Easter Carnival of Speed Dover report

From motorsports writer Dean Corrodus

Photos by Shane & Omar Munroe.

Records are made to be broken (not the vinyl type though) and it was true to form that the Jamaica Race Driver’s Club’s season opening Carnival of Speed Easter race meet at Dover Raceway delivered on that expectation, with record attendance at the English speaking Caribbean’s most challenging circuit track.

Possibly the most successful meet to be run thus far under the watch of the JRDC, the event was declared open by Minister of Sports and Culture Hon. Olivia “Babsy” Grange, with Chairman of the Sports Development foundation David Mais escorting her. The huge, very colorful crowd observed a moment of silence for track founder Alfred Chen and also the couple Charmaine and Andre Jannierre, the latter a motorcycle racer who were both tragically murdered recently, after which the Jamaican national anthem was played to start a full 15 race schedule of exciting races.

Improvements to the parking areas and a new food court added to the continued development of the venue by the club ahead of the first round of the Caribbean Motor racing Championships set for May 24, when 18 Caribbean competitors are expected to swell the grids along with the increased number of local competitors seen at the track this meet.

Gore and Campbell.

Team Mobay Racing had another dominant event, with three of four Mitsubishi Lancer Evolutions performing well to take the race wins and sometimes second and third place as well in several races. Team leader Douglas “Hollywood” Gore in the Motor Sales & Service Ltd/Sherwin Williams Paints/Slam Condoms/Amsoil Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 5 led the charge with race wins in both Lime Thundersport headline races as well as the second Modified Production Class 3 (MP3) race and placing second in the first MP3 race, with Chris Campbell in the Campbell’s Wholesale Evolution 4 hot on his heels in 4 of the events, supported by Gary Williams in the Slowboy Racing Evolution 6 ½ sealing the deal, however his performance faded as the day wore on, with Guy Fraser suffering several problems on the weekend that took him out of all of the races.

Summerbell

David Summerbell in the Motor Sales & Service Ltd/Flow/AMS Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 8 won the first Modified Production Class 3 race, but was soon out of contention when his transfer case broke, sidelining him for the rest of the day. It was much the same for another big name; Peter “Bull” Thompson, whose E10 turbocharged Mazda RX7 suffered several problems as well, making the grid for only one event in which he ran off on the first corner when his right front tire failed and separated from the wheel causing him to retire and failing to complete the warm up lap on the second Lime Thundersport race with driveline issues. He was however able to show some of the new speed of his car when he was a part of the E10 trio that staged a demonstration during a break in the races.

Overall meet champion Peter Jaggon and his Honda CRX.

Outstanding performances were put on by Peter Jaggon in the IGL/Jaggon Gases/Horse P Racing Honda CRX to win the driver of the meet award with a perfect score of 20 points from his MP2 and IP33 race wins, Alan Chen in the Allied Construction turbocharged Toyota Corolla SR5 and Stephen Bansie in the Scotiabank Subaru Impreza WRX Sti. For many, these three drivers were the stars of the show, with Jaggon winning 4 of 5 races entered and retiring in the final Thundersport event when on a charge through the field, working his way from the back to 6^th place before his battery clamp broke on lap 3 and his car shut down. Chen was 4^th in the first IP33 race, but really shone in the second when after losing several places on the start, he charged through the field to cross the line side by side with Jaggon, really turning on the thrills and sometimes drifting his car through the tight corners!

Chen (left) and Bansie.

Bansie had qualified on pole for the IP27 race, but his intercooler pipe became disconnected, putting him out of the first race, but stormed from the back of the field in the second event to take 1^st place and then he also had a third place finish in the 2^nd Thundersport event.
The IP45 category was won by Michelle Laidlaw in a Honda Fit (Race 1) and Chressmore “Bolt” White in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution (Race 2). Walton Small featured in both events with a 2^nd place in race one and a third place in race 2.

Improved Production 45 Race 1

1^st Michelle Laidlaw

2^nd Walton Small

3^rd Brian Shorter

Improved Production 45 Race 2

1^st Chressmore White

2^nd Neil Blenman

3^rd Walton Small

Defending IP37 champion Rohan Clarke in his Nissan Pulsar seems to have a challenge on his hands with Brian Foster’s Honda Civic getting the better of him in both races, with Richard Chan in a Toyota Corolla GT sedan being the fastest 20 valve engine competitor to finish 3^rd in race 1 with Ian Edwards copping that position in race 2.
Improved Production 37 Race 1

1^st Brian Foster

2^nd Rohan Clarke

3^rd Richard Chan

Improved Production 37 Race 2

1^st Brian Foster

2^nd Rohan Clarke

3^rd Ian Edwards
Peter Jaggon started his dominance of the event with the 1^st IP33 race and went on to win the 2^nd one as well, with Heath Causwell in a normally aspirated 2000cc Mitsubishi Mirage RS and Sebastian Rae in a similar car but with a 1500cc turbocharged engine swapping 2^nd and 3^rd places in Race 1 and 2 respectively.
Improved Production 33 Race 1

