Dover set to sizzle

Sizzla to do 30-minute performance at meet tomorrow

Glenroy Sinclair, Assignment Coordinator

The stage is all set and the country's top circuit racers get ready to burn tyres on the 1.6- mile long, Dover Raceway tomorrrow. And top-flight reggae artiste Sizzla Kalonji has been summoned by the Jamaica Race Drivers' Club (JRDC) to cool things down, when the tension begins to mount.

The event has been dubbed the 'Shell/Helix Carnival of Speed' race meet. Although the meet officially gets underway tomorrow, the track will buzz with excitement today as old rivals will make every attempt to smash existing records during the qualifying session.

"Sizzla will be on stage, in a 30-minute performance," the newly elected JRDC president, Christopher 'Teach' McFarlane, told Automotives on Thursday.

Apart from the intense battle expected between the big guns - Doug Gore, Chris Campbell, Peter Rae and David Summerbell - the JRDC president expects that the race meet will be packed with non-stop entertainment.

It will not be all revving engines. "Over 30 pedal cyclists will square off in a devil takes the hindmost feature event," said McFarlane. Children will also get an opportunity to show off their athletic prowess in some short sprint events, organised on the track.

Unlike previous race meets, the top drivers are being careful this time around, shying away from making and predictions.

"Anything is possible, but I always give a 100 per cent in whatever I do," said Doug Gore, when asked if his Audi TT can be beaten. "I am just encouraging my fans to come out and support me," added Gore, who has expressed confidence in the German engineer who was flown in to assist with the tuning of the car.

Gore's main rival, Summerbell, chose not to call the results, but hopes for the best. When asked if he is likely to be beaten this time, Summerbell simply said, "I hope not". He called on his fans to come out and cheer for the Total Lubricant Team, which comprises himself, Kyle Gregg and Andre Anderson.

something to celebrate

"Who knows, they might have something to celebrate at the end of the day," said Summerbell, who was at the dyno with his Mitsubishi Evolution 8 on Good Friday.

Peter 'Zoom Zoom' Rae is once again aiming to upset the apple-cart in his Shell/Helix RX7 Mazda. "We have rebuilt the engine and the car is expected to be much faster," said Rae, who was observed at the track last weekend, test driving the Mazda at night.

Chris Campbell says his BMW is back and he is hoping to have a trouble and-accident-free day. "Following the accident last year we have put in a lot of work. The car is a little bit lighter now and all I am hoping for is a trouble-free day," said Campbell.

The battle for supremacy between Kyle Gregg and Alan Chen continues, while Matthew Gore will be aiming to use the Mitsubishi Evolution 10 formerly driven by his older brother, Doug, to upstage the field.

Guy Fraser will be driving Matthew Gore's Toyota Starlet. The Brown's Town pair of Nigel Edwards and Troy Edwards, along with Natasha Chang, George Bayley and Joel Jackson, are among the drivers expected to make their presence felt at Dover.

Last year's champion driver, Sebastien Rae, who is yet to secure any major sponsor, will be returning with a Magnum single-seater car, formerly own by David Summerbell Jr.