Drag Racing: Boost is best at Jamwest! (Part 1 of 2)

Part 1

By now you should have heard about it. If you haven’t heard, consider yourself lucky because I will tell you. But then again, chances are, after reading what I have typed, I may actually be rubbing salt in your exposed wound – the punishment for your absence.

Drag or be dragged, the first official drag race meet at the Jamwest Speedway for the 2010 season was a memorable event.  On a day when popcorn- like clouds littered the sky, a sense of serenity prevailed, each time eyes gazed skyward to absorb the inherent beauty of cotton ball clouds speckled with orange, painted by the afternoon sun.

Nature’s display belied the activities on track. The combatants now awakened from their extended slumber, made their intentions known and firing from all cylinders they kept the fans enthralled from the moment the tree lit up for qualifying. Boosted cars were everywhere, validating the slogan – boost is best at Jamwest! The new approach qualifying session determined the classes into which the drivers would compete and racing started in short order in the early afternoon, in ideal, cool conditions for force fed beasts.

The rounds got really interesting as each class neared the quarter finals. As some of the mighty fell, it was evident that the guard would be changed in some of the classes. I asked in the blog on Saturday – who will be dethroned -  and one of the first to fall, unfortunately, was the 2009, 14 seconds champion Kevin Jackson – driver of the ‘yellow Integra’ –  beaten by a Toyota Starlet which clocked an unbeatable 14.0 seconds to his 14.2.

Toyota Corolla

The 12 seconds class saw several new faces, but the most thrilling matchup saw a Toyota Corolla staring down an Evo’s barrel. Jamaicans love an underdog. The bets flew left, right and center as both cars came to attention under starter’s orders. When the green blinked, the Corolla was admitted to drag racing heaven. In dramatic fashion, the Corolla stuffed its turbocharged, black top 20 valve motor, down the Evo’s throat and kicked it out of the competition!

(Part 2 tomorrow)

Cecil Munroe Gleaner On-Line Writer