1^st Peter Jaggon

2^nd Heath Causwell

3^rd Sebastian Rae

Improved Production 33 Race 2

1^st Peter Jaggon

2^nd Sebastian Rae    3^rd Heath Causwell

In the IP27 category, Gary Williams (Slowboy Racing/Team Mobay Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 6 ½ ) won race 1 ahead of David Anderson (Quik Cash Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6 ½) and Teddy Burton (MAD Honda Civic turbo) , with Bansie winning race 2 followed by Burton and Victor Handal (Tile City Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 7)
Improved Production 27 Race 1

1^st Gary Williams

2^nd David Anderson

3^rd Tedroy Burton

Improved Production 27 Race 2

1^st Stephen Bansie

2^nd Tedroy Burton

3^rd Victor Handal

In the Modified production Class 1 races, it was Brian Foster who copped 1^st place in race 1 followed by Dr. Don Gilbert and Brown’s Town resident Nigel Edwards. In race 2 it was Gilbert’s turn to chalk up a win, with Gary Gregg returning to Dover after an absence of 7 years to place 2^nd in his Maxxis Tyres/TSW wheels Honda Civic SIR, which he campaigned in the IP33 category as well. Team Mobay Racing’s Mark Groves aka “The Stig” placed 3^rd in that event.
Modified Production Class 1Race 1

1^st Brian Foster

2^nd Don Gilbert

3^rd Nigel Edwards

Modified Production Class 1 Race 2

1^st Don Gilbert

2^nd Gary Gregg

3^rd Mark Groves

Peter Jaggon in his Juici Patties/Jaggon Gases/IGL/ Horse P Racing Honda CRX won both MP 2 class races, with Teddy Burton/ Sebastian Rae and Christopher Wright (Horse P racing Honda Civic Coupe) /Heath Causwell (Windshield Centre Mitsubishi Mirage) in 2^nd and 3^rd respectively in races 1 and 2.
Modified Production Class 2 Race 1

1^st Peter Jaggon

2^nd Tedroy Burton    3^rd Sebastian Rae

Modified Production Class 2 Race 2

1^st Peter Jaggon    2^nd Christopher Wright

3^rd Heath Causwell
David Summerbell rocketed into the lead of the MP3 race 1 from Doug Gore and kept it to the drop of the checkered flag to win that event, with a hard charging Chris Campbell in 3^rd. In race 2 it was an all Team Mobay Racing affair, as it was the turn of Gore to register a win, with teammates Campbell in second and Gary Williams in 3^rd.

Modified Production Class 3 Race 1

1^st David Summerbell

2^nd Doug Gore

3^rd Christopher Campbell

Modified Production Class 3 Race 2

1^st Doug Gore

2^nd Christopher Campbell

3^rd Gary Williams

In the Motorcycles Class, the results were mixed, with Adrian Blake winning the 1^st race and Andre Norman the second. Past race winner Halquin Rodney had several spills and literally fell out of contention for a top spot.

Race 1 1^st Adrian Blake

2^nd Andre Norman

3^rd Christopher Kerr

Race 2 1^st Andre Norman

2^nd Christopher Kerr

3^rd Oneil Sheckleford

In the headline Lime Thundersport class, it was again mostly a Team Mobay Racing affair again, as Stephen Bansie was the only outsider to podium with 3^rd place in the final race of the day.

Race 1 1^st Doug Gore

2^nd Christopher Campbell

3^rd Gary Williams

Race 2 1^st Doug Gore

2^nd Christopher Campbell

3^rd Stephen Bansie
In the Automotive Performance Centre Ltd. Toyota 20 valve Challenge Cup, Ivan Lee & Mark Groves emerged as the join early leaders, with newcomer Andre Forbes in 3^rd .

APC Toyota 20 valve Challenge Cup
Car #       Name     Year    Make    Model    CC    Race 1   Race 2   Total
88    P37    R. Chang    1991    Toyota   Corolla GT    1587      4    0 4
77    IP37    A. Forbes    1992    Toyota   Starlet    1587    2.4    2.4 4.8
172    IP37    W. Small    1988    Toyota   Corolla    1587      1.6    0 1.6
109   IP37    I. Lee     1986    Toyota   Corolla GTS    1587    1.2 6 7.2
229    IP37    M. Groves    1991    Toyota   Levin     1587    3.6    3.6 7.2

Prize giving will be at the Talk of the Town at the Pegasus Hotel in Kingston on Friday April 17, while the next race meet will be the first round of the Caribbean Motor Racing Championships on May 24 & 25 when eighteen top drivers from across the Caribbean will bolster the numbers of local talent seen at this past meet.

For further information, call Denisha Morgan at the JRDC office at 924-JRDC (5732) or visit the club’s website at www.jrdc.org and check out the updated photo albums and event reports page.