Competitors in the Suzuki Challenge Series Swift Cup have welcomed the introduction of the Joker
Lap for round four this weekend (September 12/13), as a salute to next month’s Red Bull Global Rallycross
meeting at Bushy Park Barbados. Three races each for the Swift Cup and SR3 Cup will feature
on a 23-race programme at the Williams Industries Digicel International Race Meet, alongside the
Seaboard Marine Caribbean Motor Racing Championship (CMRC).

The Joker Lap will pass over the Rallycross Bridge before returning to the main track in the Banks
Esses. The rules are simple: each driver must take the Joker Lap once per race, on any lap, apart from
lap 1; failure to do so will result in disqualification, while unsafe exit from/re-entry to the main track
will earn a penalty. The Joker Lap changes the length of the lap significantly, forcing a strategic decision
about when to use it.

Series leader Trinidad & Tobago’s Ryan Peyrau (Team Suzuki) said: “The Joker is a great addition because
all drivers have to strategize when will be the right time to take it. I am very excited to try the
Joker and see the outcome.”

Jamaica’s David Summerbell Jnr, whose daughter Samantha joins the Swift Cup line-up this weekend,
said: “The Joker Lap is sure to be exciting for spectators and drivers, as it’s going to change the
running order every time a competitor uses it. The way I see it, the key is to be in the right position at
the right time to take advantage when these changes happen, especially on the last lap.”

Ryan Wood (Team Digicel) added: “It will definitely spice things up. I’m looking forward to it, as it
adds to strategy and changes racing tactics. Taking the Joker Lap could work as an advantage or a
disadvantage, depending when you take it. If you’re challenging for a position, then take the Joker
Lap – when you re-enter you can find yourself in traffic or, better yet, clear field, depending on what
happens around the track.”

At the mid-point of the season, Peyrau has a 39-point advantage in the standings, with four victories
in nine races; Mark Thompson (Team Rock Hard Cement), who led the series after round one, has
won twice, with fourth-placed Wood, Barry Gale (Team Gale’s Agro Products) and Summerbell (Team
Simpson Finance) the other winners. Consistent results have Wood’s team-mate Daryl Clarke and
Josh Read (Team Massy Insurance) lying third and fifth respectively, so a new Swift Cup race-winner
cannot be far away.
Competition is much tighter at the top of the SR3 Cup, which offers the fastest racing in the region
in the Suzuki-powered Radical SR3 RS sports-racers. Just nine points cover the top three in the
standings, Stuart Maloney leading his brothers Sean and Mark, who narrowed the gap to the series
leader dramatically at round three in June, when Stuart failed to add to his tally of three race wins
from the earlier rounds.

Sean has also won three races, one at each round, and holds the SR3 lap record (59.264s); Mark has
won twice, while Guyana’s Mark Vieira claimed his first victory in a Radical in June to lie fourth in the
standings. Ryan Gonsalves from St Vincent & The Grenadines is fifth, with two podium finishes to his
credit, with the other SR3 Cup regulars David Simpson and Allan Kinch sixth and seventh.