See below press release by the Guyana Motor Racing and Sports Club
On Saturday 4th November, 2023, during the course of the qualifying session of the Super Stock Bikes class, competitor #3, James Westmoreland riding for Team Mohamed’s, showed a lap time of 1:15.798s on the timing screens.
At the end of the day’s qualifying session, this time was recognised as a new overall track record.
However, during the course of the next 24 hours, video surfaced showing that competitor #3 went straight through a run off road instead of going through the sequence of corners according to the official track layout.
Subsequently, marshals positioned at several marshal posts in the vicinity of where the run off area is located, confirmed that the rider did indeed go straight through the run off area.
One of these marshals was able to visually identify the individual who recorded the video and subsequently made contact with them.
In order to further examine and verify the video evidence, the owner of the video recording was invited to present the video on the mobile phone with which it was recorded.
The video was examined and verified in the presence of the GMR&SC president, Mahendra Boodhoo, the Chief Time Keeper, Chief Scrutineer, the marshal who witnessed and identified the author of the video, a representative of competitor #3 of Team Mohamed’s and other GMR&SC executive members.
The time the video was recorded, coincides with the time of the lap in question being recorded less than a minute later. All parties involved and present accepted that this was sufficient evidence to invalidate the lap time.
As a result, the overall track record awarded to competitor #3, James Westmoreland, has now been rescinded.
The previous track record of 1:16.271s, set by competitor #58, Mark Vieira in a Radical SR3 at the International Race of Champions held Sunday 22nd November, 2022, is now officially reinstated.
It must be noted that, according to the evidence presented and the account of several corner marshals, competitor #3 was unable to enter the corner in a safe manner and had no choice but to go straight through the run off area.
It has been determined that the cutting of the corner was NOT done in a deliberate manner.
Then #3 should have informed the authorities and disqualify himself. Without that Video, this cheating would
have been perpetrated on the public.