South Dakota track complete as GMR&SC readies for Guyana Grand Prix

Motor sport in Guyana is on the cusp of “levelling up” as Guyana prepares to host the third leg of the GT Challenge de las Americas, dubbed locally as the “Guyana Grand Prix”.
The event will bring together a string of high-end GT3 cars, showcasing their prowess at the South Dakota Circuit, Timehri.
As preparations intensify two weeks out from D-day, Guyana Motor Racing and Sports Club (GMR&SC) official Elan Rahaman shared an exclusive update with the Guyana Times Sport on the venue and roads leading towards it.
“I love that everybody is talking about this,” Rahaman declared.
He shared about the South Dakota Track, which needed upgrades: “What has been four months of hard work – night and day, construction fabrication, and constant trips up to South Dakota; we’re finally happy to announce that the track is complete. We’re just cleaning; we’re doing some beautification works, and the track is good. The stage is set for July 12 and 11 for this international event, which is the first GT3 race in our region.”

“We are glad to say, through the Ministry of Public Works, I know Mr Edghill has also taken a few trips up to the South Dakota Circuit, and he’s announced officially that the roads will be complete and in good working order,” Rahaman shared, turning his attention to the access roads. “We have two main entrances; you can either come through the airport route or you can use the Timehri highway. Both are just fine.”
“We urge the general [public] to use the Timehri highway; the only reason is it’s very close to the grandstands that they will be using, food villages and most of the main entertainment. So, if they want to get a good parking spot, use that entrance. If you’re one of the VIP patrons, you could come through the airport road, but of course, feel free to use either, and if you can, carpool on the day of; it is highly recommended,” he advised.
Rahaman went on to share what fans can expect from the event.
The GMR&SC official told this publication, “So, what is GT3 racing? GT3 cars are the pinnacle of enclosed-cockpit racing around the world. What these cars are built for and capable of is truly mind-blowing. These cars are going to go down the front straight at over 260 km an hour. To see that in person, you’ve got to be quick enough to see it, but to see 10-15 of these cars in a row flying by, it’s going to be an amazing spectacle.”
“These are cars that we’re not accustomed to seeing on our roadways and more or less not accustomed to seeing on our racetrack. So, what we’re bringing here, to show the people of Guyana, shows how sport tourism is growing in this country and the development of motor racing as a whole,” he added.
However, racing fans will not have to wait until July 11 to see the beasts in action, as the GMR&SC has planned an interactive showcase in Georgetown on July 4.
He eagerly divulged, “So, if you’re like me and you can’t wait to see these cars and can’t wait to hear them, get a glimpse into what the action is going to look like. On July 4, on Main Street, starting from 5:30PM, you can come out and actually get to see these cars up close, meet some of the drivers, and hear the V10 and the V8 engines roar.”
“They’re actually going to do a short lap from Main Street up to the Seawall and make their way back down. If you want to see these cars and actually get a feel for what GT3 racing is, we urge you to come out.”
Physical ticket sales for the event began on Wednesday last, as Rahaman shared more details on how patrons can secure their spot at the races.
“We’ve seen great engagement from our pre-sale. We took a little bit of time to launch our physical tickets, but they’re now available here at our Thomas Lands office, as well as all the Lyft Gym locations in and around Guyana.”
“We urge you to buy it now because it’s going to be a bit more on the actual day of, just so we could get the good numbers and make sure everybody is accommodated,” Rahaman informed.
“We are also selling tickets for Saturday, which is the qualifying; you can still get the same thrills. The cars are going to be out there battling to put their best lap down. Assumably it’s going to be the fastest time they go around the track,” he went on to add.
Set to attract thousands from around the region, Rahaman highlighted the Guyana Grand Prix as a major sport tourism product.
He expressed, “This event is not of a small scale; we’re expecting over 20,000 patrons, 4000 of these being international people coming to Guyana to witness our hospitality, stay at our hotels and eat at our restaurants, and this shows the overwhelming support that the Government has put behind sports tourism.”
“It is one of the biggest growing industries in Guyana, and we’re glad to be part of this growing industry to show that racing can have this international pull of patrons and drivers and foreign nationals; we even have so many people from the diaspora coming back to Guyana just to witness this development and this change in our history,” he continued.
Qualifying will take place on Saturday, July 11, with the main race set for Sunday, July 12. General admission tickets are priced at $4000 for Saturday’s event, while Sunday race-day admission starts at $9000.