‘Speed Queen’ pumped ahead of CMRC this weekend

By Akeem Greene

After five years of competing in Guyana and producing moments of dominance, Sharima ‘Speed Queen’ Khan will take her skills to Trinidad and Tobago for the second leg of the 2018 Caribbean Motor Racing Championship (CMRC) this weekend.

It will be her first time competing outside of Guyana, and the determined young woman is looking to make a mark on the championship.

“I am very excited about it, especially since a lot of my fan base always want to know when I will start touring. This is my first and depends on how the car performs we plan on visiting the other legs in Jamaica and Barbados,” she told News Room Sport on Wednesday (June 20) ahead of departure on Thursday.

According to Khan, visiting the Wallerfield raceway in 2016 as a spectator has given her some insight on what to expect on race day. More so, based on the advice of father Rafeeq Khan, a veteran race car driver, she thinks she will quickly adapt.

“He told me I should cut fear out of it since it is a foreign track and I have never driven before. I was there in 2016 as spectator for CMRC and the track seems more difficult than Guyana, but I am still very confident.  All I need is a few laps to get to know the track and I think I will be ready for that level of competition,” Khan reckoned.

Khan, who is popularly known as ‘Speed Queen’, explained she has made several changes to her Honda Del Sol to reach 1600cc as she begins the journey to craft her own legacy in the sport.

“For me at the end of my career I would like to say I toured, especially with regards to touring the other courses in the Caribbean,” she said.

Khan is appreciative of the support of Mohamed’s Enterprise, Indar Auto Collision, GFX Racing, Rising Rock Soundz, Sun Down Audio and Vex Production, along with Khan’s Halaal Restaurant and Khan’s Tow Truck Services for making her maiden overseas participation possible.

The 22-year-old further stated that she would venture into Group Two should her car work to perfection and try to gain points for her country in the CMRC.

Khan will be joined Mark Vieira (Mazda RX -7 and Radical SR3), Andrew King (Mazda RX-7), Rameez Mohamed (Toyota Starlet and Honda Civic), Haniff Mohamed (Honda Civic) and bikers Matthew Vieira and Matt Truelove as the Guyanese on the track this weekend.