SO FAR this year, the endurance of machines has been tested and their power in acceleration exhibited, now it’s time for a show of driving prowess. The stage is set and excitement is unusually high for just a national meet as local masters of the track thunder around the South Dakota Circuit, today, racing for glory in the first outing for 2013 staged by the Guyana Motor Racing & Sports Club.
All the big names have indicated they will be revving their super machines including record-setter Mark Vieira who dominated the final leg of the Caribbean Champion of Champions meet in November.
When Chronicle Sport caught up with him on his mobile phone, he was in the midst of going for his time trial to determine the pole position.
Vieira will be out in his new Mazda RX8, always aiming to smash the lap record again, a feat he has achieved about three times in his career to date.
But that record, 33.56 seconds, is now held by Barbadian rival Roger Mayers, the former Caribbean Champion Driver.
The competition will have former record setter Andrew King, Kevin Jeffrey, and Irfaan Mohammed who drives a 600 hp turbo Mazda RX7.
The battles are usually intense, too, in the Group 4 category, headlined by speedsters Ryan Rahaman and Keith Evelyn.
This is the second year Rahaman will be facing the starters strictly in Group 4, and should up the ante, also, after vying in the regional race.
Last year he had three appearances for the year in the group, but experienced some engine problems.  By yearend, the team overcame most of them on the turbo charged piston driven Forde Sierra Cosworth and were ready for the November meet.
More excitement is expected in the superbike category with daredevil exploits from Stephen Vieira, Carey Griffith, Joel Neblett and Carlos Rodrigues.
Keen competition will also be on the go-kart circuit among the two Stanley Mings, senior and junior, and youngster Nikhil Seereeram, among others.
Seereeram had a dream entry on motorcyles, while junior Ming was taken through his paces on two wheels by the senior Ming at GMR&SC circuit in Thomas Lands.
The first outing in the National meet promises to provide highly anticipated thrills.