Ming leads Briggs Heavy, Light categories after strong double performance

Calvin Ming put on a masterclass at the 555 Speedway, claiming control of both the Briggs Senior Heavy and Briggs Senior Light categories after a dominant double performance in the opening round of the Need for Speed Karting Championship.

Driving kart number 4, Ming was the class of the field in the Briggs Senior Heavy division. After securing pole position in qualifying, he converted his pace into a heat victory.

Despite slipping to second in the pre-final, Ming bounced back in style during the final, delivering a commanding drive to take the checkered flag and pocket the maximum 25 points, leaving him atop the standings with 55 points overall.

Mikhail Persaud remains his closest challenger in the Heavy standings on 41 points. Driving kart number 34, Persaud enjoyed a remarkably consistent weekend, finishing second in both the heat and the final, but he already faces a 14-point deficit to the championship leader. Jeremy Tenpow sits just three points further back in third after a strong showing that yielded a pre-final victory.

“I’m really happy to come away with the win because Mikhail gave me a great run all day and Jeremy also drove phenomenally,” Ming said after the race, praising the rising standard of competition in Guyana. “The racing was tight but always fair… The talent in Guyana is steadily increasing.”

Behind the lead trio, Steven Nobrega and Salim Azeez are locked together on 24 points, with Nobrega taking fourth spot by virtue of his fourth-place finish in the final.

If Ming’s Heavy campaign was impressive, his performance in the Briggs Senior Light category was utterly flawless. A clean sweep of the weekend—taking pole, the heat, the pre-final, and the final—saw him maximise his haul to exit the weekend with 58 points.

Yet, the championship leader admitted the victory was far from straightforward, relying on metronomic consistency after building an early cushion.“I managed to get about a half-second lead at the start of the final, and that turned out to be crucial because for the rest of the race the guys were chasing me down,” Ming revealed. “I don’t think any of my laps varied by more than a tenth of a second… I think I was only the fourth-fastest driver in the final on outright lap time, which says everything about the level of competition.”

Nobrega occupies second in the Light standings on 40 points after a highly competitive outing, with Justin Tenpow lurking in third on 35 points. Zachary Persaud (31 points) and Khalil Rickford (24 points) round out the top five.

The paddock now faces a lengthy summer break to analyse the data and find a way to halt Ming’s momentum before the championship resumes at the Leonora stadium on September 13. (Modified Press Release)