Summerbell

The strategic plan for the third and final leg of the Caribbean Motor Racing Championship (CMRC) in Guyana paid rich dividends as Jamaica's David Summerbell clinched two third-place finishes to lift the regional title for the fourth time.

"The competition was very stiff, but the plan was for Summerbell to drive cautiously in the two first races, then go all out in the third and final event," Hilary Jardine told The Gleaner yesterday.

Jardine, president of the Jamaica Race Drivers' Club (JRDC), stressed that the Jamaicans were unable to defend the team title because only two Jamaican drivers participated in the final leg of the championship, Summerbell and Chris Campbell.

"I felt elated," Jardine said, referring to Summerbell's success, added ahead of last night's presentation ceremony.

A tired Summerbell, who flew late yesterday afternoon, attributed the success to his sponsor, Total Jamaica, and his hard-working team, which included Bobby Marshall, Garnet Johnson and Carl Garden.

No 'relaxing moment'

"My car was running well, plus, even though I was leading on points, I have been racing too long to know that one simple mistake can put you out of the race. Although it was easy on one hand, there was never a relaxing moment for me," Summerbell told The Gleaner yesterday.

According to a report published yesterday in the Guyana daily, Stabroek, Sunday's event was filled with non-stop, pulsating racing at the South Dakota Circuit where the CMRC concluded.

The report said the 40-year-old Summerbell amassed a total of 60 points from the three stages, securing outright wins in his homeland, a win and a second place in Barbados in August and two third-place finishes on Sunday.

Reports are that the day's event was dominated by Guyana's motor cyclist, Stephen 'Valentino Rossi' Vieira, and Barbados' Roger Mayers, who erased Summer-bell's previous track record.

Thousands of Guyanese fans got a chance to finally see Mayers literally eat up the competition in his first two races, winning by huge margins.

Guyana's top driver, Andrew King, returned two creditable second-place finishes. While acknowledging King's invigorating drive, Mayers said his defeat was merely due to a major tyre wear, which affected the traction needed to get his machine moving.

King finished his run in the series with 42 points, even though he did not attend the first event in Jamaica. Barbados won the team championship, followed by Jamaica and Guyana.