Following the unfortunate incident at the South Dakota Circuit on Sunday, President of the Guyana Motor Racing and Sports Club Rameez Mohammed has stressed that every precautionary measure was in place.
Last Sunday, Vivek Joshi, who was piloting his Toyota Alteeza when the car went off the track, ploughed into the sand and flipped a few times at the “King of the Strip” meet. Joshi was unhurt, but the organizers decided to cancel the event.
The GMR&SC president praised the quick response time of those in charge, as within seconds of the incident, fire trucks, medics, trainers and stakeholders rushed to the aid of Joshi.
According to Mohammed, all rules and protocols were followed. The racing scrutineers along with himself carried out inspections before the start.
“I personally was there checking seat belts, helmets and so, making sure everyone was following the rules and even the race scrutineers were there doing their job,” Mohammed said.
Mohammed said he saw nothing wrong with the races going along since the wet surface was not hazardous and in compliance with, the international governing body of motor racing events, Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) rules. He pointed out that the high-powered vehicles did not take to the starting line, but the lower powered cars were okay to go to the line.
The GMR&SC president added that when FIA Officials, who are expected to be here in June to train Marshalls, he is optimistic that they will have a talk with drivers, sharing little advice and tips.
Meanwhile, Joshi in a social media post, said he had accepted the risk while he encouraged drivers to be cautious and safe when it comes to driving, while advising persons to keep the speed for the track and not the roads.
“I have been drag racing for about 18 years. Motor racing is a very dangerous sport and we assume a big risk when we race. I assumed that risk and I pushed it. This why we must keep it off the road and on the track. Outcomes on the road would be very different. Mishaps do happen, and they can look real disturbing but good safety mitigates bad outcomes. This is a testimony to the developments in motor sport in Guyana. We have come a long way. We will continue to learn and improve. This is our sport and we love it. Thanks to the organizers for a well-organized event and to my team for having set up a safe car,” Joshi posted.
