machine took an early lead in the first Group 2A race, as Chet Singh was challenged for the second slot by John Joseph. Singh spun in the goose neck, dropped to fourth behind brother Raj Singh, but moved up back on turn two. Roshandin got the flag, Joseph second and Chet Singh third.
But it was in the Group 2B event that Roshandin really impressed, back on the track in that event that immediately followed the 2A. Oliver Tjin-Liep-Shie in a Honda Civic took an early lead, but lost it to Afraz Allie in a Toyota Startlet.
Roshandin surged into the lead at the Clubhouse turn on the inside, lost it and eventually tussled with Danny Persaud, their vehicles kissing at the side, finishing third. The race went to Allie and Tjin-Liep-Shie second.
Roshandin was sixth in the second 2A race as Joseph established an early lead with Chet Singh trailing in second. Roshandin moved up to third at the club house turn and to second at turn two, finishing behind Joseph with Singh third.
The number 30 racer was back in the second 2B event, which was the penultimate for the day. Again Tjin-Liep-Shie surged to the front early, but this time held on to the end, strongly challenged by Allie who butt his rear bumper on one occasion.
Allie was out on the backstretch and Syed Hassan in a Toyota Starlet moved to second. The battle was between Rohandin and Motilall Deodas in another Toyota Startlet. Eventually Deodas finished second, Hassan third and Roshandin fourth.
Just six racers faced the starter for the Handicap event that ended in the order it started, with Kemal Rahaman triumphing, Raj Singh second, Joseph third.
When it seemed that the Superbikers might not race for the day, the circuit became dry enough for them to hit the track at 14:45hrs, the ninth event for the day.
Although it was for amateur racers, Steven Vieira and Joel Neblett provided the interest, giving the newcomers odds, and passing them one by one, with Vieira crossing the finish line first and Neblett second. The official race results had Carey Griffith first, Ricardo Fagundes second and Kwame Ridley third.
Two races later they were back, with Fagundes claiming the chequered flag, while the third race was cancelled.
The 125 bikers took the toll of the weather. They were second out for the day and after the first lap, it began to drizzle and eventually to pour. The race was red-flagged after three laps as two went down in the gooseneck and another two by the clubhouse turn.
Race two was way down as the tenth event, the only one to finish for them. Andy Rajkarran was first, longstanding campaigner Victor Pires still firing for second and Mark Menezes third.
Again the other race was red-flagged, as the sky shed tears again, two events later. One rider went down after the second turn, was unconscious and required an ambulance ride, while two more were down by the clubhouse turn, one of them motionless but moved just as the second ambulance arrived on the scene. The medical response was swift.
The events were not run off in the order listed for the meet.