Caribbean Motor Racing Championship (CMRC) : Doug ‘Hollywood’ Gore

Doug ‘Hollywood’ Gore is a man on a mission. There is a saying which goes like this – ‘Yu caan miss whey u neva have!’ A few years ago the nickname ‘Hollywood’ was synonymous with victory, as Team Mobay Racing ruled the 1.6 miles circuit at Dover Raceway, largely as a result of their prowess in an area which will be referred to as ‘Evolution Science’. A visit to the paddock area designated for Team Mobay machines at Dover, will shed some light on the term (Evolution Science).This Team has Mitsubishi Evolutions (Evo) like how beggars have coins – they are not in short supply!

Team Mobay’s Evos would lift the spirits of any Evo owner as they trampled everyone and dominated various classes at Dover. As if they were learning from their lead act, Guy Fraser, Gary Williams and at times Matthew Gore, all accomplished drivers in their own right, would slaughter their opponents with excessive boost pressure, regulated by sublime all wheel drive handling and control, all hallmarks of the Evo name.

During a test drive around the track (Dover) with Doug Gore a long time ago, he explained that an Evolution is probably the best car to race at Dover and he went on to demonstrate how he would ‘bunch up the pack’ coming out of the S’s and then he would leave them for dead, aided by the traction superiority which the Evo offered.

600 horsepower

That was then, this is now. In recent times, Doug has not enjoyed the success he once had. This may be partially due to a host of mechanical issues, but mainly as a result of David Summerbell Jr’s acquisition in 2008, of what may be considered a world class machine – the AMS built Mitsubishi Evolution VIII, known as TA1. It is no hidden fact that Team Mobay’s Evos are ‘homegrown’. Ask Patrick, he will explain the method behind the madness required to build 600 horsepower Evos!

It took a little while to close the gap to TA1, but, on his last showing at Dover in April, Doug’s smart bomb –an AMS massaged Evo X (it has an AMS motor), filled Summerbell’s rearview mirror and even passed TA1 on more than 1 occasion. Some individuals were of the view that it was all for show, but I disagree. It might have been a show for Summerbell, but not for Doug. Unlike in the real Hollywood (USA), Doug Gore’s show, begins after the main event. His shenanigans commence when racing ends. What I saw at Dover was no act/ show on Doug’s part. Doug was driving the motor out of the X (despite not running at peak performance).

Do you think he does not miss being number 1? The current horsepower and torque numbers Doug’s Evo X is rumored to possess are regarded by the ‘scientists’ as satisfactory to launch a serious attack, but appropriate suspension intervention is necessary to create the package required to strike and stay ahead of TA1.

May 23rd -24th will give us another opportunity to see how near or how far Doug ‘Hollywood’ Gore is from returning to his winning ways and in so doing launch a serious assault on the CMRC drivers title.

Cecil Munroe Gleaner On-Line Writer