THE third and final leg of the Caribbean Motor Racing (CMC) Seaboard Marine Race of Champions 2012 was officially launched on Sunday in the Guyana Motor Racing and Sports Club’s (GMR&SC) booth at the National Exhibition Centre.

Racers from Guyana, Jamaica, Barbados, USA and Canada will assemble at the South Dakota Circuit on November 11 to spark their rivalry. The Championships began in May in Jamaica then proceed to Barbados for the second leg in September.
Guest Speaker at the simple launch was Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce Irfaan Ali (ag) who assured the association that the Ministry of Tourism is fully behind them and will be coming harder and harder.
He said, “The Government’s role is to facilitate and ensure that we provide the enabling environment through which the private sector and other entities can strive and we are happy to say that the dynamic leadership of motor racing has led to tremendous growth in terms of the tourism sector.”
“This year has been a good year for tourism; in August the arrival was 31% more than the best arrival we ever had and this is so because we have been doing simple things to attract persons to Guyana,” the Minister added.
“I have seen a collective commitment with this association more than a personal success feeling and that is what we need in Guyana to develop and advance the sport,” he stated.
Former GMR&SC president Vishok Persaud said, “We brought a different dimension to racing since 2011. We have entered into a partnership with the Government to resurface the circuit and got a new surface with a price tag of over $90M with the Government contributing $40M.
The GMR&SC also benefits in other ways from the partnership with the government since they get to import racing parts for the members of the GMR&SC without the weight of duty. Persaud disclosed that their regional counterparts took a page out of their book and have since got support from their government.
Persaud went on to thank the Government and stated that with the partnership they are aiming to get 2 500 people into the country over the weekend for the event.
He also acknowledged their main sponsor, Seaboard Marine who has been a pinnacle in the growth of the sport and also Banks DIH, Valvoline, Rent-a-Tent and GT&T.
Finally he said, “Guyana is behind in terms of points standing and that is a normal thing since the teams do well on home territory. However, we are hopeful that we can reclaim the title on our home ground.”
Seaboard Marine representative Peter Peroune said that the company is pleased to be associated with the event which is taking place at Guyana’s own South Dakota Circuit.
This is the fourth year the company has partnered with the GMR&SC in providing the transportation to bring the competitors together.
Meanwhile, Clerk of the Course, David Fernandes disclosed that currently a lot of work is taking place on the track and it is a continuous process. Extensions are also being done in the paddock to adequately facilitate all the participants comfortably.