At times, motorsport is truly a spectacle of slim margins, and this was most evident throughout the day in three fascinating Group Four races where Vishok Persaud and Mark Vieira battled as protagonists.
It was only the first round of the Guyana Motor Racing & Sports Club (GMRSC) Circuit race meet at the South Dakota Circuit, but based on the quality of action, the second round and the culmination in November are shaping to be blockbusters.
Though not the biggest grid of Group Four competitors, Persaud and Vieira treated the faithful fans to high-octane action from race one of their duels.
In the first race, Persaud, who qualified on pole the previous day, held the advantage until he apparently slowed down in the gooseneck as Mohan Rangasammy and his RX-7 looked to be having mechanical troubles and were veering into the path of Persaud’s KTM X-BOW.
Vieira took the opportunity to overtake and never relinquished the lead.
The second race was quite chanceless for Persaud as he led from start to finish, but the final had all the drama and excitement for fans.
It took a superb piece of clinical driving from Persaud to overtake Vieira on the high speeds of turn one early in the race.
From there, it was a cat-and-mouse affair, with Vieira prowling for any slight opening.
However, skillful defensive driving ensured the checkered flag dropped when Persaud crossed the line.
It meant two first places and a second were the rewards of a stellar day of racing for the ENet-powered team.
Unofficially, Persaud leads the 2024 Group Four championship with 68 points, while Vieira ended the day with 61 points, including one first-place and two second-place finishes.
New Group Three Lap Record
If he was not battling Persaud in Group Four, Vieira was piloting the Lotus Exige, owned by club President Mahendra ‘Raj’ Boodhoo.
Unofficially, he lowered the Group Three lap record to 1:21.033 seconds, replacing the 1:25.100 set by Danny Persaud and his Mazda Miata in 2022.
Vieira also holds the track record at 1:16.271 seconds, achieved in SR3 radical in November 2022, while Vishok Persaud’s 1:16.691 seconds is the Group Four lap record.
Danny Persaud won the second Group Three race, placed second in the third, and took two third places in Group Four.
Other impressive performances of the day came from Raymond Seebarran, who won all three Street Tuner races, while Anand Ramchand won two and got a second in the Starlet Cup, along with two second places in Group Three.
The consistent Shan Seejattan won two out of three Group Two races, Chet Singh won the other, and Jeremy Ten Pow got two firsts and a third in his Rookie class debut.
Powered by ENet, Matthew Vieira continued his unrivaled dominance in the two-wheel action, winning both Suopertock (A) races ahead of Kevin Persaud.
The next scheduled event by the club will be round two of drag racing on May 18, followed by Circuit Racing on June 30.
Some Guyanese are also interested in attending the Trinidad and Tobago Motor Sport Association Circuit race meet on May 26
PRESENTATION PHOTOS:https://www.facebook.com/newsroomgy/posts/pfbid0fSS5YqLHw7qKHf3Tw9MksVmaGaBenD2muNmf3faPytStu2EvjzksveYtH8SeKB91l
FULL RESULTS: https://speedhive.mylaps.com/livetiming/4E6AE3EE27B6FCE9-2147483971
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GROUP FOUR |
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| POSITION | RACE ONE | RACE TWO | RACE THREE |
| FIRST | Mark Vieira | Vishok Persaud | Vishok Persaud |
| SECOND | Vishok Persaud | Mark Vieira | Mark Vieira |
| THIRD | Danny Persaud | Danny Persaud | Mahendra Boodhoo |
