To complement the development of the Drag Racing Strip, the new executives of the Guyana Motor Racing and Sports Club (GMR&SC) will be conducting repairs to the South Dakota Circuit to allow both Drag and Circuit Racing to effectively co-exist on the same surface.
According to Committee Member Gavin Gayadin, the club has received quotations between G$5-6 million “just to get the track race-ready”, and that work along with the preparation for the track’s expansion will be funded by the club.
In April 2018, FIA officials conducted a preliminary inspection at the South Dakota Circuit to assess the further development needed to accommodate high-level action, such as Formula 4 cars for the North and Central American Championship (NACAM).
With that in mind, the new executive is keen and pressing ahead with the preparatory infrastructural works of the US$3M project.
“It is not just the extension, it is all the other amenities- the pits, parking, and everything else- and we are being ambitious in targeting [completion for] the first race meeting for 2023, which should be in March. Once the stars are aligned and we get the corporate, government and the support of the club, we are very optimistic we should finish,” Gayadin explained.
Committee Member Mark Vieira explained the support they would seek from the government is to help offset the expenses since the club has the capacity to execute most of the work.
“I know the number seems high, but with the wide cooperation from the government, it is not necessary for them to give us money but they control a lot of things like the asphalt plant, sand and loom pits. So, if you give us materials, we can move forward with it. We have strategic partners that would do paving for us etc.”
The seasoned racer added, “Any corporate entity that wants to be affiliated with GMR&SC we would love to have them. As I said, 25,000 people at a race meeting and you can see from now we are moving forward to try and get bigger numbers.”
To accommodate the growing numbers, the club plans to put, for now, more temporary seating and washroom facilities for fans, with a bigger goal of getting pristine facilities when the track expansion occurs.
Such a development would help Guyana to match Barbados’ Bushy Park Circuit, which has an FIA Grade 3 course license along with the most immaculate facilities for drivers and fans.
The immediate focus for the new executive is the June 19 Endurance race meet at the South Dakota Circuit.
