The final preparations are now being made for Sunday’s third and final leg of the Caribbean Motor Racing Championships (CMRC).
Drivers and bikers are putting on the finishing touches and fine tuning their minds, bodies and machines to transform the South Dakota Circuit into a speedway for some of the fastest big boy toys in the Caribbean.
Kemal Rahaman is one of them, even though he is one handed. Yes one handed.
Driving casually on the streets is a task for some, much more driving one handed while racing at speeds of more than a 100 miles an hour.
Rahaman thrives on this.
“I’ve proven that if you have a handicap you can still hang with the big boys” the past Group 2 and 3 champion told Stabroek Sport yesterday. “I do everything, the handicap doesn’t keep me back.”
The U.S based daredevil who lost his right hand at the age of seven in a meat grinder is looking to end his 13-year hiatus on the local racing scene by waving the checkered flag on Sunday.
“I haven’t raced in because the rules changed and they banned my motor but things have changed again. I have a big fan base here and I am looking forward to winning again. A lot of disabled kids and adults are happy to meet me because they see me as an inspiration. They say if he can do it, I can, it’s funny, you should see the one handed and one foot people that will be there just to see me on Sunday.
Rahaman said yesterday that his Mazda RX7 “will be up to speed” for qualifiers by Saturday and he is geared towards earning the top spot on the grid.
Dubbed the ‘one hand wonder’, Rahaman has racked up wins against the likes of Ryan Rahaman, Kemal Seebarran, Jad Rahaman and others and also won Group 4 events.
“I always loved racing so I had to find a way to do it with my disability and I excelled so it goes to show you can do a lot of things you put your mind to.”
Winning will be on Rahaman’s mind come Sunday.
This year’s leg will line-up is nothing short of impressive, attracting drivers like Jamaica’s David Summerbell and Peter Rae, Barbados’ Stuart and Mark Maloney Trinidad and Tobago’s Franklin Boodram and Guyana’s ‘Big Four’ Kevin and Kristian Jeffrey, Andrew King and Mark Vieira.
Organisers are promising that Sunday’s event will have all the colour and pomp we have come to expect over the years with plenty of entertainment for the whole family. See you there. (Emmerson Campbell)
