CEMCO meets racers, GMR&SC over South Dakota upgrade
Guyanese racer Mark Vieira makes a point during a meeting with CEMCO engineers.
Guyanese racer Mark Vieira makes a point during a meeting with CEMCO engineers.

SEVERAL racers and executives of the Guyana Motor Racing and Sports Club (GMR&SC) yesterday met with engineers of the Caribbean Engineering and Management Consultants (CEMCO) on the way forward for the upgrade of the South Dakota Circuit. Yesterday’s meeting held at the Timehri-based circuit focused specifically on the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA)-designed plan for the South Dakota Circuit and offered interested racers and officials a chance to make valuable recommendations into the design.
Mark Vieira, speaking from a driver’s perspective, advocated for the addition of a high-speed corner by adjusting one of the existing bends on the track, citing more of a challenge for the drivers and more enjoyment for spectators.
He also recommended the addition of a hairpin corner to the track to reduce excessive speed and increase safety coming off the long straightways.
There was also a recommendation to move the pit area from the inner part of the circuit to the outer part but no fixed location was decided on.
Meanwhile, CEMCO will now work to integrate those recommended changes into a new design which the club will take to the Government of Guyana.
Following that, the engineering firm will do a full survey of the track to determine the topography of the landscape in order to clearly define how much work is needed to make the design a reality.
The design is the work of FIA Track Engineer of the Americas, Julian Abed, who visited Guyana for a one-day inspection tour which saw him meet with local officials.
His visit was a follow-up to one made in 2013 by FIA president Jean Todt where he promised to assist Guyana in its quest to upgrade the current track to accommodate higher levels of competition in compliance with FIA regulations.
The FIA then funded the drawing of an upgraded plan for the South Dakota Circuit which was later sent to the GMR&SC who retained CEMCO as the specialists for the project.
The move follows the recent upgrading of the Bushy Park Raceway in Barbados to bring it on par with FIA standards and if completed will again place Guyana at the forefront of Caribbean racing.

By Stephan Sookram

 

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