Circuit Racing: Doug Gore vs David Summerbell Jr.-Round 3

The race weekend begins in earnest today, qualifying is scheduled for tomorrow and the titans will clash on Sunday.
I do not want to belittle the effort being made by other drivers and teams, but one cannot escape the intrigue the Doug Gore vs David Summerbell battle generates.

The record breaking attendance the season opener saw was as a direct result of the elevated level of competition expected between the 2 protagonists in our motor racing drama. Winning races, is to David ‘King’ Summerbell Jr. what walking is to the rest of us – it comes naturally. Doug ‘Hollywood’ Gore is no different. As former principal and team leader of Team Mobay Racing, Doug’s dominance for several years at Dover was unquestioned, but in recent times, Doug has found the road to P1 a treacherous one, littered with gargantuan, insurmountable potholes, all tagged TA1.

When Doug Gore partnered with ATL Racing, he went all in. The DTM Audi TT-R the union produced, is without doubt a formidable machine. Its visual presence is somewhat intimidating and one cannot help but think that it is a regime toppling machine, but, and there is a but.

Two rounds have gone and two remain (in the 2011 season). Doug Gore and his Audi TT-R have not defeated David Summerbell and TA1 in wheel to wheel combat – yet. I knew that ATL Racing would adopt the ‘no stone unturned approach’ inorder to overtake TA1. Which brings us to Franco Chiocchetti.

Franco Chiocchetti

Franco Chiocchetti is no regular guy. He has much more than intimate knowledge of the inner sanctum of the Audi TT-R. He was Tom Kristensen’s DTM engineer (2004-2009) and he is Timo Scheider’s current vehicle engineer. Franco was here for a few days to assist ATL Racing and Doug Gore as they prepared for this weekend’s race meet. Rory Daley has written a piece on their preparation and as I read it, Peter Moodie Jr’s voice resonated, when asked about the TT-R and TA1 – “One is a car and one is a racecar” he said. Franco’s job sheet possibly had the following task – Utilize the TT-R’s immense adjustability, create a machine that will scare the bejesus out of everything around it, but, at the same time, fuse seamlessly with Doug Gore’s driving style.

Franco came and based on the reports thus far, he did what was expected of him. The machine has benefitted from the guru’s input. It is suggested that the level it is now at, will foster an easy obliteration of the current track record. As the rocket rests in silence, awaiting launch codes, I have one question – Is Doug Gore now equipped to extract what the TT-R has to offer?

 Qualifying is Saturday.

Cecil Munroe Gleaner On-Line Writer