BUSINESSMAN and veteran cyclist Shameer Baksh will on Saturday sponsor the 12th annual Universal Auto Sales and Spares 11-race race cycle programme around the inner circuit of the National Park.The programme, which is being coordinated by national cycle coach Hassan Mohamed, will get underway at 09:00hrs and will feature most of the country’s top junior, veterans, BMX, mountain bikers and senior cyclists’ vying for top honours.
The feature event will be a 35-lap race and defending champion Jamal John will be seeking to make a successful defence of that title, but will face strong challenges from Team Evolution’s Orville Hinds, Marlon `Fishy’ Williams, Raul Leal and Michael Anthony among other participants.
John won the event last year, recording a time of one hour 18 minutes 08.62 seconds, but with Team Evolution’s cyclists firing on all cylinders, especially Hinds and Leal, making a successful defence will be a very arduous task for John, who is still trying to get to the level of Hinds, Williams and Leal.
Another exciting race on the day’s programme will be the 10-lap race for juveniles which was won by Raphael Leung last year with a time of 22 minutes 07.09 seconds. He is favoured to make a successful defence of his title, but he will have to be wary of Berbician cyclists’ Andrew Hicks and Romelo Crawford who are both showing good form.
The five-lap race for veterans Under-50 years will see race sponsor Shameer Baksh look to defend his titlo successfully, but he is expected to get keen competition the in-form veteran Junior Niles who has been dominating this category since the 2016 season started.
Stephen Fernandes of Team Evolution and Jaikaran Sukhai of Carlton Wheelers are also expected to stake their claim in this veterans’ event. Baksh returned 11 minutes 56.08 seconds in winning last year’s race.
Keon Thomas won the five-lap race for mountain bikers last year with a time of 11 minutes 56.07 seconds and will be seeking to repeat the feat on Saturday. Likewise, Brighton John who won the three-lap race for boys and girls last year will try to cement his place at the top of the podium.
Other races carded for the day are: two lap races for BMX boys, three-lap races for BMX Boys 9-12 years old as well as Boys 12-14 years old.
Baksh will assist with the presentation of prizes to the respective winners after the day’s activity.