Championship leader Vishok Persaud is in pole position after clocking the unofficial fastest lap time of 1:16.084s in Group 4 (2WD) in qualifying at the ENet Caribbean Clash of Champions on Saturday at the South Dakota Circuit.
The lap record, which Persaud currently holds at 1:16.691s, can only be broken during an official race (excluding qualifying and practice).
Powering his KTM X-BOW, Persaud will start top of the grid on Sunday, but Quinlan Lall of the USA has emerged as a strong contender, clocking the second best time of 1:17.157s with his Mazda RX-7.
Hear from the drivers below
“We just tried to put together a quick lap to make sure we’re in front. I think we’re going to have a good run (on Sunday),” Persaud remarked after qualifying.
Lall said: “Vishok is definitely generating his lap time in a different way to us- we have a lot more horsepower, but he’s got a lot more grip. It’s going to be a cat and mouse game between who can get to Turn One first and then I think that will be a really big factor in whose able to win the race.”
Mohan Rangasammy (Mazda RX-7/1:20.663s), Danny Persaud (Lotus Exige/1:22.958s) and Harold Hopkinson (Lotus Exige/1:36.369s) close out the Group 4 (2WD) grid in that order.
In the Group 4 (4WD), Denzel Hopkinson had a best lap time of 1:18.869s, with Andrew King clocking 1:19.019s.
New track record
Early on Saturday, British rider Dan Linfoot set a new South Dakota track record with a blazing 1:15.534s in qualifying, taking pole ahead of Guyanese Matthew Vieira in the Superstock A Class.
Kevin Persaud of Guyana will start P3.
In the Superstock B Class, Alain Hopkinson (1:19.315s) is on pole, with Heeranand ‘Nicholas’ Boodram (1:20.159s) on P2, while in the Street Bike class, Adrian Mohar (1:20.548s) is on pole.
Ray Cappel (1:21.141s) and Jermaine Chattersingh (1:23.047s) are P2 and P3 respectively.
Danny Persaud, Stefan Jeffrey square off in Group 3
Group 3 rivalry is definitely heating up with very little separating fierce rivals Danny Persaud and Stefan Jeffrey.
Persaud, in his Mazda Miata, is in pole position with a best lap time of 1:22.177s, but right on his back is Jeffrey in the Honda Civic with 1:22.316s.
Anand Ramchand (Toyota Starlet EP82/1:26.822s) and Nyron Maraj (Toyota Starlet EP82/1:27.238s) will start in P3 and P4 respectively.
Hear from Danny Persaud below
Azaad Hassan on pole in Sports Tuner/1600cc Class
The ever-consistent Azaad Hassan will start in pole position in the Sports Tuner/1600cc Class on Sunday.
Hassan, in his Toyota Sprinter, had the fastest lap time of 1:28.262s at qualifying on Saturday, with Ryan Rahaman (Toyota Vitz/1:29.454s), Adrian Fernandes (Toyota Levin/1:29.647s), Brandon Singh (Honda Civic/1:30.972s) and Les Thomas (Toyota Vios/1:34.276s) following in that order.
P1 for Steven Nobrega in Starlet Cup
Steven Nobrega is set to start top of the grid in the Starlet Cup.
Nobrega had a best lap time of 1:27.197s, with Syed Hassan (1:28.601s), Allan DaSilva (1:32.149s), Anand Ramchand (1:35.523s) and Nyron Maraj (1:36.767s) occupying the other positions on the grid in that order.
After qualifying on Saturday, Nobrega spoke to News Room’s Avenash Ramzan about the work that went into getting his EP82 in peak condition for this weekend.
‘Speed Queen’s Sharima Khan is back!
Guyana’s ‘Speed Queen’ Sharima Khan- Monarat made a return to competitive racing on Saturday during qualifying.
After a five-year hiatus from the sport, Khan- Monarat encountered some challenges with her neon pink Honda Del Sol, but she is confident those issues will be resolved in time for Sunday’s highly anticipated showdown.
The female category also features Bridgette Singh of Trinidad and Tobago, who is in pole position with a time of 1:37.451s, Emily Ali and Krystin Jaenicke.
Hear from Sharima Khan- Monarat below
In Group 2, Rameez Mohamed (1:25.176s) will start on pole, with Shan Seejatan (1:25.844s) and Neil Persaud (1:26.650s) in P2 and P3 respectively, while Naresh Alves (1:34.961s) is on pole for the Street Tuner/Group 1 Class, with Raymond Seebarran (1:35.693s) in P2 and Zafiro Ramirez (1:35.728s) in P3.
Anthony Evelyn (1:25.958s) is on pole for the Rookies category. Ritesh Singh (1:30.742s) is P2 and Shariff Khan (1:33.065s) in P3.
In the CSM Spec Miata category, Justin Worthman (1:31.352s), Liam Bartlett (1:31.802s) and Michael Rostant (1:31.874s) are the top three on the grid in that order.
On Sunday, the first race will start at 10:00h, following a lap of honour by competitors at 09:30h.
See below race schedule
