Doug ‘Hollywood’ Gore and Audi – Unbeatable at Dover on April 1!

Do you know the name Verdayne Wallace? Most of you will not know the name. Verdayne Wallace wears a face you will see at most, if not all of the JRDC events at Dover Raceway. On Easter Monday, April1, Verdayne Wallace, in his capacity as the Clerk of the Course, delivered the throne speech during the drivers meeting. I was at the meeting.

What was significant about the meeting? During his speech, Verdayne reminded the drivers that safety was paramount and as such it (safety) should be at the forefront of their thought process. He continued and added in a measured, stern tone – “Drivers, the race is not won at the first corner”. The message was clear – do not risk it all at Corner 1, there are several other corners to execute a pass!

David Summerbell Jr. was seated next to his daughter, who he was quietly giving advice based on what Verdayne was saying. David was seated on the ledge (first step) leading to Timing and Scoring. When Verdayne’s words drifted across David’s ears and his brain interpreted the coded message, his reaction was instant – “You hear that Doug” he asked.

‘Hollywood’

David in his usual jovial manner, posed the question to a serious, focused, Doug ‘Hollywood’ Gore who was standing next to me. David repeated the question and spoke other words I did not hear clearly. Doug Gore did not respond and it was obvious, at least to me, that Doug Gore was not about fun and games on April 1.

Doug Gore made his intentions clear from Sunday during qualifying when he romped away with the pole position. The packed-house that was at Dover Raceway came to see the ding dong battle between Summerbell Jr and ‘Hollywood’ and in the first MP3- MP4 race, they got all they paid for plus Gct!

In the first duel, ‘Hollywood’ kept the lead exiting corner 1 – David played the role of the hunter pursuing the prey. There were moments when his (David’s) strategy was laid bare – stalk Doug and set him up for a pass. We all saw it taking shape – the charge along the back straight, tight through the chicane, a whisker between the two at Carib Cement, bumper to Mitsubishi emblem through the Esses, tension climbing the hill to the start-finish straight and then it happened.

David flipped the switch and transitioned from stalk to attack mode, somewhere in the region of Timing and Scoring. He thought he saw a gap to the left of the Audi and he went for it. He forgot about Doug’s poise earlier (during the drivers meeting). Doug was ready. As soon as David dived left, Doug reacted and moved left. David was forced to assess his future and he chose to withdraw the attempt. The result – pandemonium in the TOTAL camp on the tower!

All the Summerbell fans crept out of the woodwork, loudly protesting Doug’s tactics continuously until the Audi revved across the finish line in P1!

Race 2 was not even a race. Summerbell’s turbo went in search of its components – it opted for existence in the afterlife and left a wounded TA1 ‘fogging up’ the place! Race 3, with TA1 still licking her wounds and playing the role of the absent parent, made Doug a creeping victor, with no worthy opponent in sight! I learnt later that Doug was disqualified in Race 2 as a result of a rule being breached which addressed the tyres used for the race.

DTM Audi TT-R – Machine!

My view on Doug’s move in Race 1- I will share in the future. But, no argument will suffice. Doug, and Team ATL were prepared, that is what racing is about – being prepared. Team TOTAL fell short of the mark and when you slip the opposition will be more than willing to coerce a slide!

Doug ‘Hollywood’ Gore and the ATL DTM Audi TT-R were unbeatable at Dover on April 1! To hell with it! The Audi is back! TA1 has work to do!

Cecil Munroe Gleaner On-Line Writer