With the extended South Dakota track set to be in use for this weekend’s International race meet organized by the Guyana Motor Racing & Sports Club (GMR&SC), safety is being pressed as a top priory for all stakeholders involved.
For this weekend, the club will not be using the 0.78-mile track which persons would have come to know over the year but rather the 1.6-mile extended track which came to fruition due to a strategic partnership between the Government, the club, and the private sector.
After a meeting with media and competitors on Wednesday evening, the new safety guidelines were outlined for all patrons.
As a start, patrons can only access the in-field viewing by using the access point by the airport entrance (the exit of the gooseneck).
Those who come to the track from the Highway will have to stay beyond the fences (turning right or left after passing security) to reach the access point and await clearance from a marshal to enter the in-field.
Apart from the VIP arrangements in-field or at certain vantage points at the track, patrons will have to stay either in the stands or behind the new fences erected.
No unauthorized personnel is allowed to be on the track, even the media, they can only enter the track through the mobile marshals and they must wear reflective attire.
Veteran racer, Mark Vieira, who has been a key player in the expansion, said “a fantastic time is coming” as Guyanese would be very proud to see what the club has achieved with the overwhelming support from the government and private sector due to the vision of President Dr. Irfaan Ali.
Vieira dubbed it to be “one of the fastest tracks in the Caribbean” as Group Four cars will potentially exceed 155 miles per hour and some corner speeds will be 125 miles per hour “which is unheard of in the Caribbean as only in Europe you see tracks like that.”
The immediate aim of the club is to have an FIA Grade 3 course and with further investments, an FIA Grade 2, which would make it the premier racing facility in the Caribbean.
The next phase will entail the installation of further safety apparatus and more secure fences, while phase three will be the construction of stands and other amenities.
Adult tickets cost $2,500 and children $1,000.
Saturday is practice and qualifying and is free to attend while the action starts on Sunday from 08:00h.
