Brighton River Run/JMMC Gravel Sprint #6 report and results
Photos by Michael Samuels and Donovan Montaque.
The Jamaica Millennium Motoring Club concluded its 2011 National Sprint Championship season on Sunday, November 6, 2011 when they visited the new Palm Springs Raceway in Brighton, Santa Cruz in the bread basket parish of St. Elizabeth. An idyllic campground type-setting watered by three natural, freshwater springs teeming with fish, the raceway welcomed the fire spitting monster machines of Jamaican rally-sport for the first, but certainly not last, time.
Overall championship battle
Young Kyle Gregg driving the BD Gregg & Bros/Hero Tyres/MAD/NG Racing Honda Civic came away with the victor’s spoils in the overall sprint championship as well as the overall rally-sport drivers championship, in the latter gaining an unassailable 360 point lead on 2nd placed Maurice Whittingham who scored only 10 points when his Toyota Corolla Levin suffered mechanical difficulties just after taking the start of the 1st timed run. 2nd place was where Kyle finished in the JA2 class to add 110 points to his overall tally which now stands at a massive 930 points to Whittingham on 570 closely followed by Matthew Gore on 530.
Fastest 2WD
Jordan Powell driving the R&B Auto Parts Toyota Corolla FX was the toast of the class however, as he posted a blistering time of 1.58.780 on his 2nd timed run to claim the class and overall 2 wheel drive honors, but a lazy roll at the 1st corner of his 3rd run put an end to his day preventing him from not only improving that time but from participation in the three lap championship run. Gregg as mentioned before got the better of outgoing 2010 Rallysport Drivers Champion Matthew Gore in the Ocean Spray Wata Toyota Starlet by posting a 1.59.000 time on his 3rd and final run to beat Gore’s 1.59.725 recorded on his 2nd run.
Elder statesman of motorsports Keith Saunders again registered the win of the JA3 class in his Chevrolet Chevette ahead of Ricardo Scott in a Toyota Corolla.
Mandeville resident Alan Chen took a short trip down Spur Tree Hill to have some fun in the JA4 class, posting an entertaining and aggressive winning time of 2.03.185 in his turbo-charged, rear wheel drive Pavecon/Allied Concrete Toyota Corolla SR5, followed by Browns Town native Orville Johnson in a turbo-charged Toyota Tercel in 2.17.850.
Sprint debutant Spencer Whittingham in the Megamart Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution V quickly came to terms with driving on a loose surface and rapidly improved his 1st run time of 2.03.565 to a JN8 class winning time and 2nd fastest overall of 1.57.055, with Peter Jaggon in the Team Outkast Subaru Impreza WRX in 2nd place on 2.04.140.
Showtime!
Gary Gregg certainly was the most talked about driver of the meet as he brought his BD Gregg & Bros. Ford Focus World Rally Car to the grassy track for an absolutely entertaining display of full power slides thinly disguised as a shakedown test for the car after its recent return to the island from a complete overhaul at Dom Buckley Motorsports in the United Kingdom. His times consistently improved over the three timed runs and he ended the day on 1.52.00 for the two lap runs and 2.44.575 in the championship 3-lapper.
Richard Chan of Team Challenger was having too much fun in winning the JC2 class in 2.14.220 and dove extra laps just for the thrill of it. He was followed by Ian “The Beast Master” Edwards driving a Mazda 323, whose power was so much it broke a wheel on his 3rd run. He ended the day with a best time of 2.15.065.
The JC1 class was won by Westmoreland resident Mario Scott driving a Ford Escort fitted with a Toyota 20 valve 4AGE engine, while the former track record holder Andrew Green representing the local talent won the street car class for naturally aspirated vehicles with a best time of 2:29.735 in his Peugeot 205.
NAMES CAR 1st run 2nd run 3rd run TIME
JA2
1.Jordan Powell Toyota Corolla FX 2.04.880 1.58.780 DNF 1:58.780
2. Kyle Gregg Honda Civic 2.05.810 2.00.830 1.59.000 1:59.000
3. Matthew Gore Toyota Starlet 2.04.475 1.59.725 1.59.895 1:59.725
4. Tony Fu Toyota Corolla GT 2.20.495 2.10.375 2.08.435 2:08.435
5. Marvin Porteous Toyota Starlet 2.11.735 2.08.840 2.08.860 2:08.840
6. Robert Singh Toyota Corolla GTS 2.21.790 2.12.305 2.11.560 2:11.560
7. Randall Singh Toyota Corolla DX 2.30.640 2.15.215 2.12.475 2:12.475
8. Chris Scott Toyota Corolla 3.02.890 2.38.105 DNF 2:38.105
9. Maurice Whittingham Toyota Levin DNF DNS DNS 0:00.000
JA3
1. Keith Saunders Chrevolet Chevette 2.15.440 2.08.400 2.08.960 2:08.400
2. Ricardo Scott Toyota Corolla DNF 2.28.670 2.26.510 2:26.510
JA4
1. Alan Chen Toyota Corolla SR5 2.10.985 2.05.340 2.03.185 2:03.185
2. Orville Johnson Toyota Tercel 2.19.940 2.17.850 2.22.140 2:17.850
JN8
1. Spencer Whittingham Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 5 2.03.565 1.59.870 1.57.055 1:57.055
2. Peter Jaggon Subaru Impreza WRX 2.12.820 2.04.140 2.04.330 2:04.140
JA9
1. Gary Gregg Ford Focus WRC 1.54.385 1.53.335 1.52.000 1:52.000
JC1
1. Mario Scott Ford Escort 2.23.735 2.27.645 2.32.700 2:23.735
JC2
1. Richard Chan Mitsubishi Evolution 4 2.14.220 2.15.665 DNS 2:14.220
2. Ian Edwards Mazda 323 2.17.085 2.15.065 DNF 2:15.065
STREET CAR CLASS Normally aspirated
1. Andrew Green Peugeot 2.42.065 2.29.735 DNS 2:29.735
2. Kirkland Billings Nissan B12 DNF DNS DNS 0:00.000
FASTEST OVERALL
Gary Gregg Ford Focus WRC 1.54.385 1.53.335 1.52.000 1:52.000
FASTEST 2WD
Jordan Powell Toyota Corolla FX 2.04.880 1.58.780 DNF 1:58.780
CHAMPIONSHIP RUN
1. Gary Gregg Ford Focus WRC 2.44.575 2:44.575
2. Matthew Gore Toyota Starlet 2.56.335 2:56.335
3. Kyle Gregg Honda Civic 2.57.335 2:57.335
4. Peter Jaggon Subaru Impreza WRX 3.02.745 3:02.745
5. Alan Chen Toyota Corolla SR5 3.03.785 3:03.785
6. Tony Fu Toyota Corolla GT 3.12.775 3:12.775
7. Keith Saunders Chrevolet Chevette 3.15.645 3:15.645
8. Randall Singh Toyota Corolla 3.18.440 3:18.440
9. Spencer Whittingham Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 5 DNF 0:00.000
10. Jordan Powell Toyota Corolla FX DNS 0:00.000
The next event on the rally-sport calendar will be the JMMC/Petcom 20th Anniversary Rally Jamaica 2011, scheduled to take place on December 4-6 using stages in Bog Walk, Bernard Lodge and the Kingston Waterfront. For more information, visit www.rallyjamaica.com .
