Strong regional entry for Williams Digicel International

Regional competitors chasing the separate GP2 and Motorcycle crowns in the 2011 Seaboard Marine Caribbean Motor Racing Championship (CMRC) bring to nearly 20 the number of overseas entries already confirmed for the Williams Digicel International Race Meet at Bushy Park on August 27/28.

After a trial run last year, when representatives of BARL and the Guyana Motor Racing & Sports Club (GMR&SC) agreed that the CMRC should encompass a wider range of competitors than simply those in Group 4, the Seaboard Marine GP2 Championship has become a reality this season.

With Barbados, Guyana and host country Jamaica represented on the seven-car grid, round one was run in May at Dover Raceway, where Barbados made a big impression: Mark Thompson (Glassesco/NKM Clothing/Bio Beauty Day Spa/KDJ Auto Parts/Lucozade Energy/Global Produce Toyota Starlet) claimed pole position, with Kenrick Husbands (Williams Equipment/Hilti Starlet) second, nine-tenths adrift.

Thompson then cleaned up in the first two races, but failed to finish the third after an incident involving Guyana's 2010 Rookie Champion Raj Singh, who went on to win; following a Stewards' meeting, Singh was sanctioned and Husbands handed the victory . . . and that meant he equalled David Summerbell Jr's record of winning races at each of the Caribbean tracks they have raced on.

Despite his demotion to second place in the final race at Dover, it is still Singh (Best Buy Auto/Cellular Plus/Central Electronics Honda Civic) who leads the title chase from Thompson by five points, with Husbands tied with Guyana's triple Group 2A Champion Chet Singh (Best Buy Auto/Cellular Plus/Central Electronics Civic) for third place. Guyana's third team member John Joseph (D & G Foreign Auto Civic) is fifth – all three will race at Bushy Park at the end of the month.

Edward Corbin (Kumho Tyres/Automotive Art/Corbins Garage/Klark Odio/JVM Signage Starlet) and three-time Overall Champion Karl Waterman (Starlet) complete the home team for the Seaboard Marine GP2, which will run concurrently with BARL Group 2C.

In the Seaboard Marine Motorcycle Championship, no local riders contested the opening round at Dover, so will be playing catch-up to those from Guyana and Jamaica that did. The opening race was won by four-time Jamaican Champion Stefan Chin (superwifi.com Honda CBR600RR), with Guyana's reigning Superbike Champion and Bushy Park lap record-holder Stephen Vieira (Sunburst Suzuki GSX-R600) claiming the other two, giving him the edge in the standings.

Canadian veteran Craig Atkinson will make his Barbados debut, representing Guyana aboard the Caribbean Food Basket/Back to Eden/Acme Slate/Kahuna Powersports Suzuki GSX-R600 on which he finished fourth, third and fourth at Dover. Jamaica's Halquin Rodney claimed two third places on the ‘Money Bike' Yamaha YZF-R6 at Bushy Park last year, and remains competitive, with two thirds and a fourth in the opening round at Dover. Dwight Smart (Kawasaki Ninja) completes Jamaica's three-man team.

Double Barbados Champion Ryan Beckles will campaign the Demario's Cycle/Becksbikes Performance/Brawn/JC Technology/Amsoil Suzuki GSX-R600, hoping to better the one third and two fifth places he claimed against the regional competition last year. The other team members are Brook Miller (Bridgestone/VP/Nozamo Records/Rid-a-Bug/Ray's Cycle Shop Aprilia SXV550), who had a second and two fourth places last year, Dexter Small (Yamaha YZF-R1) and Roderick Stewart (Honda CBR1000RR).

Motorcycle Champion Ryan Beckles was among the hundreds who gathered for BARL's first Meet the Drivers promotion in the car park of Mall Internationale, Haggatt Hall last Friday evening (August 12). In addition to his bike, more than a dozen race cars were on display, there were driver interviews and two lucky winners went home with new Digicel phones.

BARL Chairman Adrian Mayers said: "This was by far the best turn out for an opening promo lime. I was impressed with the response from our membership, drivers and public. Next week will be even better as we get into the Group 4 rotation, with the likes of Mark Maloney, Barry Mayers, Stuart Williams and others."

Williams Digicel International Race Meet timeline

Friday, August 12 – 4:00pm: Meet the Drivers promo, Mall Internationale, Haggatt Hall
Friday, August 19 – 4:00pm: Meet the Drivers promo, Mall Internationale, Haggatt Hall
Friday, August 26 – 4:00pm: Meet the Drivers promo, Bushy Park, St Philip
Saturday, August 27 – 1:00pm: Qualifying, Bushy Park
Sunday, August 28 – 8.00am: Williams Digicel International Race Meet
Monday, August 29 – 7.00pm: Prizegiving
* all times are approximate