Circuit Racing: Dover is on fire! (CMRC Round 1)

Christopher ‘Teach’ McFarlane, has one of those personalities which kicks you with forceful alacrity to one of either ends of the social scale – you either hate him or you …. him (in homophobic Jamaica insert the opposite of hate on the dotted line). Despite having the best intentions, he has been busy making harmless enemies in the circuit racing arena, but and this but is gargantuan – he is on the job and his commitment to the task cannot be questioned.

I spoke to him shortly after he became JRDC President and he conveyed at the time that his brand of motorsports will see a complete entertainment package, a more fulfilling experience for the paying patron. He is also willing to support his ‘bag a mouth’ with action – I have seen him at the track at rather odd hours completing race day preparation tasks. I was not convinced however, when I saw him at Jamwest early one morning in March, putting a Mitsubishi Pajero through several laps of fear-inducing, hostage-extraction procedures, that he was, “checking the consistency of the track” but as I said, he is on the job!

Success is like a double edged sword, it is difficult to avoid being hacked. Success, once you have achieved it, to preserve what you have gained, you have to maintain it or exceed what you have accomplished thus far. That is the difficult part!

April’s Carnival of Speed, at Dover (April 1), was a resounding success. Ask Mr. Rise to the Occasion – Sizzla Kalonji – he will tell you. His inclusion in the program was a stroke of genius. The fans had the best of several worlds and high spirits were maintained throughout. Excellent job JRDC!

But that was then, this is now. How do we maintain the success achieved then? That’s easy! Seek assistance from other territories within the region! As fate would have it, the first round of the Caribbean Motor Racing Championship (CMRC), for some time now, has occupied the Race 2 slot on the calendar. So after the partying in April, the serious business of defending our nation’s honour begins!

I spoke to Chris yesterday and he confirmed that the drivers charged with representing the black, green and gold, (in Group 4) include many times champion (and also reigning champion), David ‘King’ Summerbell Jr, Peter ‘Zoom Zoom’ Rae, Chris Campbell, George Bailey and the often misunderstood, but well-loved, Doug ‘Hollywood’ Gore (who has also won the CMRC).

According to ‘Teach’, there are 11 machines here with foreign nameplates – Barbados, Guyana and Cayman. So let the games begin!

The CMRC is known for producing unmatched levels of competition and rivalry and the machines that show up for battle are usually meticulously prepared and immaculately presented. The addition of Doug Gore to the list aboard the impressive, ATL Racing DTM Audi TT-R, is a plus for the Reggae Racers and motorsports in the region.

The machines are already here. All things being equal they will hit the track and begin preparations by early next week. The local contingent has begun pre-race activities already. The ‘King’ is taking no chances this time – April was not kind to TA1!

Are you an astute fan of the sport? Dover will be on fire when the CMRC machines roll out next weekend – May 25th and 26th! Do you want to miss that? I dont!

What are you expecting from the Reggae Racers at Dover next weekend?

Nb. Info on Group 2 members will be added.

Cecil Munroe Gleaner On-Line Writer