Ace driver Mark Maloney is in a race against time for this weekend’s Guyana International Race meeting featuring round three of the Seaboard Marine Caribbean Motor Racing Championship (CMRC) at the South Dakota Circuit.
The engine block of the Mazda RX 3 was delayed in Alaska en route to Barbados but the driver was optimistic he would received the part in time for qualifying, and ultimately, race day today.
“I have been assured by the shippers and the airline that the part would get to me in time, but it caused me to delay my departure from Barbados so as to make sure that I receive the part, but I believe that I am going to be able get the car ready in time for the meet. It is going to be tough but I am hoping for the best,” Maloney said.
Maloney and his father Doug are the Barbadian drivers entered among the region’s best drivers for round three for the top-class drivers, while Mark Thompson, who is leading the Group 2 Championship with 63 points, will be joined for that section by Kenrick “Snappa” Husbands, Edward Corbin, while Kirk Thompson will take on the might of the drivers entered in Group 2B. Terrence Olivierre will be the lone cyclist.
Another top local driver, Steve King will miss the race meet due to a death in his family.
Last year, Barbados became the first to win both the driver and country titles in the same year since joining Guyana and Jamaica in the competition in 2008, and also the first to win the country title twice. After Jamaica’s triumph in 2008, Barbados claimed the title in 2009, then Guyana in 2010.
However, with home advantage the order of the day in the preceding two legs in Jamaica and Barbados, it is expected that Guyana will pose a formidable challenge to all the visitors, especially with the anticipated partisan support from local Guyanese and those in the diaspora who usually make the trek to witness the riveting spectacle.
At Dover Speedway in Jamaica in the opening leg, defending Caribbean champion Jamaican David Summerbell Jr dominated the day, winning all three races that enabled him to take a handy lead to the second edition at Bushy Park in Barbados, but it was the homeboy Roger “His Hotness” Mayers in his Ford Focus that crushed the opposition when he too, captured all three races in the series.
Jamaica lead the points standing with 113 points followed by Barbados on 64. Cayman Islands are in third on 26 and Guyana in the cellar position on 21.
