JMMC/Taboo/Spot Valley Sprint 6 Report
In the final opportunity to prepare for the this year’s Rally Jamaica 2009, Spot Valley Raceway in St. James came alive on Sunday November 1, 2009 for the second time in as many months. The final event in the Sprint Championship series, Sprint 6 will be remembered for the fierce battle between the JA2 Class competitors, the unforgettable landscape and scenery of Spot Valley Entertainment Complex, the return of one of racing’s most talented rear-wheel drive competitors, and the emerging popularity of Rally Cross.
The event was entered by thirty competitors (5 Quads included), but comprised of thirteen (13) JA2 entrants. It was void of the fanfare of the last time, as TurnKey Promotions were absent this time around, which led to the JMMC and Dave Lee of Spot Valley taking care of the organizational tasks. Needless to say, it was a successful event that left many spectators wanting more Spot Valley type venues and more Rally Cross.
The Magnet performs Magic
Matthew ‘The Magnet’ Gore in his newly acquired Liquid Lightning Toyota Starlet completed the day in sensational form atop the 13 entry JA2 class. The competition was a potent mix of Montego Bay heavy weights to include Dean Corrodus, Jordan Powell, Maurice Whittingham, Ivan Lee, Richard Chan and the improving Daryl King. At the end of the second of three 2 lap runs, Mathew fell behind to fourth in class with very little hope of improving on his first run. He however, made a six second improvement on his first run in the third to win not only the class, but also, two wheel drive honors. The Magnet finished with a best time of 2:35.808 ahead of Jordan Powell (Toyota Corolla FX - 2:36.824) and Maurice Whittingham (Toyota Starlet – 2:37.960). The Magnet further went on to finish third behind Junior Barnes (JA8 Mitsubishi Evolution) and Dave Lee (JN8 Mitsubishi Evolution).
Christopher ‘Chippy’ Addison returned to motor sports in spectacular form representing the JA4 class in a BMW M3. He overcame a close battle with the impressive Alan Chen in his rear wheel drive Toyota Corolla coming out ahead by less than a second in the final run with a best time of 2:40.640 to Alan’s 2:41.241. This was no easy task, as Alan has been in spectacular form this year on almost all motor sport activities that he entered.
Not to be totally dominated, Alan then had the upper hand in the three lap championship run finishing fourth with a time of 3:53.455 compared to a seventh place finish by Chippy with a time of 4:03.076.
The battle amongst the JA4 machinery will certainly heat up once the 2008 Drivers Champion Thomas Hall enters the mix. Chippy will most definitely have his hands full, but by his performance at Spot Valley, he has shown that he is not rusty and is equal to the task.
Although the competition was tight among the JA2 and heated in the JA4 class, there was also good competition amongst the four wheel drive vehicles. Junior ‘Flette’ Barnes ended with the best time for the day (2:30.788) in his Bay Waata JA8 Mitsubishi Evolution IX ahead of Dave ‘Bush Tiger’ Lee (2:32.751) in his Spot Valley JN8 Mitsubishi Evolution VII. Although, Junior was sporting the more superior machine, fans were entertained by a close competition between the two.
Charles Maxwell in his open class (JC2) Mitsubishi Evolution V finished ahead of Ian Edwards and first time rally sport entrant Charles Chen to win the class with a best time of 2:35.191. Because of this groups open class status, Charles was not able to garner points for his third overall placing.
Sole representative of the JA3 class, Leroy ‘Ice’ Spence managed to get one run in with a time of 2:45.333 to claim the class win. Sean McDonald and Warren Walford battled in a shared automatic Toyota Corolla FX in the JN2 class with Sean coming out ahead with a best time of 3:02.595.
Of the five Quad entries, Julian Mair completed the two lap course in a spectacular time of 2:32.871 ahead of Lennie Thompson and David Thwaites.
A Triple Dose of Rally Cross
Fans were once again treated to an exciting helping of Rally Cross madness. The only difference this time - a triple proportion. There were two races involving cars and one with the quads.
The first rally cross race didn’t prove to be as exciting, as the fastest car was already ahead in the rolling start and finished in the same position. This was contrasted with a more exciting race to include the Edwards brothers of the Browns Town Crew, Jordan Powell, and Richard Chan. As in the last Spot Valley Rally Cross in September, there were some bumps and bruises while Jordan attempted to pass the leader, Richard Chan throughout the race. Nigel Edwards entered the battle up front easing Jordan out of his second place with two laps to go. Jordan however, showed tenacity by finding his way back into second place behind Richard Chan to finish the race.
Rally Cross, by the sheer entertainment value appears that it’s here to stay. You simply had to be there to witness it.
This event was made possible by Spot Valley Entertainment, Taboo Energy Drink, KFC, Bay Waata and True Juice.
The next event on the motor sport calendar is the Motor Sports Premier event Rally Jamaica 2009 December 4-6. Be There!
Chippy’s Return