Driver Isa Deen showed he is raring to go this new racing season, taking two first-place finishes in round one of the T&T Automobiles Sports Association (TTASA) National Race Of Champions Circuit Racing on Sunday.
The first round of the competition was held at the Wallerfield International Raceway and due to a lower than anticipated competitor turn-out forced Race Director of the day, Ryan Peyrau, to combine the circuit racing groups since individual groups were not constituted. The event consisted of two races per category - Group one, Group two, Groups three/four combined, Bikes, Time Attack and Radicals.
The low competitor turnout also meant that qualifying was facilitated before the start of the event, as opposed to being held on the previous day.
Competing in Group two, Deen battled Arvin Singh for the top spot and prevailed with Singh in second spot and Keeva Seegobin in third. Race two saw similar results, this time though Saleem Deen, brother of Isa took third.
This followed the Time Attack groups, where the battle of the EK civics occurred between Moses Moonsie and Shiva Maharaj. Moonsie claimed the win with a time of 49.355 seconds and Maharaj clocked a time of 49.471s. The second session rendered similar results, this time Moonsie entered the 48s range with a time of 48.892s.
In the two wheels, both races saw familiar faces on the podium as Kiel Abraham took first, Nicholas Gonzales and Jamaul Thompson in second and third, respectively. The fastest bike time of the day went to Abraham with a time of 42.135s. A fall from Arthurton George in race one meant his day was over early as his bike sustained great damage, though he walked away unharmed.
Back in the cars for Group one, Saleem took another podium in the first race, leaving Aslim Ali and Darrel Singh behind in second and third. The second race saw Ali and Saleem trade positions, while Singh remained in third.
The combined Groups three/four race saw the likes of Ronald Wortman (Honda Civic), Kristian Boodoosingh (Honda Civic), Franklyn Boodram (Renault Megane) and TTASA president Fyzool Madan (Audi DTM).
Race one was action-packed from the get-go as Boodoosingh and Boodram battled for the first place, unfortunately, a mechanical failure on Boodoosingh’s Honda, caused him to run off into the bottom corner, ending his day. Boodoosingh left unharmed and the race ended with Boodram in first, Wortman in second and Madan in third.
The second race, unfortunately, lasted less than a lap as carnage occurred in the top corner at the start of the race due to contact between Madan and Boodram. The incident caused Boodram’s Megane to roll multiple times, the driver sustained only a fractured wrist but was taken to the health facility for further observation.
The final races between the Radicals, a recent addition to the local motorsport itinerary, saw Isa for another podium in both races with Zachary Boodram and Ravi Singh in second and third, respectively. The second race saw Ravi Singh in second and Madan in third. Isa remained in first.