Gore Crowns himself ‘RainMaster’

Mario James

Gleaner Writer

Doug Gore (l) with Fellow Evo Artisan And Auto Source Entrepreneur Chress White

“In days of old, when men were bold, and TV not yet invented; they took their spears and fought like bears, for there were no DVD’s to be rented…”

Ever since there were two cavemen around to knock fists, there has been competition. As technology advanced, the gaming got more and more intense until folks were duelling with lances on horseback. Things got pretty gruesome after that.

But after the middle ages, people got more ‘civilised’. Games like golf and pool came about, and the mano ‘y’ mano aspect of serious gaming seemed to be destined for songs strummed on a bard’s lyre. Fortunately for us, the Industrial Age dawned, and with it came the birth of… The Auto.

Last week Sunday’s mechanical joust at Dover St. Ann’s drew no blood, but the thunder emanating from the hooves of these mechanical beasts added to the spectacle that Dover has become. The sights of the immaculately prepared cars and the smell of Sunoco and VP permeated the air as egos and highly strung metal clashed together in bouts of fury, drivers and mounts daring to push themselves to 101% for the glory of it all. If you weren’t there, you heard about it, and If you heard about it, you wished you were there, for it was the first time in a long time that it actually rained on race day.

For the benefit of those who don’t know, IP stands for improved production. There are four actual brackets that are categorised by the quickest times that that car has posted. For example, if your car’s fastest time around Dover is 1 min 28 seconds, then the car belongs to bracket IP27. The other classes are IP33 and IP37. Because the fields are numerically small for each individual bracket, the organisers lump everybody together and call it a convoy, which is actually three races in one. The other convoy race is the Modified Production (MP) class. MP1 is for cars with engines 1800 cc or less; MP2 for vehicles with a displacement between 1801 and 3000 cc, MP3 for race cars with lumps bigger than 3 litres.

Rotary engine’d racers with a 1300 cc 13B are automatically placed in MP3, because a rotary is actually closer to the two stroke model than the four stroke, and produces more power per revolution. Thundersport (formerly known as GTS) has no such displacement restrictions; they are governed by weight according to the size engine they run. So the more cubic centimetres they displace, the heavier the car. Turbo cars also have weight restrictions, if they are in TS. The other class is a beginner series called IP45. These drivers race alone because they are relatively inexperienced and are just learning the track, but being an IP class, they have to lap slower than a minute forty five, and there are no pass zones around the track that they have to obey while racing. The cars are stock; racing apparel is all that is required (a helmet and Nomex suit), so you and your grocery getter can come run some hot laps at Dover!

Modified Production was another matter. Big Boys play in this field, and their toys can get real expensive. And recalcitrant! But most of the players made it to the grid, although the 1:19 Summerbell hot lap must have hung over the MP3 contingent’s heads like the sword of Damocles. True to form, ‘Flow Master’ Summerbell stormed to the front at the drop of the flag and never looked back. After a while it looked as if he was sandbagging, it got so bad. On an off day with mediocre equipment, Summerbell is a very formidable foe. Giving him close to six hundred horsepower is like giving a nuke to Rambo. Very predictably, he won MP3. On the trot. With Gore huffing into second place and Guy Fraser taking the final podium spot. MP2 was won by Tedroy Burton in his hopped up turbo Civic, which was also a foregone conclusion. MP1 was won by Paul Lee.

Thundersport, the fastest class at the hallowed grounds, was temporarily without its stars, as NONE of the big guns started the first race (with the exception of Peter Rae, who started from the pits, almost a lap down from the front runners). Gary Williams is becoming a force to be reckoned with in this class as he is consistent and talented. Second went to Heath Causewell.

Gore and Summerbell coming up through the esses at the beginning of MP Convoy #2

A few races stood out; the second MP Convoy was a humdinger because of a cloudburst. Gore, who had been listening to the weatherman, had brought rain tyres and started the race on them. The damp track wasn’t too forgiving, as Summerbell found out. Even the most gentlemanly of prods with the right foot was enough to provoke prodigious wheel spin. That’s not to say that Doug wasn’t suffering as well, but the all conquering AMS power was useless this time around; after being neck and neck through Good Year, Gore’s steed bit and shot down the straight to Tyre Warehouse, back end sashaying to and fro between the AMS and the infield. By Pinky’s bluff the pass was complete, and he began to employ well his honed skills to stretch the distance between himself his counterpart. It was one of the best displays of wet weather driving skill that this reporter has seen in Jamaica. So fine had he cut it that his Evo died as it crossed the finish, succumbing to a head gasket malady. Summerbell was second and Peter Rae third.

