Time attack series off to a good start

The much anticipated Tyre Warehouse Time Attack Series (TW-TAS) sped off at the Plantation Heights Hill Climb on Sunday. I have always been a fan of hill climbs and whenever possible I scan through what Youtube has to offer. Hill climbs in Europe bring out some Veyron-fast machines, think ex-Formula One, ex-touring car machines and you have a recipe for unbridled excitement. These mechanical marvels achieve F16 like speeds as they rocket up a hill, transforming turns into straights with their superior handling. So with this in mind and encouraged by the pre-event releases, I moseyed on to Plantation Heights with a tank full of expectations.

You couldn’t miss the venue, even if you are included in the target market for the product – GPS For Dummies (a sat- nav system)! There was a huge arrow shaped sign, pointing in the direction of Plantation Heights, blaring  – MOTOR RACING TODAY.

As I walked along the road towards the timing tent my heart sank as I saw what looked like a Nissan Pulsar. I say looked like, because its appearance brought back memories of Mel Gibson’s epic -The Man Without A Face. The car was terminally disfigured. Competing in the street class, the driver, Kareem Campbell, when I spoke to him, was still uncertain of the series of events which resulted in the car hugging a rather solid embankment, one which didn’t return an affectionate embrace!

Seasoned Drivers

My sorrow was short lived however, as the presence of several seasoned drivers and teams facilitated the return of high spirits. In the ‘line’ preparing for the second run up the hill were the Whittingham brothers, Matthew ‘The Magnet’ Gore, Charles Maxwell, Joel Jackson and the veteran Ricky Vaz. Representatives from Team Challenger and Team Brown’s Town Racing also made the trek and I also spotted newcomer, Mark Coleman, who brought his old school Ford Escort out for a little heel and toe fun.

I saw the second run, but as hill climbs go, you only get to see a section of the track and I was at the Tyre Warehouse tent, close to the start.
Roll cage equipped race cars, street cars (road legal), Quads and dirt-bikes went to the line and roared away 30 seconds apart, under ‘full rev’ in a bid to record the quickest time. The drivers/riders commitment was evident and appreciated by the fans as the throttles were kept wide open, approaching and exiting the corner close to where I stood – flat left!

The event was well supported and every ‘fast car’ you can think of was present, beautifying the parking area : Evos – (saw Adrian Randle’s 10 seconds Evo), M3s, Wrxs, Skylines, Foresters – the STI ‘poisoned’ version and Type Rs were all basking in their aura of speed.

Michelle

Incidentally, cars weren’t the only turbocharged machines at Plantation Heights on Sunday. Under the Tyre Warehouse tent, the slim, petite announcer, Michelle, possibly under the influence of too much Turbo energy drink (event sponsor), kept the fans cracking up with laughter, thanks to her shenanigans, for example, the cell phone sound clash (played through the microphone)!

For various reasons the heavy artillery -‘the big guns’ – I was hoping to see were missing in action. Jeffery Panton, Richie Rerrie and Marck Carey (Carbon Fiber Monster) were noticeably absent and therein lies my only disappointment.

That aside, I love the idea, good effort all around (Teach and the crew) and I look forward to the other rounds in the series.

Cecil Munroe Gleaner On – Line Writer