The Guyana Motor Racing & Sports Club (GMR&SC) following an investigation, has deemed the lap time (1:15.798s) set by James Westmoreland, a Super Stock Biker for Team Mohamed’s as invalid.
The previous track record of 1:16.271s, which was set by Mark Vieira in a Radical SR3 at the International Race of Champions November 22, 2022, is now officially reinstated.
Westmoreland’s time was set last Saturday during the qualifying session of the ENet Caribbean ‘Clash of Champions’ meet at the South Dakota Circuit.
In a press release to the media yesterday, the GMR&SC stated; “During the course of the qualifying session of the Super Stock Bikes class, competitor #3, James Westmoreland, riding for Team Mohamed’s, showed a lap time of 1:15.798 on the timing screens. At the end of the day’s qualifying session, this time was recognized as a new overall track record.
“During the course of the next 24 hours, video surfaced showing that competitor #3 went straight through a run off road instead of going through the sequence of corners according to the official track layout. “Subsequently, marshals positioned at several marshal posts in the vicinity of where the run off area is located, confirmed that the rider did indeed go straight through the run off area. One of these marshals was able to visually identify the individual who recorded the video and subsequently made contact with the individual.
“In order to further examine and verify the video evidence, the owner of the video recording was invited to present the video on the mobile phone with which it was recorded. “The video was examined and verified in the presence of the GMR&SC president, Mahendra Boodhoo, the Chief Timekeeper, Chief Scrutineer, the marshal who witnessed and identified the author of the video, a representative of competitor #3 of Team Mohamed’s and other GMR&SC executive members,” the release continued. According to the GMR&SC, the timeframe that the video was recorded, “coincides with the time of the lap in question being recorded less than a minute later. All parties involved and present accepted that this was sufficient evidence to invalidate the lap time. As a result the overall track record awarded to competitor #3, James Westmoreland, has now been rescinded,” the release stated.
In closing, the GMR&SC noted; “according to the evidence presented and the account of several corner marshals, competitor #3 was unable to enter the corner in a safe manner and had no choice but to go straight through the run off area. It has been determined that the cutting of the corner was NOT done in a deliberate manner”. It is understood that Westmoreland’s run-off incident and subsequent lap record at the time, was at the heart of a physical altercation and subsequent shooting threat involving Team Mohamed’s manager Maurice Meneze and Mark Vieira. In a correspondence seen by Stabroek Sports, a physical altercation ensued between Meneze and Vieira after which the former then threatened to shoot the latter.
The GMR&SC later handed down a penalty of a three place demotion on the grid for all three of Team Mohamed’s bikers.
