THE Guyana Motor Racing and Sports Club (GMR&SC) has named a strong eight-member team to tour Trinidad and Tobago for the second leg of the Caribbean Motor Racing Championships later this month. Vice-president of the club Shyzraz Roshandin confirmed late yesterday that the Group Four drivers named are defending champion and current points-leader Kristian Jeffrey who studies in Canada and Mark Vieira.
The absence of Kristian’s father Kevin is noted among pundits in the racing circle, but they feel that one Jeffrey is enough to do the job. However, they have cited Vieira as no pushover either as he is capable of calling on his driving experience to produce breathtaking displays.
According to Roshandin, Vieira himself has not confirmed, but Chronicle Sport has gotten the thumbs up from team manager Sunil Persaud.
Representing the Group Three division; Danny Persaud leads the charge with his Mazda Miata along with Afraz Allie and Rameez Mohammed in their Toyota starlets while the Group 2 end of things features Roshandin in his Honda Civic, Ryan Rahaman driving his father’s Ford Escort and U.S.-based Guyanese Kemal Rahaman in his Mazda RX-7.
GMR&SC says it will not have participation from their Superbikes in this year’s Trinidad leg after being advised that the repaved surface at the Wallerfield raceway may not be in a suitable condition. The cars will be loaded on Monday, June 8.
Meanwhile, works on the said repaving is expected to commence today, according to president of the Trinidad and Tobago Automotive Sporting Association, Robert Amar, who confirmed that those works will be completed ahead of the CMRC event set for June 19-21.
After the first round of the CMRC 2015 in Jamaica, that country lead with 323 points followed by the defending champions Guyana on 159, Trinidad and Tobago 126, the Cayman Islands 62 and Barbados 0.
Barbados failed to send a team to the first leg.
On the individual side of things, Guyana’s Kristian Jeffrey has started his Group 4 CMRC title defence in fine style with 75 points while Jamaica’s George Bailey is on 51, countryman Peter Rae is on 30, Trinidad’s Franklyn Boodram is on 27 and Danny Persaud of Guyana on 15.
In Group 3, Garry Barrett of the Cayman Islands leads with 62 points followed by Mohammed (36) and Allie (33); Jamaica’s Natasha Chang is fourth with 30 while Noel Golding sits in fifth with 25 points.
Group 2 has Jordan Powell of Jamaica on 75 points ahead of the Trinidadian duo of Marc Gill (54) and Damien Nesbit (45) while Jamaica’s Owen Campbell (34) and Robin Sutherland (32) bring up the rear.
Guyana’s only Group 2 competitor in that event, Chet Singh, had mechanical issues. On the 600cc Superstock class, Stephen Vieira of Guyana holds a seven-point lead over countryman Wayne Elliot Vieira (61). Jamaica’s Robert McDonald sits in third (45) ahead of team mate David Bell (36) and Kyle Reynolds (28).