By Avenash Ramzan
There has been an influx of corporate support for teams and drivers for the second monthly Endurance Rental Cup, being put on by GT Motorsports. News Room Sport caught up with two of the teams who signed off on sponsorship deals this week.
On Tuesday, the team of Steven Nobrega, Matthew Phang and John Phang had their sponsorship renewed by Gizmos and Gadgets, through the soon-to-be launched iRide app.
Team Gizmos and Gadgets had won the 500lb Class at the January race meet, and according to Nobrega, the team is confident of repeat on Wednesday February 22 when action speeds off at 19:00h.
“We have been preparing a lot. Our competition is a bit different from the first round- we have the likes of Kristian Jeffrey and Marcel Proffit, who joined Matthew Vieira’s team (Team iCool), but we have been preparing and we’re really confident of doing well again,” Nobrega stated.
He added, “We don’t want to discuss much (in terms of strategy), but we have our plans together, we know our distribution; we know who’s going to run which leg and so on. We have a good strategy, but of course we don’t want to disclose much of it.”
Nobrega said he and his team are hoping for similar fortunes as the last meet, when they were in pole position and never relinquished the lead, topping the competition from start to finish.
Gaining a good lap time and maintaining it would be key for Team Gizmos and Gadgets/iRide, Nobrega reckoned, as he thanked the company for once again coming onboard.
“They’ve been a great, great help since the very first round when we reach out to them, and without hesitation they came onboard. We came back to them and again they came onboard with us,” Nobrega related.
Nobrega is urging fans to wear something green on race day in support of Team Gizmos and Gadgets/iRide. Public Relations Officer of the company, Sophia Dolphin, meanwhile is ecstatic to have a presence at the Endurance Rental Cup. She wished the team well and urged motor-racing fans to witness the event, and share in the excitement associated with go-kart racing.
Team MMR meanwhile, has benefitted from a massive sponsorship deal from Turbo Energy Drink, which will last for the entire year. Team MMR/Turbo comprises Rohindra Mahase, Luis Kumar and WR Reaz, who were delighted to be spotted by an international brand coming out of Jamaica.
Apart from covering the cost of entering the competition, the sponsorship also covers the team’s practice sessions in the lead-up to the monthly events.
“Sponsorship is always welcomed and to have a company like Turbo Energy Drink spotting us. As an international company, it augers well for not only Team MMR/Turbo, but motor-racing in general, because this is a company we’re looking to come onboard with motor-racing in general and they’ve started with us, so we’re very happy at the moment,” Reaz pointed out.
For one of the team members, Luis Kumar, last month’s event provided a maiden opportunity for him to compete against the professionals. He is once again looking forward to helping his team better their sixth place finish among the eight teams in the 500lb Class.
“Basically it was a new experience for me, competing at the professional level. I did some go-karting before, but this was the first official race for me, racing against drivers that raced at South Dakota and beyond. I think moving forward, we (Team MMR/Turbo) can do better, both as a team and individually,” Kumar shared.
Team MMR/Turbo drivers believe that the monthly Endurance Rental Cup, which is now a monthly feature by GT Motorsports, has the potential to grow into something massive for motor-racing in Guyana.
“I think this is a new breed of motor-racing. It brought Luis Kumar out on the race track and it has brought a lot of other drivers, and young drivers are eager, they want to do that track feel altogether. I think this will continue to grow,” Reaz mentioned.
Apart from Turbo Energy Drink, Team MMR also has the backing of Guytrac and Elegance Jewelry and Pawn Shop.
A total of 48 drivers will take to the track to compete in the second monthly Endurance Rental Cup, starting at 19:00h on Wednesday. They will battle in two divisions- 500 and 600lb Class- both of which will see teams of three drivers each racing for one hour combined.
The three drivers are required to complete 20 minutes of driving, and at the end of the hour, the team with the most laps will be declared champion. The evening’s action is being sponsored by Secure Innovations and Concepts, Auto Fashion, Monster Energy Drink and Karcher. Admission to the event is free.
