CIRCUIT RACING: SUMMERBELL – BULLIED AND BEATEN! PART 5

So, Uber continues to revolutionize the taxi service.The company launched controversy when it introduced the average Joe to the industry. The hardened professionals were not impressed. Protests emerged. But, Uber is at it again!

Uber will introduce autonomous vehicles to the industry! The program will roll out in a USA city. Embrace technology, embrace the future. Autonomous race-cars? Anyone?

I have always found a cease-fire arrangement peculiar. What is a cease-fire? A cease-fire is an agreement between warring factions to desist from engaging in any form of battle/confrontation during an agreed time-frame. A cease-fire is usually required to allow humanitarian efforts, for example, rescue operations, delivering food/supplies and medical intervention.

But, here is where I have what I would consider a conundrum. We exist in the year designated 2016 – the modern era. If a cease-fire arrangement can be arrived at, how difficult is it to arrive at a binding agreement which would see the end of the actual conflict – a permanent cease-fire!

DOUG ‘HOLLYWOOD’ GORE

It can be argued that someone, a group or an organization, needs to offer professional assistance and hammer-out a cease-contact between Doug ‘Hollywood’ Gore and David Summerbell Jr! And by cease-contact, I am not referring to the end of hostilities between the two gentlemen.

On the contrary, it is the very existence of permanent hostility between the two protagonists which coerces fans to depart from their salubrious living rooms and make their way to circuit racing haven – Dover Raceway. So, we welcome, applaud and endorse the frenetic rivalry which manufactures adrenaline binges!

What we could do without, however, is the bruising, destructive nature of their confrontation which has a wayward propensity of subtracting significant quantities from the expected experience. We are dealing with exotic hardware, which dwells in an illusion of durability. Reality always unmasks the expensive truth!

These are rather fragile machines which cannot exist in a committed relationship with contact, especially at the speeds which the start-finish straight deem a prerequisite! Here is where I would need a statistician similar to those readily available to ESPN’s Sportscenter broadcasters.

How many times have these machines traded sections of their anatomy since their first on-track encounter ? I refuse to count, but I will settle with a conclusion of – more times than an octopus has tentacles! And I will hasten to remind you that at The Carnival of Speed 2016, unwanted contact explored the Esses and placed the Audi in an overheating spot of bother (observe the 0:40 – 0:50 seconds mark).

David vs Doug!

AUDI TT-R DTM

And the erotic dance continued during Thundersport Race 2 at Dover Raceway on August 7th! A determined, proud, forceful driver – Doug Hollywood Gore was not willing to succumb to TA 1′s rapid forward motion and ambitious intent which would possibly see victory eroded for the DTM machine. Doug had the lead, but TA 1 had  blitzkrieg momentum.

And then the magic powder appeared. Confusion, smoke and mirrors and everything which could impede accurate, rational thoughts and perceptions, saturated Dover Raceway. Despite the split-second, restricted view we all had at the time, individuals formed their opinions and the lines were clearly drawn between fans of both Doug Gore and David Summerbell Jr – as they usually are at Dover!

When the carbon fiber/kevlar pieces found places of rest on the track, both stalwarts were barred from P1 and only comforted by the fact that there machines could still crawl home. Not what was planned, but what was delivered.

As I stated earlier, I was in the Tower. A rather elegant, soft-spoken, mature and exquisite lady was within earshot. I observed as she watched the race. She competed in the Tower Olympic Games willingly. Her interest was restricted to one car.

The resemblance was obvious and the strands of light grey hair told an adorable tale. When the machines – like plates on their way to the floor – collided, she made an audible utterance, but maintained an accomplished stance and respectful presence. The power of motorsports! I was amused. Samantha Summerbell was not at the track but she received her update via messaging!

When I visited the pits, what I expected, I saw. A Level 5 clearance and an eyeball scan were required to enter either pit-bay. Activity, consistent with that in any bee hive worth its honey, was evident! Instructions were being hurled like javelins. Discussions re the state of the machines and what occurred on-track were omnipresent.

Pandemonium, but, with a purpose to engage corrective measures, to ensure that what was just lost in dramatic fashion, can be reclaimed in short order, was the sole item on the agenda.

I was in the more accessible pit. I listened. I observed. David Summerbell sat with his typical expressionless face. His right hand wore a bandage and he recounted his version of events to a small audience. Would the gloves be off for the next race? He was shaken but not stirred. His demeanor confirmed inspired resolve.

TA 1 asked for my attention though. The machine was not purring like itself when prompted to idle. Was it dejected? Ian Webb was in the cockpit. The tuner drew near and consultation ensued. I left the war room convinced that a wharehouse laden with tnt and ignited by vacationing adolescents would be less explosive than Race 3!

Cecil Munroe Gleaner On-Line Writer