T&T Daniel Ramoutarsingh competes in Central American Championship
21st September 2007
Articles and Photography supplied by TRINRICO
Daniel pilots his newly aquired Jaguar RS28 GT1 racecar.
 Trinidad and Tobago championship winning pilot, Daniel Ramoutarsingh, is scheduled to compete in the 2007 Central American Championship, driving Rocketsports Chassis RS28, the GT 1 / GTS Jaguar formerly owned by Rocketsports owner and championship race car constructor and driver Paul Gentilozzi, of Michigan, USA.
The RS28 Jaguar Chassis is the most successful chassis constructed by Rocketsports, winning the 2002 24 Hours of Daytona in the classification GTS and also the Trans Am Championship for 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006.
The Central American Championship represents countries in the NACAM Central American area and will be hosted in 2007 by Guatemala and Costa Rica. This year several GT1 teams are scheduled to attend with competitors from Panama, Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Italy, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, the United States, and Trinidad and Tobago.
 Competitors such as Jorge ‘Koki’ Trejos (Porsche 997 GT3), Javier Queros (Toyota Supra), Emilio Valverde (Nissan Tiida), Mandy Gonzales (C6 Corvette), Diego Cuestas (Mazda RX8), and several Porsche teams from the USA are but a few scheduled for the 2007 GT 1 series, which is growing from strength to strength.
The Costa Rican event scheduled for September 15th was to be the first event for Ramoutarsingh. The Trinrico Steel and Wire Products ltd. sponsored Jaguar is pressed for time due to the event being brought forward two weeks, as well as Hurricane Dean resulting in shipping delays. The team is committed to participate, though the ETA for the Jaguar on the race track is Friday 14th, the day before qualifying. The September event is the run up to the Central American Championship, scheduled as follows:
October 28th – GP Guatemala
November 18th - GP Kit Costa Rica
December 9th - Three Hours of Costa Rica
 Daniel is the first son of Jack Paul Ramoutarsingh, a founding member in the Trinidad and Tobago’s first motor racing club, the ‘Flying Tigers’. Ramoutarsingh recently lost his father Jack Paul on August 9th. Together they strived towards developing a GT 1 project since December 2006. It was Jack Paul that pressed Daniel to promote himself as a pilot looking for a suitable seat in the international arena. Daniel returned to Rocketsports for a test session held in Michigan, the week before his father’s passing. Ramoutarsingh was committed to the RS28 at that time. Jack Paul was very proud and looked forward to attend every race with his son. Daniel chose the Central American Championship for his debut as the package was concluded late in the year, and the championship starts in October, allowing him to contend the entire championship. He noted his father always wanted him to return to Costa Rica. The father and son team had planned to eventually contend the SCCA Regional GT1 Championship, held throughout the USA. Daniel Ramoutarsingh now competes under the number 18, as it was his father’s number throughout his life.
Trinrico RS 28 Jaguar participation on September 15th and 16th.
 Promotor Sport S.A. held the Copa Coca Cola as the third to final installment to the Costa Rican National GT1 Championship. The event was dubbed after the primary sponsor Coca Cola, and was held on September 15th and 16th, 2007.
The event was attended by Trinidad and Tobago pilot Daniel Ramoutarsingh and the Trinrico Racing organization. Ramoutarsingh is contending the GT1 Central American Championship, under his flag of Trinidad and Tobago, and marks his first experience in the classification GT1. The project was established through collaboration with Rocketsports, a Motor Sport company based in Lansing, Michigan. The factory supported Jaguar RS 28 chassis piloted by Paul Gentilozzi, with drivers such as Scott Pruett, and Tommy Kendall, has won more races than any Trans Am series car ever produced by Rocketsports. The team is now sponsored by Trinrico Steel and Wire Products Ltd., The Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs, Castrol Lubricants / Tracmac Engineering, and Grupo los Tres Centro Americana
 Daniel Ramoutarsingh attended a one day test session in Lansing Michigan where he tested for the RS 28 for the first time prior to the event held on September 16th in la Guacima, Costa Rica. The program was to use the event as a real time test prior to attending the first event of the Central American Championship to be held in Guatemala on October 28th. The team comprises of Crew Chief Quinn Conda and supported by the Rocketsports team of engine constructor Tony Gentilozzi and John Smyth, with Joachim Brandt of Costa Rica.
