Drama unfolded at the South Dakota racing circuit yesterday as the 2011 GT&T/Seaboard Marine Caribbean Race of Championships ended with spills, thrills and an unlikely winner in Barbadian Roger Mayers.
Mayers became the first Bajan to win the coveted driver’s championship title but it was the crash of Paul Vieira that was the talk of the day.
Coming off the rolling start, a safety flag (red) was shown and seemingly Vieira was the only driver to have noticed it. He was slowing down when Vishok Persaud’s speeding Subaru Impreza slammed into the left rear bumper of Vieira’s Carib Mazda RX-7, catapulting him slightly into the air before he crashed into the fence.
Both drivers escaped unscathed although their cars were totalled.
Mayers came from behind to win the Caribbean Championship with a total of 50 points, surpassing Jamaican David Summerbell, who was left stuck on 46 points after he failed to take to the track because of engine and bearings problems.
Mayers driving a Ford Focus turbo-charged car, with the smooth silent sound of his engine sped away with all three of the Caribbean Championship races. In the country championship Barbados finished on 159 points while Jamaica held on for second with 73 points and Guyana moved up to 62 to finish third.
Speaking with Stabroek Sport, Mayers related what he thought of his historic accomplishment as a Bajan.
“It hasn’t sunk in as yet but it feels great, definitely not what I came here thinking would have happened, Mayers stated.
When asked if he thought the non-participation of Summerbell was a main factor in his win, Mayers stated, “I would have to say so, whether or not he had gotten the points it was definitely a factor,” he commented.
Stabroek Sport was also able to get a comment from Summerbell on the disappointing loss.
“It’s unbelievably disappointing, this is our sport and it has to be one of the hardest losses I had. We suffered a bearings problem and if these guys couldn’t get it fixed in time then nobody could have…we just needed about five more minutes before the last one and we would have been ready to go but it didn’t happen, I must acknowledge their efforts but we’re disappointed, I have a good track (record) in Guyana but over the past recent years I haven’t had any luck here and you need luck sometimes,” Summerbell commented.
The Superbike class provided heart pounding action as the riders controlling the super bikes showcased superb handling and judgment during all three races. Steven Vieira riding his Suzuki GSXR600, Kevin Graham out of Canada on his Yamaha R6 and Carlos Rodrigues also controlling a Yamaha R6 brought first in races one, two and three respectively of the Category.
S. Vieira was the best of the three as he won the category by bringing second in races two and three.
Kenrick Husbands of Barbados drove his Toyota Starlet masterfully in the 2A category as he won
The Rookies event also saw some intriguing driving as Roshan Ali in his Toyota Glanza 4E Turbo emerged as the lead driver in the group.
Charley Henry, Victor Pires and Ravi Singh took the one, two and three spots for both 125cc motorcycle races as they somehow seemed to ride cautiously especially through the turns.
Meanwhile Mayers indicated that he will be set next year to defend his title.
