Solodex V- The calm before the storm - 2nd September 2001

Article by Shaun Mohamed
Photography byShaun Mohamed

So just why would 29 individuals on a cool Sunday morning get up and head to Santa Rosa Carpark? I mean Sunday is to sleep late, and relax, but Solodex just nullifies that! The 5th and second to last Solodex for 2001 was held on Sunday 2nd September 2001. It was a day full of drama and upsets. It was also a day full of surprises as many people got double the motorsport fun as the Trinidad and Tobago Karting Association also held it's event from 2pm. After watching those karts run, we believe we would have to plan a showdown between Cristian Bourne's Evo IV and a kart. I mean these karts are fast!

The event started promptly at 10:15am with the ES and GS classes battling it out in Run group 1. To their advantage (wouldn't really apply to James) they had some nice dry weather. We saw times being posted in the mid 50 seconds and over. This was expected to decrease by the second session of the evening. By 11am, the rain had it's own plan to dampen competitors spirits. However, with the inclement weather, we saw spectacular times being posted in all classes. Of course the best time of the day was posted by Cristian Bourne in his MMC Evo IV posting his best time of 46.895. He was able to outdo his closest rival by over 6 seconds. Way to go Cristian.

Looking at the individual classes, we see in the GS class those poor guys being beaten by Alicia McKenzie. We believe Alicia is currently running out of space at home for here Trophies. Her MMC Lancer 1500 carb. Was able to edge out Anson Eccles 1993 2.0 Bluebird SSS by 0.021 of a second. So Anson probably you should remove some part of your car to get that extra edge, probably a floor mat or something, or simply lose some weight?? We look forward to seeing some nail-bitting action in the next Solodex, as only 0.24 of a second seperates Alicia and Anson, with Alicia having the edge presently in the current championship.

The HS class comprised of only two competitors, known fondly as the Joy boys since they both drive Chevy Joys 1.4L. With similar cars, it was expected the best time of the day being posted by the both would be close. Indeed they were as Gerard Dial edged out Robert Bates by a 0.056 of a second. Driver skill was the main determination in this class. The results mirror the current championship standings, with Gerard Dial leading Robert Bates by only 1.25 points.

In the ES class where fierce competition is always expected, Wayne Hutchinson was able to top his seven other competitors. Unfortunately, Anand Awai, the current class leader was only able to manage 4th place. Wayne's Suzuki Baleno made a best time of 53.25, clearly leaving Clayton Jobity's MMC Lancer in second with a time of 53.83 seconds. With Anand's championship lead now clearly in jeopardy from the likes of Shaun Mohamed, we expect to definitely see Anand at Solodex VI letting it all out to defend his lead. New comer to the class Christian Cozier in his Renault Laguna was able to command a respectable 6th place ahead of other experienced Solodexers.

Not to be outdone in the ESP class, Kirk Ho Hing had his revenge after being beaten by William Barrow in Solodex 4. Kirk being the underdog for most of the morning was able to come from behind to take first place with a blazing time of 50.375. With a time like this, Kirk could have taken second position in the higher EP class. In second position, Sean Bissessar in his Peugeot 306 sedan managed a time of 50.440, .065 behind Kirk's best time. However, one of the most spectacular runs of the day belonged to Denyse Ramnarine in her VW Golf Gti 2000. Denyse practically 3- wheeled the entire course. She however earned 7th position. Ryan Pinheiro currently leads the current championship standings, followed closely by William Barrow in his Civic Sir. Judging by the shuffle of results in this class on Sunday, the champion of this class come Solodex 6 is really anyone's guess.

CARS would like to thank all those individuals who helped during the day in the safe execution of the event.
Solodex 6, the final of the 2001 series will be held on Sunday October 7th. For further information on this event, and other fun events from CARS, please visit our website at www.carstt.com or e-mail at cars@tstt.net.tt.