MP Convoy Race #2

Stephan Chin on the Line at the start of Motorcycle Open race #1

The motorcycle race that had Hilary Jhardine hoarse was almost cancelled because it was thought that Dover was too challenging a track when damp. But after the Hoovers (the MP Convoy) had dried the surface, it was deemed safe to continue. What followed next was some of the most scintillating motor racing ever seen locally. Stefan Chin’s mount was on fire, but Halquin Rodney had shown up, and made things quite interesting.

And then there was the finale: Thundersport II. Peter Rae, unbeknownst to a lot of fans, had cracked off an unofficial hand timed 1:22 lap after eight that morning. Hearing the ol’ codger shift that crate in early practice indicated that he was in exceptional form, and that he was here to joust! His new experimental intake manifold seemed to deliver the goods early on, but the carburetion on the 13B was still a problem, and the fine edge on the space frame RX7 went off as the motor got hot. Summerbell made the grid for TS, but started at the back of the grid. Gore’s head gasket woes meant that he could not start the race. So it was Christopher Campbell, Ferdinand Anderson, Mike Causewell, Sebastian Rae, Peter and Summerbell Junior. Five Mitsubishis against the lonely Zoom Zoom.

Carnival mood at TyreWarehouse

Dover employs a rolling start for its races; to be successful here, one has to be a master of timing the start so that position is maintained when the flag drops but the engine is at peak rpm. With a naturally aspirated rotary, the task is even harder as no ‘undrugged’ 13B likes low revs, and if you are caught holding the bag, you are going to keep holding it for a very long time. On this occasion, Peter Rae had one of those starts that drivers dream about… experienced personnel intimated how spectacular his form was going into Goodyear… phenomenal as a word just doesn’t do it justice. Rae positively LEAPT to the left of Campbell from behind the Manchester man and made it four wide going into GoodYear! Having the inside line usually means that more speed has to be scrubbed off to make the curve as it arrives sooner and is usually tighter to negotiate. But somehow Rae made it stick and he carried more exit speed out of the corner than the other three… Amazing! Maybe you don’t have to teach old dogs new tricks, especially if the tricks this one has are still bringing home the bacon!

By now the Rotary Fans were climactic. Rae thundered down to Tyre Warehouse, his Hewland box shifting oh-so-sweet, punctuating the banshee wail of the 13B, the chassis flexing around Pinky’s bluff under the commands of a master. Soon he had pulled out five, six lengths; the wily veteran was in his element.

Thundersport Race II

He kept this up for two laps; meanwhile, the ‘FlowMaster’ had been deftly bagging competitors and is breathing down the tailpipe of Campbell, in second place. Through the chicane, round the Carib Cement corner and into the esses Rae goes, and then Murphy’s law sets in… The 13B hiccoughs coming up the start / finish straight, and Campbell is now pouncing where Rae is most vulnerable, as his mount comes ‘off the cam’ going up the hill, and is struggling to make power. But his lead is considerable, and gives the engine some time develop thrust. But the damage is done; Campbell’s Evo is now too close for comfort; even the experience of Rae can’t combat Mitsubishi’s all conquering Evo at full chat with malfunctioning equipment. Campbell takes first spot on the way down to Tyre Warehouse, the rotary noticeably off song as it struggles through the Federal Corner. Summerbell, scything his way through the field is not past Rae until the entrance of the chicane. By this Campbell has developed quite a lead but the ‘Flowmaster’ chips away at it, bringing all 500+ Clydesdales to bear on this particular problem. Drifting closer to the limits at each apex, Summerbell whittles away at Campbell’s lead until good Year, where they’re almost side by side. He passes Campbell on the bit of striaght before Pinky’s Bluff, the Evo darting to the inside and dispatching Campbell with consummate ease. It is in that order that they finish; Summerbell first, Campbell second, and Rae adrift in third. A fitting end to one of the best staged meets of all time!

MP Convoy Race #1

For this experience, there are a few folks we have to thank. First and foremost, Mr. Gary Neita from CPTC, without whose consummate professionalism this project would have never gotte off the ground; The folks at Gleaner online, and the Gleaner IT department, especially Marlene Davis, Hope McMillan, and Roland Booth for their assistance in willing the project into life, and Finally Mr. Ian Lyn and Motor Sales for lending me the seven league boots (in the form of a New Jeep Patriot) without which this dream would have been a nightmare. All Photographs By Brian ‘Fyah’ Carless, all rights reserved. Let us all hope that the JRDC will always move forward from this point, also with the goal of making motorsport a profitable and pleasurable endeavour for all involved.

Tags: Dover, Jamaica, Motor Sports