Canada’s Craig Atkinson ready for Guyana’s racing track

– anticipates great victory at Caribbean Motor Racing Championship

By Ravendra Madholall

Experienced motorcycle racer Graig Atkinson of Canada is highly confident of doing well on Sunday at the third and final leg of the 2012 Caribbean Motor Racing Championship slated to be held at South Dakota Circuit in Guyana.
The 40-year-old Canadian rider will be representing Team Guyana in the CBR category again.
He will be sporting a Kawasaki 600cc and Atkinson assured that the bike is ‘running’ smoothly and he is anxious to make another big impression for Guyana.
Racing for Guyana since 2003, Atkinson has been waving the chequered flag occasionally given the fact he competed with some stalwarts included his compatriot Kevin Graham and Guyanese Stephen “Valentino Rossi” Viera.
However, he related that his preparations have been vigorous over the past several weeks and that has boosted his morale and confidence to a greater degree.
He is cognizant of the fact that Viera and Graham will be top favourites, but he strongly believes that once he rides to the best of his ability, victory lap would be frequently.
“I have been preparing very hard for the final leg in Guyana on Sunday,” he said, adding that “my bike is in good shape…I have done a lot of modifications on it and I think I can now perform greatly with some of the best,” Atkinson.
Even though Atkinson missed the two opening legs in Jamaica and Barbados owing to work commitment, he feels his participation on this occasion could be vital to Guyana’s success.
Last year Guyana relinquished the title in Group Four category while they now languishing at the bottom of the table, but the dynamic Atkinson wants them to regain glory by the completion of Sunday’s showdown.
“Guyana is in the cellar position but I [am] confident of us coming back beating Team Jamaica and Team Barbados; we have got some excellent drivers while our riders are also veterans and talented,” Atkinson indicated.
Atkinson, who is a full-time motor mechanic based in Toronto, made his first trip to Guyana as a mechanic for Graham and that really inspired him to get on the track. His next visit to the South America country later in the year was on the racing list.

His experience, as he recalled it, was pathetic after he was beaten comprehensively while he encountered mechanic failure. However, he decided that he wanted to be a professional racer and has since, invested the time and efforts to emerge as a top racer.
“I love what I do the best: mechanic and watching these guys exhibiting their skills on the track certainly gave me a great boost to be with them and I immediately decided that I want to be a racer and since then I am a competitor,” Atkinson shared.
When he took part in last year’s championship in Guyana, Atkinson clocked some good timing on the qualifying day. He said he respected Graham and Viera because these riders took pole positions.
Nevertheless, he was never daunted to compete alongside them and eventually emerged with two seconds and a third.
“I was up for it; I know Graham and Viera were in good shape and they were leading the three scheduled races but I know once I keep my focus and concentration going, I can come out with something and to get two seconds, was indeed pleasing,” Atkinson declared.

The Guyanese will be up against some skillful riders from both Jamaica and Barbados, and Atkinson is determined to be instrumental for this meeting. “Yes, there are some good riders from Barbados and Jamaica; they are experienced and optimistic too of racing hard but I think we have a good team too to match their skills on a track that we will be very familiar with,” the now experienced racer said.
Questioned on some of the challenges he currently faces in the sport, Atkinson said the main one is “having to maintain the bike and being fit both mentally and physically”.
“It is very costly to maintain these bikes especially putting them on a track to compete internationally but I can be very thankful to some of my sponsors while keeping my body in good shape and prepare mentally can sometime be challenging,” a smiling Atkinson explained.
Meanwhile, Atkinson also took the opportunity to express his heartfelt gratitude to some of his sponsors for making his trip to Guyana possible. And those are: Kahuna Powersports, Hotel Tower and De Karibbean Kings and Pastry among others.