NOT every day you get to see some of those cars and bikes that are not so appropriate for the streets, but at a Guyana Motor Racing and Sports Club (GMR&SC) event, racing enthusiasts are allowed to be bewildered by their fixation for speed. 

Today’s event gets under way at 09:00hrs and while everyone is in preparation mode for the November 16 leg of the Caribbean Motor Racing Championship (CMRC), local drivers are eager to have a feel of the competition and at the same, have promised to more than check the dependability and velocity of their toys.
While the Group 4 competition is usually the crowd-pleaser, the drivers in the lower classes, more so Groups 1 and 2 are revving up some interest of their own. Fans can expect a jostle between Kasim Hoosein, Daniel Dookie, Shameer Mohammed, Azad Hassan and Sunil Singh in every race.
John Joseph who is based in the U.S. is out to challenge Radio and TV personality WR Reaz, team Full Works Chet Singh, Shane Seejattan, Roshan Ali and Andre Dhanraj.
Shairaz Roshandin can be the man to beat in the Group 3 class, providing that the RUBiS Guyana Inc, MS Roshandin Professional Diesel Work and Total Lubricant-sponsored driver can get his Honda Civic in shape.
However, the duo of Danny and Shane Seejattan, Syed Hassan, Reza Allie and Motilall Deodass can pressure Roshandin and by all indications, Group 3 can be the steal of the day’s showdowns.
Danny Persaud will put his ever-dependable Banks Beer-sponsored Mazda Miata to the test once again in the Group 4 category and, coming off a successful second leg of the CMRC in Trinidad and Tobago last month, all eyes will be on the ace driver and his #29 car.
The likes of Kevin ‘Bush Cow’ Jeffrey and his son Kristian are always favourites and it will be interesting to see how the clash with Persaud and wonder boy Ryan Rahaman will turn out.
In March of this year when the GMR&SC hosted the first leg of the ‘Race of Champions’ a new kid on the block by the name of Matthew Vieira wowed the crowd with his superb ability in the Super Bike class and was named Champion rider on the day.
Vieira is only 16 years old, but racing is in his blood. He is the son of Mark Vieira and his name alone sends thrills down the spine of other competitors and though Mathew’s father would not be competing today, he would have to face his cousin, Stephen Vieira.
Fans, having watched the Canadian ace Kevin Graham dominate the local scene for many years before Guyana’s own Stephen ‘Valentino Rossi’ Vieira snatched the reins of power over the ageing champion, now have the opportunity to witness a new and exciting cadre of riders who are already creating headaches for the more established riders such as Vieira, Joel Neblett and Carlos Rodrigues.
The new kids on the block – Nikhil Seereeram, (Matthew) Vieira, Elliott Vieira, Stephan and Nicholas Boodhram – have been displaying steady improvement over the past two years coming through the ‘B’ Class category and are now posing a serious challenges to the reigns of ‘Rossi’, Neblett and Rodrigues. Seereeram and Matthew Vieira seem to be the most talented of the young brigade with the former already posting impressive victories over local champion Stephen Vieira. He also had an impressive debut at the opening leg of the CMRC in Barbados, securing a victory against some of the best riders in the Caribbean.
Most of the young riders have come through a well-coordinated junior programme, starting with karting, where they honed their dexterity and handling skills and today at the South Dakota Circuit, motor racing fans will have an excellent opportunity to see these young daredevils showcase their skills against riders who are considered the best both locally and regionally.