Track ready, cars ready: South Dakota ignites this weekend

Story and Photos by Jemima Holmes

In May 1956, the South Dakota Circuit at Timehri had its birth; 70 years later, Guyana’s premier motor sport venue has been given a facelift, with upgrades that put it on par with the rest of the world.
This weekend the track will welcome drivers and teams from Costa Rica, Guatemala, the United States, the Dominican Republic, Portugal, England, Puerto Rico, Panama, Colombia and even Guyana for the third leg of the GT Challenge de las Americas, dubbed the “Guyana Grand Prix”.
Action begins on Saturday, July 11, with qualifying races set for Sunday, July 12.
With all the cars now in Guyana and prepping for track tests from today, the intensity at the Timehri venue is accelerating.
During a final press briefing at the venue on Wednesday, GT Challenge Marketing and Communications Director Silvia Bermudez told fans to expect an exciting event this weekend.
“This weekend, we will celebrate the third round of the GT Challenge, the Guyana Grand Prix. As a championship, we’re also celebrating our expansion into the Caribbean, and we’re very excited to bring this event to Guyana. The GT Challenge has five racing categories: GTS, GTS Lite, GTS Turbo, Super V8 and GTS Junior. The championship is very close this season, so every driver will be fighting for valuable points,” Bermudez shared.

She went on to opine, “This means fans can expect exciting and competitive racing all weekend. Thanks to the addition of cars and teams from Guyana, I can probably say that this is the strongest and most competitive starting grid the GT Challenge has had in its 6-year history.”
On the other hand, Guyana Motor Racing and Sports Club (GMR&SC) President Mohamad Shairaz Roshandin underscored the exclusivity of the competing machines.

Roshandin expressed, “We have team Speedway, which has Renault RS01, which is one of 30 cars in the world, and it’s here in our country to race. The McLaren, which is one of 15 in the world, and only one [of them] races. They have two more at private tracks, and the other 12 are with private owners and museums, so we’re very fortunate to have these cars here. These machines will take over the racetrack; you’ll be seeing 24-25 cars on the track at one time, all high-powered cars. So, be prepared for a day of full entertainment.”
“I would urge everyone to get here early because when we start, we’re working with clock time; we need to proceed according to schedule,” the GMR&SC President later cautioned.
Driven by the efforts and interest of President Dr Irfaan Ali, the GT Challenge de las Americas franchise fee has received, entirely, Private Sector backing, while the South Dakota upgrades have received majority Government support.
Detailing the Government’s involvement in the planning and preparation phase, the Minister within the Sport Ministry, Steven Jacobs, highlighted their vision for the event.

Jacobs noted, “We’ve been talking about the GT Challenge since in Parliament. We announced it live that it will be coming here. We’re creating history; already you’ve seen a number of persons here trying to engage in relation to trying to come in to this country, but if you look at the ticket sales alone, it’s significant.”
“We’re expecting at least 20,000 persons here on Sunday; that is something that should blow everyone’s mind, but it goes back to a vision, a vision from His Excellency [President Dr Irfaan Ali], a vision from Minister Charles as he championed sports for the last five years. A vision where sports tourism and Guyana as a sporting destination is very high on our calendar and you’re seeing it unfolding every single day from the opening of new stadiums to the hosting of major international events.”
“We’re fusing our culture with sports tourism, and you’ll see it on full display,” Jacobs shared.
On the other hand, Sport Minister Charles Ramson Jr also hyped the vision for the Guyana Grand Prix.

“A lot is being said about the event, but people may not understand the magnitude of what we are trying to develop here and why it must be supported as part of a bigger vision that President Ali and the People’s Progressive Party Government have to develop Guyana in a sustainable way,” Minister Ramson said.
“This is a huge event. In fact, there is no bigger motor racing event anywhere in the English-speaking Caribbean, no bigger,” Ramson declared. “When you see these cars flying down this beautiful surface of a circuit and you hear the reverberation of the engine, that it rings through your soul, then you will get the excitement that is so addictive.”
“It’s a bigger vision; it’s not just a motor racing event. This is development of Brand Guyana and Guyana for all Guyanese,” the Sport Minister added.
Aside from the main races, action in the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) Superbike Championship will also take centre stage at the weekend.
General admission tickets are priced at $4000 for Saturday’s event, while Sunday race-day admission starts at $9000. Patrons can purchase tickets at all Lyft Gym locations or at the Guyana Motor Racing and Sports Club (GMR&SC) offices at Thomaslands and Albert Street, Georgetown.