By Travis Seymour
The Guyana Motor Racing and Sports Club’s Drag Wars 3 event at the South Dakota Circuit was a showcase of speed and skill, but also faced unexpected challenges from the weather.
Drag racer Malicia Lawrence stole the spotlight on Sunday, clinching victory in the open 14-second class with her Toyota Altezza, clocking a remarkable 13.037 seconds.
She also emerged victorious in the women’s class, outpacing Farzeena Khan, who finished second in her Toyota Altezza.
Peter Daby secured the fastest time of the day in the ten-second class, driving his Mazda RX-7 to a time of 10.207 seconds.
On the female side, Fiona Dhanpat’s Cadillac ATS was the second fastest of the day.
The event, however, was not without its disruptions.
A severe thunderstorm brought rain, lightning, and thunder to the track, resulting in a lightning strike that damaged the timing system and struck an official in the timing booth.
Fortunately, the official sustained no life-threatening injuries.
Due to the storm, only the 16-second class could be completed with the timing system.
Mark Bobb-Semple won this category with his Toyota MR2, while Julian Chunh took second place in his Toyota Corolla AE 91.
For the remainder of the event, organizers resorted to ‘drop-hand’ races to finish the competition.
In other categories, Kevin Singh won the 15-second class with his Toyota Corolla, Shai Bipat triumphed in the 13-second class with his Toyota Altezza, and Shawn Persaud claimed victory in the 12-second group with his Toyota Caldina.
Javid Baksh dominated the 11-second race, and the 14-second class was left incomplete due to insufficient lighting.
In motorcycle races, Shem Chattersingh won the 600cc race with his Suzuki GSX, and Jermain Chattersingh took the 1000cc race on his Suzuki Hayabusa.
Despite the weather challenges, the event highlighted the exceptional talents of local racers and showcased the resilience of the Guyanese motorsports community.