T&T’s Bhola & Boodoosingh for SR3 Cup at Bushy Park

Stop press – Friday, July 6: team-mates from Trinidad & Tobago, Luke Bhola and Kristian Boodoosingh, will make their Radical Caribbean SR3 Cup debuts in round two at Bushy Park Barbados tomorrow (Saturday, July 7); the news was confirmed late Friday, as the cars returning from the opening round of the series in T&T two weeks ago were being unpacked. Both drivers have raced at the St Philip facility before, in the Caribbean Motor Racing Championship, but are new – as is everyone else – to the recently-unveiled 1.28-kilometre/0.79-mile National Circuit on which they will race under lights tomorrow. Bhola is already a front-runner in CMRC Group 2 in 2018 in his Honda Civic, while ‘BoodooStig’s best year-end finish was second in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI to the dominant Kristian Jeffrey of Guyana in 2015. They will be joined on the grid by another SR3 Cup newcomer, Justin Maloney of Barbados, who will drive the car raced in T&T by his uncle Sean, who has had to withdraw from tomorrow’s race meet.

McCartney looks to extend BPMSI points lead

Former Superstock bike racer Devan McCartney is looking to extend his lead in the 2018 Champion Driver title chase as he heads into Bushy Park Motor Sports Inc’s (BPMSI) Night Races tomorrow (July 7). With 75 points, McCartney has a commanding lead, 30 more than his closest rival, following round one in March, where he converted pole position in Group 1 Class 2 in to a string of comfortable race wins – no margin of victory was less than five seconds – in his Zephirins Bakery/CA Autobody Repair Honda CRX.

  He was helped by some major scraps behind for the podium places: Wayne Archer (Archers Hall Design Centre/Arrow Woodworking/Arrow Construction/RW Water/D & A Mechanical Engineering Peugeot 206) and newcomers Verdon Inniss (Rezult Auto Shop/C&C Trucking/Illusion Graphics Toyota Starlet) and Justin Maloney (Bushy Park Driving Experiences Suzuki Swift Sport) all fought their way on to the podium at least once, along with Jermin Pope (Uniform Factory Outlet/Good Time Snacks/Glassesco/PEG Farms Honda Civic) and Sacha Soodeen (Radisson BMW 318ti Compact). McCartney may well be able to capitalise on his advantage in the Group and Class standings, however, as only Archer and Inniss from that number are among confirmed entries for Saturday.

  Racing in the best-subscribed class in the BPMSI Championship, which almost guarantees him a good fistful of points each time out, McCartney is also in a strong position as far as the Champion Driver title chase is concerned. Second-placed Kurt Thompson, who has scored 45 points in his Glassesco/NKM Clothing/Bio-Beauty Honda Civic, and third-placed Soodeen (37pts) are absent.

  That should also work to the benefit of the three drivers currently tied in fourth place, each with 36 points, although one of them, Reigning Champion Driver Andre Walcott (Gp1/C1 Williams Industries/C A Autobody/M-Grafix/SE Performance Suzuki Swift), faces a race against time as he damaged his engine at the Barbados Association of Dragsters & Drifters (BADD) Launch Control 3 last Sunday. Gp2/C1 points leader Junior Benskin (JB Pickling & Painting Services Nissan NX Coupe) and Darren Lashley (Full Line Racing Parts/Hilti/Turk Lashley Motorsport/C & A Autobody Repairs Acura Integra), who heads Gp2/C2, will be hoping to make progress.

  Saturday’s programme will run from day into night, with the first practice session scheduled for 4.15pm and the final race of the day, the traditional Hilti Handicap, slated for 9.30pm. In addition to three races each for the BPMSI 2018 Championship, there will also be three 15-lap races qualifying for round three of the Radical Caribbean SR3 Cup.

BPMSI Round 2

Saturday, July 7, 4.00 to 10.00pm (Gates open 4.00pm): General Admission - $10; Clubhouse - $20; Hammer 4x4 Zone – Vehicle $15 & $10 per person; Children 11 years and under Free. Tickets available on the gate, on-line at www.bushyparkbarbados.com and at the Bushy Park Circuit Office

Provisional timetable

4.15pm: Practice 1 - Groups 2, 3 & 4

4.30pm: Practice 2 - Group 1

4.45pm: Practice 3 - SR3 Cup

5.00pm: Qualifying 1 - Groups 2, 3 & 4

5.15pm: Qualifying 2 - Group 1

5.30pm: Qualifying 3 - SR3 Cup

6.00pm: Race 1 - Groups 2, 3 & 4, Round 2, Race 1 (8 laps)

6.15pm: Race 2 - Group 1, Round 2, Race 1 (8 laps)

6.30pm: Race 3 – Radical Caribbean SR3 Cup, Round 2, Race 1 (15 laps)

7.00pm: Refreshment Break

7.30pm: Race 4 - Groups 2, 3 & 4, Round 2, Race 2 (8 laps)

7.45pm: Race 5 - Group 1, Round 2, Race 2 (8 laps)

8.00pm: Race 6 - Radical Caribbean SR3 Cup, Round 2, Race 2 (15 laps)

8.30pm: Race 7 - Groups 2, 3 & 4, Round 2, Race 3 (8 laps)

8.45pm: Race 8 - Group 1, Round 2, Race 3 (8 laps)

9.00pm: Race 9  - Radical Caribbean SR3 Cup, Round 2, Race 2 (15 laps)

9.30pm: Race 10 - Hilti Handicap (10 laps)