Glenroy Sinclair, Assignment Coordinator

A stunning performance in last Easter Monday's Dover Raceway meet has left some racing fans asking who is Alan Chen.

Chen, in his black Toyota Corolla GTS, displayed skill and determination in one of the three IP 33 events at the St Ann-based raceway.

Starting from the middle of the field, Chen overtook his rivals and vigorously challenged the pack leader, Peter Jaggan, for the chequered flag - a move which had fans talking about him for the rest of the day.

Chen is, however, no stranger to motorsport.

He is the nephew of the late Alfred Chen, politician, popular businessman and founder of Dover Raceway.

Hooked to the sport

Chen, who formerly attended Belair High in Manchester, got hooked to the sport from as early as nine, while assisting his uncle in the construction of the raceway.

The elder Chen died when the helicopter he was flying crashed in the hills of Trelawny on October 11, 2000.

"Two weeks before he died, he offered my cousins and me his two single-seater race cars, but we did not take up the offer at that time," Chen said. The driver said that since then he has a different outlook.

"Today, I am strongly influenced by him," he said.

Chen made his debut at the Dover racetrack in 2003 as a competitor, then later years joined the Jamaica Millennium Motoring Club (JMMC).

"Over the past two years, he has been competing in the JMMC events - mostly dexterities and sprints," said Errol Anderson, president of the JMMC.

"Last year, he competed in the Jamaica Rally and has been doing well ... if he had sponsors he would have done far better," he said.