-says local ‘Valentino Rossi’ Steven Vieira
By Rawle Toney in Barbados
Team Guyana is already booming with confidence after their first practice session at the Bushy Park Circuit in Barbados ahead of tomorrow’s Caribbean Motor Racing Championships.
Up to press time, Andrew King, Gavin Gayadin, Stephen Vieira, Kevin Jeffrey and Maurice Menezes had all gone on their runs and conveyed to Stabroek Sport afterwards that their competitors were certainly in for a race come tomorrow.
Gayadin, who arrived on the island yesterday, said that at first he encountered some technical difficulties with his BMW 318I but after checks with his mechanics the problems were rectified.
The vehicle, he said, was back to normal.
A champion driver in the Group ‘3’ category in Guyana, Gayadin is making his debut at the island’s premier race track and believes the experience would be unforgettable.
“Well this is my first time here and I expect to do well, I’m not too familiar with the other drivers and so on but I’m certain I will come out on top. I toured Jamaica before but never in Barbados so this means a lot to me and my crew, so I just want to do well,” he said.
Meanwhile, known as the local ‘Valentino Rossi’, Vieira says he has finally gotten his bike where he wanted it to be before coming to Barbados. The 25-year-old Vieira will be making his second outing at the Bushy Park Circuit after having a flawless first showing last year.
“The track feels ok, I’m doing better timings than last year and I think I have my bike where I want it,” said Vieira who had steadily complained about a suspension problem on his 2008 Suzuki GSX 600.
“I linked with my good friend Jonathon Sechierck in Miami who worked on it and now it’s good so certainly I would win again,” Vieira added.
But for his fellow Guyanese rider Maurice Menezes it was not a good first outing at the Barbados track.
On his test ride a brake failure saw him pelting into the fence where he subsequently injured his left arm. Showing good signs of courage and faith, the rider was treated and returned to the track.
He said that he is in a lot of pain from the fall but hopes to be good by today’s time trials.
Andrew King prior to coming to Barbados said that his best chances of winning his first Caribbean championship was now and after his test run yesterday, it seems like the veteran driver would live up to his words.
Driving his GT&T Cellink Sponsored Tube Frame Mazda RX7, King averaged a speed of 42.3 seconds and said that he feels his two-wheel drive car will stand up to the rigours in Barbados and the competition of Jamaican David Summerbell.
This newspaper was unable to elicit a word from Kevin Jeffrey who only received his car late yesterday afternoon.
The time trials for the second round of the Caribbean Championship will take place today at 1pm.
Over 100 competitors are down to be on show, all looking to start at the top of the grid tomorrow.