Circuit Racing: Heroes of Speed at Dover Raceway

At one stage, Jamaica was owned by Spain, then England and eventually we gained independence in 1962. Just think, if Penn and Venables were not valiant enough to conquer the Spaniards, chances are we would be expressing ourselves in another manner – Buenos dias. Como esta? I am beginning to dream about nubile Spanish speaking women roaming the streets!

Unfortunately my expose today bears no relation to Spanish speaking beauties. I will focus on beauty of another kind – motor racing. This weekend (Monday actually) we will acknowledge the efforts of our fore fathers and the role they played in securing independence for all Jamaicans. Different sectors of the populace will express their gratitude in the manner they see fit.

Alfred Chen

Unrepentant speed freaks, will honour those who have contributed in invaluable ways to what we have at Dover Raceway. At this race meet, Heroes of Speed, fallen soldiers are remembered for the road they paved for others to enjoy. In that spirit, possibly the most massive flame of them all, the late Alfred Chen, to who we all owe a monumental debt of gratitude, will be thanked for his indefatigable efforts at enhancing motorsports in Jamaica.

This race meet is the final meet of the 2010 season. This gives racers another opportunity to pursue their dreams, enjoy themselves as they explore their mechanical creations, entertain the patrons who will be in attendance and say thanks to Alfred Chen, who gave circuit racing a home, in 1989, in the cool turbo-charged loving ambiance of St Ann.

I spoke to several drivers just to get a feedback as to where they were in terms of car preparation and their expectations for the race meet.

Charles Maxwell (CRC Racing) confirmed that their cars are ready and their focus is on securing the championship in the IP 27 and 37 classes.

Alan Chen

Alan Chen will be driving his much loved Corolla GTS (MP2) and ‘Bull’ Thompson’s Mazda RX7 (Thundersport). According to Alan, he is hoping to continue the familiarization process with the RX7. He has not had much seat time thus far. But, he indicated that if the Corolla survives the meet, then his usual flamboyance – crowd pleasing displays of sublime car control – will be widely distributed. A good way to honour his family name!

Marck Carey has all of Jamaica and the world wide web on his team. He has more fans than a pop star! Race car building is a painstaking process and we all hope that the glitches in his Matrix are resolved. When I spoke to him, he said that he made changes to his car in 3 areas – clutch, cooling and body work (improving aesthetics and aerodynamic efficiency). But the emphasis, he says, is still on reliability. With 500 plus whp on tap, he has no deficiency in the power department. He is in for the long haul, so let’s see how he does at this meet.

Regular fans have their favorite drivers and riders in the respective classes and as the season winds down, do not be misled into thinking that the entertainment diminishes. Truth be told, this is where it all hangs out, because a long rest period is ahead.

Pack your coolers, seats, umbrellas and whatever else you deem necessary and join the scented trail to Dover Raceway. Names being thrown about in the advertisements and elsewhere -David Summerbell Jr, Doug Gore, Heath Causwell, Gregg Cross, Adrian Blake, Dean Shaw, the Baileys’, the Andersons’, Halequin Rodney, Peter Rae, Tedroy Burton and others, will all want to close the year on a winning note. This means the pace will be fast and the battles fierce. Qualifying is on Sunday and racing is on Monday (18th)!

Cecil Munroe Gleaner On-Line Writer