A malfunction of the timing equipment was a major snag in the otherwise successful staging of Drag Wars 2.0 over the weekend at the South Dakota Circuit, a release disseminated to the media by the Guyana Motor Racing & Sports Club stated yesterday.
The release stated that the highly-anticipated event had generated much hype over the past few weeks and was set to culminate in the grand finale on Sunday.
Teams from Trinidad & Tobago and Suriname were set to take on the local competition which was ready to defend home turf.
The day got off to an early start and the event was ahead of the day’s schedule, producing exciting races in the lower classes, setting the stage nicely for the heavy hitters.
However, a major snag was hit when the timing equipment started to malfunction shortly after 1:00 pm, the release stated.
According to the release, officials and technical personnel, with help from several race teams, attempted to identify and resolve the issues being experienced. After several attempts, the equipment was still plagued with several errors which would have produced inaccurate results.
Given the circumstances, the completion of races in the 12 to 6 second classes could not be completed.
As a result, the winners of those classes were decided based on which competitor had the fastest dial-in time on Saturday.
The winners are as follows:
16 seconds – #923 – Shawn Whyte – Toyota Corolla AE100
15 seconds – #94 – Devin Moses – Toyota Starlet EP91 14 seconds – #1165 – Akshay Lachninarainsingh – Toyota Crown (Suriname) 13 seconds – #300 – Parshuram Ramkissoon – Honda Prelude 12 seconds – #1234 – Raghubar Virish – Volkswagen Golf (Suriname)
11 seconds – #110 – Raymond John – Toyota Chaser (Suriname) 10 seconds – #1166 – Jasvant Bhagikath (Suriname)
9 seconds – #1176 – Rabbanie Yacoob – Toyota Verossa (Suriname) 8 seconds – #1162 – Michael Namchand – Mazda RX-7 (Suriname) 7 seconds – #2 – Terrence Cox (Team Mohameds) – Nissan GT-R (Godzilla)- 6 seconds – #5 – Victor Florito Flores (Team Mohameds) – Mustang Pro Mod
The release added that the showdown between the six second cars of Team Mohamed’s, Team Daby and Sheldon Bissessar, was perhaps the most anticipated races of the day and the GMR&SC made every attempt to have racing in those classes take place.
Team Daby’s Toyota Solara faced Sheldon Bissessar’s Spitzer Dragster in the first round since their dial-in times were closest to each other (6.727 & 6.728 respectively). Bissessar emerged victorious over Team Daby in this race and was set to take on the Pro Mod Mustang of Team Mohamed’s in the final.
However, this race could not take place immediately since the high powered cars have cool down times ranging between 30 to 60 minutes.
With light fading quickly and competitor and spectator safety being of paramount importance, the race could not be run, the release stated.
As such the winner was decided in the same way as that of the other incomplete classes, and that is by the fastest dial-in time. Team Mohamed’s Pro Mod Mustang set a time of 6.403 during dial-in on Saturday and as such, that car was declared the winner.
“The GMR&SC apologizes to fans that left the event feeling disappointed.
We assure you that we will be taking steps to ensure that such a situation does not reoccur in the future. We are committed to enhancing the motorsport experience in Guyana and the Caribbean, and events like the Tropical Shipping Drag Wars continue to serve as thrilling platforms for showcasing the region’s best talents,” the release stated.
“We would also like to thank our sponsors, officials, competitors and everyone who was involved in putting together this event.
“To you the fans, a special thank you for your continued support and, especially the patience you exercised throughout the technical problems.”
