The Jamaica Millennium Motoring Club (JMMC) had a busy weekend when on Saturday, February 19, they hosted their annual awards and prize giving ceremony at the Wexford Hotel in Montego Bay and the following day, Sunday the 20th, in association with the Montego Bay Motoring Club and with support from Miatsu Batteries, Maurice’s Gas and Appliances, KFC, Tru Juice, Wards Power Tools and Equipment Rentals and The Automotive Performance Centre Ltd., held “Tarmac Terror” at the highly popular Ironshore Tarmac track at Montego Park Estates, the first true test of speed on the 2011 rally sport calendar and the first of the six part national sprint championship season.
At Saturday evening’s event, Montego Bay’s Matthew Gore was rewarded for an outstanding 2010 season by being presented with the awards for multiple championships: the National Rally Sport Driver Championship, the Overall Sprint Championship and the two wheel drive sprint championship, in addition to placing 3rd in the JA2 class rally driver’s championship. Other winners were Dion Gardner in the dexterity championship, Raymond Farquharson in the two wheel drive co-driver rally championship as well as the class JA2 co-driver’s championship, Dave Lee and Colin “Stuffy” Chambers in the rally team championship for the third year and Jordan Powell in the two wheel drive stages rally championship. The club also presented Lawrence Henriques, many times organizer’s champion and former competitor, with a lifetime achievement award for his outstanding contribution to motorsports over the years.
Matthew Gore receiving the Driver’s championship trophy from 2009 winner Dean Corrodus.
Lawrence Henriques accepts his lifetime achievement award from Paulette Heron.
The sprint event on Sunday got off to a late start but the action on the track was as hot as the scorching sun, as the cars took to the course in anger to try to post the fastest times in several classes. Mechanical maladies sidelined top driving ace Doug “Hollywood” Gore who was driving the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X for the last time, and as well it just reaffirmed the decision to upgrade his steed to a factory built Audi DTM racecar, due to arrive in the island sometime next month.
New to rally sport competition, young Kyle Gregg (son of two time national rally sport driver’s champion Gary Gregg) could not have asked for a better debut, as he literally “cleaned up” and walked away with all the top prizes: fastest overall and fastest 2 wheel drive. Patrick Gore survived an off in the 1st run to win the JA2 class in his black rear wheel drive Challenger Garage Toyota Corolla powered by a 4AGE “Blacktop” 20 valve twin cam motor while Nigel Edwards won the JC1 class in his turbocharged Liquid Nitro VW Golf Gti.
Keeping the racing action alive on the following weekend was Spot Valley Raceway, who successfully ran their “Clash of the Titans” from this western city on Sunday, February 27, when a total of twenty nine competitors took to the smooth dirt surface in a variety of four wheeled machines, ranging from 600cc quad bikes to 2000cc, turbo charged, 4 wheel drive rally cars.
There was competition in a total of nine classes, with Clasford Woolery Jr. taking the JA1 class in his First Choice Video Mini Cooper, Troy Bernard in the M&M Wheel Alignment Toyota Starlet in the JN1 category, Mark Anthony March in the Spot Valley Investments Toyota Corolla FX in the JN2 class,
Matthew Gore in the Team Mobay Racing/Brit Jam/S&S Liquors Toyota Starlet in class JA2, Dean “Duct Tape” Corrodus in the Automotive Performance Centre Ltd/Tropical Battery Honda Civic Type R in class JA3,
Christopher “Chippie” Addison in class JN8 driving the Kinn’s Auto Parts Subaru Impreza WRX Sti Spec C, Richard Rerrie in the RMS Racing/Leroy’s Auto Glass/”Free Buju” Subaru Impreza WRX Sti in class JA8, Ian “Myer” Edwards in class JC2 and Julian Mair in the quad category.
JA1
Clasford Woolery Jr Mini Cooper 03:20.64 03:21.89 03:14.30
JN1
Troy Bernard Toyota Starlet 03:12.64 03:05.85 03:10.02
JN2
Mark March Toyota Corolla FX 04:24.22 03:04.65 DNF
JA2
Matthew Gore Toyota Starlet 02:37.02 02:37.07 02:35.94
Maurice Whittingham Toyota Starlet 02:41.24 02:37.44 02:38.67
James March Toyota Corolla FX 02:44.35 02:40.16 02:41.00
Richard Chan Toyota Corolla GT 02.55.00 DNS 02:49.95
Dominic Peterkin Honda Civic Type R 02:54.79 02:55.25 02:51.78
Kevin Watson Toyota Corolla 02:58.08 02:53.36 02:55.73
Robert Singh Toyota Corolla 02:57.61 02:54.22 02:55.60
Tony Fu Toyota Corolla 02:56.22 03:04.32 02:54.62
Randal Singh Toyota Corolla 03:20.01 02:55.02 DNF
M Porteous Toyota Starlet 03:07.19 03:12.26 03:03.85
Kenji Lee Toyota Starlet 03:31.36 03:22.03 03:11.67
JA3
Dean Corrodus Honda Civic Type R 02:40.48 02:37.27 02:40.39
Nigel Edwards VW Golf GTi 02:51.38 02:46.95 02:47.28
Keith Saunders Chevrolet Chevette 03:03.74 02:52.48 02:53.83
Jerome Jones VW Golf GTi 02:58.35 03:00.59 03:06.59
Dayne Graham BMW 2002ti 03:16.06 DNF 03:02.81
Ricardo Scott Toyota Corolla 03:34.08 03:21.28 03:18.89
JC2
Ian Edwards Ford Laser 02:51.08 02:49.14 02:52.58
JN8
Christopher Addison Subaru Impreza WRX 02:39.40 02:31.93 DNS
Macklin Peterkin Subaru Impreza WRX 2.45.59 02:39.76 02:37.90
Sanjay Singh Mitsubishi Lancer Evo III02:54.02 DNF 02:52.34
JA8
Richard Rerrie Subaru Impreza WRX 02:30.02 02:28.20 02:26.67
Quad class
1. Julian Mair 02:31.29
2. Lenin Thompson 02:37.50
3. Maurice Whittingham 02:39.99
4. Cedeni Singh 02:45.14
5. Andrea Andrade 02:47.49
A total of three rally cross races were held, with Kevin Watson just edging out Maurice Whittingham in a photo finish in the second race, when a total of nine cars took the start flag for exciting side by side action.
Jerome Jones had put on a very skillful drive in race one in his Speedzone Auto parts VW Golf GTi, making his way quickly through the field to cross the line far ahead of his rivals.
In race 3 it was Richard Chan who led the way to take the chequered flag first.
The next event in the Spot Valley dirt race series will be held at the same venue on Sunday, March 27, but before that the Jamaica Millennium motoring Club (JMMC) will stage the second tarmac sprint of the season at a venue to be announced, but a likely candidate is Tobolski in Browns Town, St. Ann on Sunday, March 20 to be followed the annual general meeting of the club at the Liguanea Club in New Kingston on Saturday, March 26 starting at 6 p.m.
