Jamaica’s Daley Jr runs ‘red hot’ at Georgetown Grand Prix

The man regarded as the number one karter in the Caribbean, Collin Daley Jr., lived up to that billing on Saturday night, wowing patrons and stunning his opponents with strategic driving and brave impulse at the season-ending Georgetown Grand Prix Final Showdown.

The 20-year-old Jamaican, competing in Guyana for the first time, displayed an excellent command of the GT Motorsports track, despite arriving in the country only a day prior to the event.

Daley Jr. competed in the Shifter Pro Cup and 125cc Senior categories, headlining the list of top performers on the night. Also closing off the year in impressive fashion were Jeremy Tenpow, Rayden Persaud, Jonathon Law, Raymond Baksh and Raymond Seebarran. Also enjoying a good night on the track were Darryl Timmers, Dharmendra Dharmo and Ralph Persaud.

Donning a Red Bull-branded outfit and white helmet, Daley Jr. signalled his intentions early, qualifying on pole for the Shifter Cup with a time of 30.916s, faster than Stefan Jeffrey (Guyana) 30.969s, Darryl Timmers (Canada) 31.021s, Kristian Jeffrey (Guyana) 31.254s, Orry Hunte (Barbados) 31.652s and Elliott Vieira (Guyana) 31.690s.
The highly anticipated showdown between Daley Jr. and Guyana’s top Shifter competitor Kristian Jeffrey was a bit one-sided early on with Jeffrey encountering mechanical issues. Daley Jr. also suffered a cut chain in his opening Shifter race just when he was starting to gain momentum.
However, the Jeffrey did manage to test the Jamaican later in the night. In the second Shifter race, which was a reverse grid, Daley Jr. started back of the pack (fifth) and worked his way up to second, just behind Jeffrey.
As the intensity grow and the gap between the two lessened, the crowd’s anticipation of a fantastic finish quickly evaporated as the Jamaican’s attempt to overtake on a turn resulted in a collision and both men spinning out. It was a disappointing end to what was sizing to be a close and exciting climax.
What followed however, was a commendable act of sportsmanship as both drivers rose from their karts and shook hands, ending the possibility of what could have been a dramatic finish to the race.
Daley Jr. ended the night with a first and a second in the 125cc Senior and a first in the Shifter Pro Cup. Jeffrey had one third in the Shifter Pro Cup, and a second and two thirds in the 125cc Senior.
Stefan Jeffrey and Darryl Timmers, who was later named champion driver, won the other two Shifter races, while Jonathon Law copped the champion driver accolade in the 125cc Senior by winning two races.
Earlier, Jeremy Tenpow won two of the Sun Burst Kids Cup 60cc races, but Nathan Rahaman was crowned champion driver with a win and two second place finishes.
Rayden Persaud, with two wins and a third, ruled the roost in the 125cc Junior, with Tommi Gore winning the other race, while Raymond Baksh made a clean sweep of the Easy Cup Rookie, and Raymond Seebarran won two of the Easy Cup Light races.
Dharmendra Dharmo, who was impressive on the night, won the other Easy Cup Light race and also got a third place finish. That apart, Dharmo managed a second and two third place finishes in the Easy Cup Rookie.
Ralph Persaud also had a good night, copping a third and two second place finishes in the Easy Cup Rookie, and two second places in the Easy Cup Light.