Vieira thanks Sunburst Orange Juice

Feb 07, 2014 Sports

– expects a tough, but successful season

Despite being crowned the champion of the Caribbean Motor Racing Championship (CMRC) Superbike segment, local speedster Stephen Vieira is mindful of the fact that if he wants to continue to reign supreme he will have to raise his game.
This reality became evident during the staging of the last local Race Meet and the final leg of the CMRC when emerging star Nikhil Seereeram upstaged him in some fascinating duels that signaled he either had to improve the

Stephen Vieira

performance of his machine or play second fiddle to the young daredevil, who though coming up in the shadows of the champion has suddenly placed himself in contention to be ‘the new kid on the block’ following some blistering displays last year.
Vieira, speaking with Kaieteur Sport via telephone yesterday acknowledged that Seereeram has improved and has now become a legitimate threat to his throne, but reminded that this year will see him settle the issue as to who is really the best in the country.
According to Vieira, who rides a 2008 Suzuki GSX R600, the machine clearly needs to be modified to compete against the one that Seereeram usually straddles and his bike’s inferiority was glaringly noticeable in terms of speed so with the support of Sunburst Orange Juice and Rakesh Puri, they’ve renewed their partnership to meet the anticipated challenges of both local and regional opponents this year.
“I would like to extend my gratitude to Sunburst Orange Juice and Mr. Puri for their continued sponsorship and faith that they’ve placed in me and for these reasons I will always strive to do my best to make them proud so once again let me express how appreciative I am for their support,” Vieira stated.
He said he is looking forward to a highly competitive season both home and abroad, adding that preparations will definitely start earlier since it is an important year for him. The local season opens on March 16, at the South Dakota Circuit.