Gore: Racetrack prep, monster engine factored in drag-racing tragedy
Published:Tuesday | July 19, 2022 | 12:17 AMKimone Francis/Senior Staff Reporter
Leading motorsport driver Doug Gore has said that Sunday’s deadly drag-racing event at Vernamfield in Clarendon may not have been triggered by oil spill residue but could be linked to track preparation and the power of the car.
Gore said that the Toyota Supra vehicle, which ploughed into spectators, killing one and injuring others, had significant horsepower and lost traction once it got past the Track Bite compound used on the surface of the drag strip.
In a Gleaner interview on Monday, Gore noted that the compound, which is a liquid track and tyre treatment that improves traction on asphalt and concrete surfaces, is usually spread only on a portion of the quarter-mile-long strip.
The cost to cover the entire stretch might have been prohibitive, he said.
“A lot of cars ran up and down on the track and had no issues, but this particular car is known to have a lot of horsepower. It can get out quite easily; even driving on a main road. It’s such a potent vehicle because of its power,” said Gore.
“So it would be half and half – the car and the track preparation,” he surmised.
There was increased scrutiny after claims of sabotage where a pool of oil was discovered on the eve of the race meet.
The deceased has been identified as 25-year-old Ashley Findlay-Forbes of Spring Grove, Manchester.
In a statement on Monday, drag race organiser Kenneth ‘Kent T’ Timoll said that it was “unfortunate and regrettable” that Findlay-Forbes died and others injured despite the organisation “taking all reasonable steps to ensure their safety”.
Timoll said all necessary and mandatory precautions sanctioned by the Jamaica Millennium Motoring Club (JMMC) to ensure spectator safety were followed.
JMMC is the governing body for motor sport in the country.
He said permits for the event were granted by the oversight body, the Clarendon Municipal Corporation, the Jamaica Constabulary Force, and the Jamaica Fire Brigade.
“We erected integral barriers, caution signs, and had ambulances and fire marshals on site, as well as adequate security personnel on the ground to consistently monitor and enforce our safety protocols,” Timoll said.
He also said that the track was certified safe at the start of Sunday’s activities.
The incident is under investigation.
Former president of the Jamaica Drag Racing Association (JDRA), Damian McKenzie, said that the incident has threatened to set back the sport that has come a long way since the 1990s.
McKenzie, one of seven founders of the JDRA, said it also highlights the need for the Government to partner with stakeholders to construct a suitable facility for the sport.
He said for too long, the sport has been seen as illegitimate despite the potential earnings that could be derived through tourism.
Recalling the days of enthusiasts racing in gullies across St Andrew, or along major thoroughfares across the Corporate Area, McKenzie said that the drag racing remains without an official home.
He said Sunday’s event at Vernamfield revealed several structural deficiencies that resulted in the outcome.
McKenzie said that events held by the JDRA at Vernamfield in the past were strictly managed, with spectators and vendors “never allowed that far down the track”.
Similarly, he said they were only allowed to the left-hand side of the track to prevent any need for crossing.
He said concrete barriers also lined the track, followed by dirt mounds. Spectators were stationed “well” behind both barriers, he said.
“Over the years, I’ve noticed that those things have taken a back seat, but sometimes we feel that it just cannot happen under our watch ... . Wherever the barriers were couldn’t be in any place to serve any purpose,” McKenzie told The Gleaner.
“It feels like the sport has gone backwards because the relevant authorities are oblivious to what it is all about. The drag racers need somewhere to go.”