AS the opening round of the Seaboard Marine Caribbean Motor Racing Championship (CMRC) takes shape this weekend at JamWest Speedway, Little London, Westmoreland, Guyana has made no bones about their seriousness in capturing top honours in all four categories.

“Guyana will be 71 strong with six drivers and four riders,” Silbourne Clarke, Jamaica Race Drivers Club (JRDC) director, told Auto.

Guyanese racers, father-and-son duo Kevin and Stephen Jeffery, lead their nation’s charge. However, they will not have it all their way, as Franklyn Boodram represents the twin-island republic of Trinidad and Tobago with what has been termed the most technologically modern race car in the Caribbean, a Renault Sport Mégane Trophy. With the absence of Jamaican heavy hitters David Summerbell Jr and Doug Gore’s Audi TT-R DTM, Boodram will have the task of injecting excitement into the crowd with the Renault’s 3.5-litre 325 horsepower V6.

Despite the home country advantage, Jamaica will have to rely on a smaller contingent led by a recovering Peter Rae, whose Mazda suffered major damage at the CMRC’s final round in Guyana last year. Christopher Campbell, George Bayley and Peter ‘Bull’ Thompson joins Rae, who has been trying to source funding to fix his car, in Group 4. Group 3 sees the likes of Natasha Chang, Peter Jaggon, and Noel Golding Jr. Representing Jamaica in Group 2 are Owen Campbell and Vivian Mitchell. Jamaica’s bikers will also face off against a strong contingent.

For the first time ever, the CMRC will be held away from Dover Raceway. There has also been the addition of a new racing class, Group 3. CMRC round one features two days of racing, with qualifying on Saturday and a full day’s racing programme on Sunday. The event is part of the SpeedWest Weekend, adding drag racing and an Import Tuner Party/Car Show on Saturday night courtesy of Skunk Nation.