Boodoosingh and T&T lead Radical Caribbean Cup
Kristian Boodoosingh of Trinidad & Tobago is the early leader of the 2023 Radical Caribbean Cup (RCC) after winning twice in the opening round at Bushy Park Barbados yesterday (May 14). While Mark Maloney of Barbados was the other race-winner, two podium finishes plus two fastest lap bonus points place Jamaican teenager Tommi Gore second in the standings on his debut in the series.
With the fastest lap bonus point from race one and a fifth-place finish in race two, ‘Boodoostig’ leads the standings with 61 points, 15 ahead of Gore, with Justin Maloney, the only Barbadian to finish all three races, third with 32 points. In the Nations Cup, Trinidad & Tobago has 68 points, a 13-point lead over Barbados, with Jamaica third on 51.
Gore had topped the timesheets in testing on Saturday, turning in a time of 58.972 seconds after 22 laps, with Boodoosingh second, just two-hundredths off, with 2018 RCC Champion Stuart Maloney third, another quarter-second adrift. While the names were the same, the order was shuffled in Sunday practice, with Boodoosingh heading Gore and Maloney, just 17/100ths spread across the trio . . . and the order remained the same after the 15-minute Qualifying session, which was red-flagged at the mid-way point to recover Gore’s car from the gravel trap at the first hairpin.
While Boodoosingh did not improve after the restart, his 58.864s lap earned him pole position, with Gore 16/1000ths short and Maloney four-tenths behind, both improving after the break. Behind them came Sean Maloney, who won the inaugural Suzuki Challenge Series SR3 Cup in 2015/16 and four-time SCS Champion Sol Esuf, with Justin Maloney and his father Mark completing the grid.
With races starting from the southern grid by the Pits Complex, Boodoosingh made a strong getaway from pole position to lead into the down-hill hairpin, with Stuart Maloney initially second. Gore found a way past on lap three, then held the position to finish 1.4sec behind at the flag, with Maloney another 6secs back, having fought off a strong challenge from Esuf.
Mark and Justin Maloney sat on the front row of the reversed grid for the second race, Esuf and Sean Maloney on row two, Stuart Maloney and Gore on row three, with Boodoosingh at the back. While pole-sitter Maloney led from flag to flag, he was under constant pressure from Esuf, who was just a few feet behind him throughout, but could not find a way past. Stuart Maloney was third, while a brave overtaking manoeuvre at the inner hairpin late in the race resulted in a spin for Gore and the loss of a couple of places, but he had earned his first fastest lap bonus point as consolation.
Based on points scored in the first two races, Boodoosingh and Mark Maloney were on the front row for the day’s final encounter, with Esuf and Stuart Maloney on row two, Gore and Justin Maloney on row three and Sean Maloney, who had retired mid-way through race two, at the back. After a storming start, Esuf found himself the meat in a Maloney sandwich when the field arrived at the inner hairpin on the first lap; contact resulted in Esuf pulling off a few yards later and Stuart Maloney immediately retiring to the pits, while Mark soldiered on for a few laps before he, too, pulled off.
Boodoosingh had escaped the confusion and Sean Maloney had benefitted hugely, up into second place, but with a determined Gore behind him. After a couple of attempts, the 18-year-old pulled a pass around the outside at the Esses that was the talk of the pit lane, then steadily pulled away, collecting his second fastest lap of the day on the way to finishing 3.1secs behind Boodoosingh, who had enough of a cushion to back off on the final lap. Sean Maloney was third, with nephew Justin the only other finisher, delighted to have done so well while still recovering from breaking his left wrist playing football.
Radical Caribbean Cup, round 1
Bushy Park Barbados (May 14)
Qualifying:
Pole - Kristian Boodoosingh - T&T (Fast Parts/Garage 61/RawPower Motorsports/Motul/Techpoint Tuning/Adon Group/HB4 Consulting/Richtune Radical SR3 RSX), 58.864s, 122.316kmh/76.00mph
2nd - Tommi Gore - JAM (Emperor Beer/Amsoil/Sandals Barbados/Mobay Freight Services Radical SR3 RSX), + 0.016s
3rd - Stuart Maloney - BAR (VP Fuels/Chevron/Sign Station Radical SR3 RS), + 0.442s
4th - Sean Maloney - BAR (Bushy Park Barbados Radical SR3 RS), + 0.483s
5th - Suleman Esuf – BAR (Express Imports/Fast Parts/Garage 61/RawPower Motorsports/Motul/Techpoint Tuning/Adon Group/HB4 Consulting/Richtune Radical SR3 RS), + 0.507s
6th - Justin Maloney - BAR (Bushy Park Barbados Radical SR3 RS), + 1.167s
7th - Mark Maloney - BAR (Rock Hard Cement/Bushy Park Barbados/Sign Station Radical SR3 RS), + 1.180s
Race 1 (10 laps): 1st Boodoosingh, 10m 29.598s; 2nd Gore, + 1.437s; 3rd Stuart Maloney, + 7.500s; 4th Esuf, + 7.767s; 5th Sean Maloney, + 13.012s; 6th J Maloney, + 13.288s. DNF: M Maloney. Fastest lap: Boodoosingh, 59.045s, 121.941kmh/75.77mph
Race 2 (10 laps): 1st M Maloney, 10m 50.944s; 2nd Esuf, + 0.167s; 3rd Stuart Maloney, + 0.842s; 4th J Maloney, + 4.997s; 5th Boodoosingh, + 7.146s; 6th Gore, + 12.325s. DNF: Sean Maloney. Fastest lap: Gore, 59.593s, 120.820kmh/75.07mph
Race 3 (10 laps): 1st Boodoosingh, 10m 42.595s; 2nd Gore, + 3.197s; 3rd Sean Maloney, + 13.923s; 4th J Maloney, + 14.450s. DNF: M Maloney, Esuf, Sean Maloney. Fastest lap: Gore, 59.126s, 121.774kmh/75.67mph
Driver points after round 1: 1st Boodoosingh 61 points; 2nd Gore 46pts; 3rd J Maloney 32pts; 4th M Maloney 31pts; = 5th Esuf & Stuart Maloney 30pts; 7th Sean Maloney 25pts
Nations Cup points after round 1: 1st Trinidad & Tobago 68 points; 2nd Barbados 55pts; 3rd Jamaica 51pts
Qualifying rounds: May 14, Bushy Park Barbados (BPMSI); Jun 25, Frankie Boodram Wallerfield International Raceway (TTASA); Jul 23, Frankie Boodram Wallerfield International Raceway (TTASA); Sep 3, Bushy Park Barbados (BPMSI); Nov 24, Bushy Park Barbados (BPMSI)
For media information only. No regulatory value
For more information on Bushy Park Barbados:
www.bushyparkbarbados.com or Facebook.com/BushyParkBarbados
For further media information, contact:
Bushy Park Barbados Media Team: e-mail: media@bushyparkbarbados.com
