Doug Gore in his new Mitsubishi Evolution Lancer. - contributed

DESPITE THEIR dismal performances at the second leg of the Caribbean Drivers Championship, held in Barbados last Sunday, Jamaica's Doug Gore and David Summerbell are still in with a golden opportunity of taking the regional title.

summerbell

"We have to win all three races in the third and final, which is scheduled for Guyana in November," said Summerbell, whose business is slowly recovering from the impact of Tropical Storm Gustav.

Gore was in high spirits when he spoke with Automotives on Wednesday. He is still hopeful that he or Summerbell will win the championship.

"I am six points behind the leader (Stuart Maloney), who is on 30 points. With the Guyanese at the bottom of the point standings, it is for us Jamaicans to keep ahead of the Bajans," said Gore.

Based on what has happenned so far, each country seem to be enjoying the home advantage, but Gore believes that the track in Guyana ideally suites the Mitsubishi Evolutions of the Jamaicans.

longer circuit in Guyana

"We are hoping to have the edge. The track in Barbados was short and narrow, but the circuit in Guyana is much longer, and this is what the Evos need," said Gore.

Barbados' Stuart Maloney was the man who dominated the second leg of the championship in Barbados last Sunday. According to the Nation newspaper, Maloney drove a well-prepared Automotive Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VII, to qualify on pole in a time of 42.253 seconds.

Afterwards he won the three Caribbean Championship events. At the end of the day, he was second in the standings on 30 points, five behind his father Douglas, who has 35. Gore is on 29 points and in third place, followed by Christopher Campbell 21 and Summerbell 20.

Summerbell, who was highly favoured to destroy the opposition, encountered a series of problems. First, a special set of tyres he shipped to Barbados, before he left Jamaica, did not arrive on time. The tyres were supposed to have been used during the qualifying session.

Second, his Turbo Charger went bad during one of the races. He borrowed one, but it never worked properly. Third, a fellow competitor crashed into his car and that was the end of his day at the meet.

According to Hillary Jardine, president of the Jamaica Race Drivers' Club, when Gore and Summerbell dropped out of contention, the 'new kid on the block', Christopher Campbell, took the fight to the opposition. Gary Williams, the fourth member of the team, finished fourth in one of the events.