Double Dover threat - Gore, Summerbell promise new lap bests

Glenroy Sinclair, Assignment Coordinator

A frenetic showdown between Doug 'Hollywood' Gore and David 'The King' Summerbell is expected in the final circuit race meet of the year, the Heroes of Speed event at Dover Raceway, St Ann, on October 21.

"The track record will be mine," a very confident Gore told Automotives on Friday. "The car (Audi TT) is in perfect shape, ready and raring to go," chuckled Gore, who stressed that because of the current tyre rules at Dover, he will be contesting only two races - the first MP4 and the Thundersport events.

He believes that Summerbell will be able to match strides with the Audi only if he gets back a sequential gearbox for the Total/Stewart's Auto sponsored Mitsubishi Evolution 8.

However, an unusually reserved Summerbell, laughing aloud, repeatedly said his aim for the October 21, Heroes' Day assignment, is to erase the existing track record. "We have acquired some extra parts for the car, which we will be testing soon. We are looking forward to the clash with the Audi. We want to establish a new record," argued Summerbell.

President of the Jamaica Race Drivers' Club, Norman Minott, said he is expecting some fierce battles on the track. These are not only between Summerbell and Gore, but there will also be clashes involving Charles Chen, Kyle Gregg, Kawesi Golding, Andre Anderson, Tarik Minott, Natasha Chang, Chris Campbell, Matthew Gore and Peter Rae in several classes.

There are reports that Charles Chen's car is much faster than before and Tarik Minott has got a brand new engine, while Chris Campbell and Mathew Gore's cars are ready and could provide some serious competition for the veteran Peter Rae.

However, Rae is not overly disturbed. "We are sorting out the 'Zoom Zoom' and it will be a force to reckon with. So whosoever want to come and test it, let them come," Rae warned. His Mazda RX7 has been one of the top cars for several race meets.

Addressing the tyre rule over which some drivers have expressed concerns, Minott stressed that it will be the same as for the last meet. However, he promised that his team will be reviewing the rule, with a view to implementing some cost-cutting measures.

CMRC leg off

Minott explained that an internal dispute within the Barbados Motoring Club has led to the cancellation of the second leg of the CMRC championship.

Jamaica is currently leading in the CMRC championship.

According to Minott, Doug Gore and several other top drivers, with the exception of Summerbell, have confirmed their participation for the third and final leg, slated for Guyana in November.