NEW Caribbean Motor Racing Championships Country champions will be crowned at the end of this racing season, with Trinidad in prime position to dethrone defending champions Guyana.
Following the latest release of points after the third round in Barbados, the Trinidadians have amassed 1 151 points Barbados second with 504, Jamaica third on 465 and Guyana fourth on 358.
Realistically, with a maximum of 630 pints on offer come November in Guyana, there are no contenders who can challenge the Twin Island Republic for that elusive country championship, which they lost by a mere eight points last year.
All that remains now is the official crowning ceremony and the jubilation that will follow.
The same can be said for the Group Four all-wheel drive category with Doug Gore set to shatter the two-year stranglehold that Guyanese Kristian Jeffrey has had on the series.
Gore sits among the untouchables this year with 136 points from two rounds, his nearest competitor being countryman Kyle Gregg with 43 points and with 75 points up for grabs in Guyana, for Gore it is just about showing up to collect his trophy.
On the two-wheel drive end of things, the battle remains realistically between current leader Trinidadian Franklyn Boodram who has 144 points from three legs, Barbadian Mark Maloney with 118 from two legs and Jamaican Peter Rae with 108 also from two legs.
According to the CMRA rules, however, ‘In the event that there are 4 rounds to the championships in one calendar year, drivers will score points from their 9 best finishes’.
With 75 points on offer in round four, the title could go anywhere with just over half of those separating the top three.
In the Group Three class, no competition exists for defending champion Paul Vieira who has easily taken the title with 200 points; his nearest competitor being Guyana’s Nazim Gafoor with 73 points.
On the Group Two front, the possibilities are even more exciting with Trinidad’s Luke Bhola leading the way into round four with 123 points while his countryman and defending champion Marc Gill is within striking distance on 111 points.
Barbadian Mark Maloney is down in third on 102 points and well within striking distance of the title. Mathematically, Trinidad’s Marc Williams and Guyanese Shan Seejatan have shots as well, but their position also depends on those above them scoring no points.
On the motorcycle front, Guyana lead with 437 while Trinidad (161), Jamaica (156) and Barbados (133) fall in that order.
Individually, Guyanese Matthew Vieira leads with 166 points ahead of his cousins Stephen (166) and Elliot (93) with those three the only possible winners that can emerge.
Nonetheless, South Dakota in Guyana holds many memories for a lot of those Caribbean drivers/riders, most of whom have indicated their interest to come here for the final round on November 12-13.