Circuit Racing: Summerbell beaten at Dover

I have stalled long enough. I am like a Lunatic, learning to drive a stick-shift. I have a somewhat annoying habit of listening to all that is being said relating to an event, before I comment. It is a weird way of gaining perspective but, I have found that it works.

The Heroes of Speed race meet held at Dover 2 weekends ago, was a fitting tribute to Alfred Chen, a visionary who gave life to circuit racing at a serene site in flora heaven, St Ann.

Jamaica’s best circuit racing drivers and a Caymanian, Gary Barrett, drove their hearts out, to honour a man whose relevance to circuit racing in Jamaica defies words. My meditation is over. I am now entering the pool of opinion from the deep end.

Entertainment has a price – fun and excitement are priceless! Fans at Dover have been spoilt over time and as such they enter the temple knowing that hair-raising, eye opening, nail-biting, explosive racing is only a green flag away.

My contribution will focus on 1 race – MP Class 1and 3 – Race 1. A round or 2 ago in 1 of the races, Doug ‘Hollywood’ Gore (Evo V) was chasing David ‘King’ Summerbell Jr (TA1). It was widely felt that Summerbell was toying with Doug, possibly to entertain the fans. It was visible even to Stevie Wonder, that TA1 was eons ahead of the best that Doug could offer. The only person who hates losing more than a gambler, is a race car driver who has grown accustomed to winning! I don’t think Doug was amused.

Fast forward to Oct 17. Doug out-qualifies Summerbell for the Thundersport race, but starts 2^nd, behind Summerbell, for the MP race. Summerbell has a personality which grows on people and when he sits in a race car, he is our version of the world’s best. But no one loves a runaway champion – we love the battles and excitement intensifies as the competitive flame brightens.

So when Doug ‘Hollywood’ Gore sped into the lead of MP Class 1 & 3 – Race 1, ahead of Summerbell, we knew we had a race on our hands. Summerbell and Doug are arguably 2 of our best drivers and based on their repertoire of skills, if their cars are close to being equal on the horsepower meter and they remain reliable, a battle of epic proportions is inevitable.

Evo V

As I watched Doug’s Evo V leaping like a frightened gazelle, propelled by boost, but wary of the lion’s charge, especially entering the Esses, I knew his commitment to the task was unshaken and intimidation he knew not. Yes, he was being pursued by the ‘King’, but ‘Hollywood’ was more concerned with securing respect for the blue and yellow – Team Mobay. Remember now, the ‘King’ was on the verge of departing with all the silverware, leaving only pride on the table – a lot of it.

TOTAL

As the TOTAL attired employees and their supporters debated about the moment Summerbell would select to tranquilize ‘Hollywood’, with a red and white dose of French lubricants, I kept my eyes on the posture and pace of the EvoV. The V benefitting from ‘classified’ improvements, was accelerating and conducting itself like a gymnast, but with a sprinter’s poise. The writing was on the track – TA1 would be beaten!

Blasphemy, expulsion from the private club, treason! I was willing to sacrifice my ‘political’ career, so I said it to the fan next to me and it came to pass.

I am interested in neither the forest nor the trees, we came to see a race and we got a memorable 1. In its final, completed race at Dover, ‘Hollywood’s Evo V stole TA1’s thunder. Such a pity it took this long for Doug to realize that he had the appropriate tool all along.

Congratulations to all the class champions. The ‘King’ reigns yet again but, RNN (Rumour News Network) reported that Doug is acquiring new weaponry. Will Team Mobay reclaim their dominance? Will the ‘King’ be forced to uncork TA1’s true effervescence – 35lbs of rambunctious boost – resting within the innocuous appearing machine. According to Marck Carey, 2011’s first race is 100+ days away!

Cecil Munroe Gleaner On-Line Writer