The event was scheduled as a two day event, with a practice and qualifying session on Saturday and two by thirty minute heats on Sunday. The event only permits six tyres to be used from the start of the program on Saturday until completion on Sunday.
 The RS 28 team had tested and set up the package as best they could with a new track and limited time frame to qualify in third position at a time of 1:19:9 with national championship points leader Javier Queros driving the Rocketsports Toyota Supra in second position at 1:19:7 and Emilio Valverde driving the newly rebuilt Nissan Tiida on pole at 1:18:2. Jorge Trejos qualified fourth in his factory Porsche 996, and track owner Carlos Rodriguez in fifth in a Jaguar XK.
Ramoutarsingh maintained his third position in close pursuit of the two leaders Valverde and Queros. The track was challenged by heavy rains in the morning and an oil spill and subsequent sand trail from a prior GT3 race which absorbed over fifthy percent of the course. Carlos Rodriquez ran off the course early in the race with his Jaguar at turn two, and later Jorge Trejos in the Porsche. The lack of rubber and the earlier rains removed all grip from the course and the set up in testing was no longer ideal for the changing conditions. The yellow flag was called out for several laps as Rodriguez and Trejos were assisted out the gravel trap at turn one by emergency vehicles before restarting the race.
 The number 18 Jaguar of Ramoutarsingh was starting to disagree with the changing conditions and in an attempt to rectify the problem Ramoutarsingh adjusted the front without enough adjustment to the rear. This resulted in a push to oversteer situation and a brief contact with the grass run off from the final turn to the straightaway resulted in Ramoutarsingh heading towards the very same pit wall that race leader Emilio Valverde had crashed into two events prior resulting in his rebuild. Ramoutarsingh gained sufficient control to avoid the wall but span on the straightaway and kept the RS 28 on the course. In an attempt to avoid disqualification by reversing or driving in the opposite direction of the course the pilot drove through the grass run off momentarily where water collected from the earlier rains restricted the Jaguar from driving the rear wheels back onto the course. Marshals initially attempting to approach the stranded Jaguar to lend a helping push were advised to leave the number 18 where it sat until the end of the race. It was later communicated to the team that because of possible danger the instruction was given not to assist the Jaguar. It was noted by Daniel Coen of NACAM that though the rule strictly forbids any other means of the pilot to reverse or drive against the course, in Central American rules, a pilot may do so in a case where he is in a position of danger to himself or to others.
 Ramoutarsingh accepts all responsibility as a rookie mistake and is grateful to his team and sponsors for the opportunity to participate at this level. He noted that the view from third was spectacular as he and the race leaders fought throughout the race and it was the spirit of competition he hoped it would be. Both the race winning Nissan Tiida and second place winner Toyota Supra drove all four tyres off the car in race one and could not continue for race two. Oncoming rains proved hopeful as rain tyres are permitted in such a case, but the rains were unrelenting and the second GT1 heat was eventually cancelled.
Daniel Ramoutarsingh extends sincere thanks to Paul Gentilozzi, Rocketsports, and the entire team that now comprises Trinrico Racing for their extraordinary talent and contributions. Ramoutarsingh looks forward to a bright future with his team and crew chief Quinn Conda. The greatest of thanks goes out to Jack Paul Ramoutarsingh for his vision, confidence and love from the start.
No Jaguars were hurt in this initial participation.
This effort is made possible by the kind participation of the following sponsors:
Trinrico Steel and Wire Products ltd.
The Trinidad & Tobago Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs
Castrol Lubricants / Tracmac Engineering
Grupo Los Tres - Centro America |
