Solodex VI - The Grand Finale- 7th October 2001

Article by Kevin Singh
Photography by Duane Boodasingh

The 2001 Solodex Championship came to a grand close on October 7. After six heated events starting in January, the overall championship was decided in an exciting 'shootout', whereby the top three competitors in each class got the opportunity to race against each other, using the same cars! But more on that later.

This year's championship season lived up to everyone's expectations by providing even more head-to head excitement than last year.

From the word GO, Solodex I re-kindled all the old rivalries from last year. Everyone was eagerly looking forward to the continuing battle between Peter Morris in his rally-prepped Evo. VI, and Christian Bourne in his Evo. slaying Type-R Honda Civic. Adding to the mix were the likes of Ryan Pinhiero in his amazing Peugot 205 GTi, Sean Bissessar in his turbocharged Peugot 306 sedan, and "Sliding" Susan Singh, with her now legendary 180º finishes.

Solodex II saw a total of 37 entrants making the pilgrimage to Arima. With such a large field, upsets were the order of the day. William Barrow stamped his name at the top of the ESP standings, with Barry Mykoo hot on his heels, much to the delight of Honda Civic fans. In fact Honda Civics seemed to be the choice of winners all day, with rookie Andy Ali taking top honors in ES, and Christian Bourne, once again winning in EP.

In GS, Anson Eccles scored an upset of his own in his SSS Bluebird, by beating Alicia Mc Kenzie into second place. Other notable finishers were the ever popular Chevy Joy-Boys Gerard Dial and Robert Bates, finishing 1 - 2 in HS, and 2nd, 3rd and 4th in ES taken by a trio of Toyota Corollas, piloted by Clayton Jobity, Shaun Mohammed and Anand Awai respectively.

Solodex III proved that previous victories are no guarantee of continued success. Ryan Pinherio showed the Honda boys how to do it in his Peugot 205 Gti, and Shaun Mohammed edged out Anand Awai for victory in ES (both in Toyota Corollas). However, the real upset of the day came in GS, with Susan Singh coming from behind to take first place while the rest of the field were busy battling to see who was best.

If Solodex III was about new winners, Solodex IV must have been about revenge! After finishing second to Shaun Mohammed, Anand Awai came back to beat him into second place, while Robert Bates said 'enough is enough' and put an end to Gerard Dial's winning streak. The alternating victories between Ryan Pinherio and William Barrow continued, with William back on top, and Alicia Mc Kenzie showing Anson Eccles who's boss in GS. In the midst of all this, Christian Bourne traded his Type R for an Evo. IV, and continued his winning ways, silencing any doubts as to whether it was man or machine!

The long wait for Solodex V must have been torture for competitors and race fans alike, as tension built among competitors, except perhaps for James Harris in his Skoda Felicia and Kevin Singh in his MGB GT, both of whom just seemed content with seeing who could keep their back wheels sliding out the longest.

By now race fans could guess who the winners in each class would be, but the ESP class had the biggest surprise in store. As the day unfolded, so did a grand battle between Sean Bissessar in his turbocharged Peugot 306 sedan, and Kirk Ho Hing in his Honda Civic. It was down to the final run, with Sean in front and light rain starting to fall. Victory seemed sealed for Sean, but Kirk ignored the slippery conditions, and put on a blistering run to snatch his first victory of the season. In the midst of this epic battle, Wayne Hutchinson proved victorious in ES.

With an ever darkening sky developing over the ARC car park, the Solodex VI grand finale unfolded. The day was split between Solodex VI and the Championship runoff to see who really was the best.

Through the generosity of CRISM and City Motors, the top three competitors in each class had the chance to race a Nissan Wingroad station wagon and a Peugot 306 sedan. A total of 13 racers lined up for the occasion, with 26 probably sweaty palms waiting for a chance behind the wheel.

Chevy Joy underdog Robert Bates, perhaps still high on adrenaline from his HS victory earlier in the day, claimed top honors. Season favorite, Christian Bourne came in third, behind Ryan Pinheiro. Also impressive was HS competitor Ronald Spencer, who finished a creditable 6th after a season in the shadow of the Chevy Joy-Boys. Anand Awai proved the best of the Corolla drivers, and Susan Singh showed GS front runners Anson Eccles and Alicia Mc Kenzie who was the boss, by beating them both.

In the end, CARS, the organizing body behind Solodex, has demonstrated once again why the event has continued to grow in size and popularity. Having proven that the ordinary man can safely enjoy some of the thrills (and spills) of auto racing without hurting his car or wallet, CARS has taken things up a notch by taking the machine out of the equation, and putting more focus on individual driving skills.

The 2002 season promises to heat things even more. The rumor mill is already buzzing about who will be racing what, with talk of more Evos, 3rd Generation RX 7s, plus the long awaited arrival of James Harris' monster Mini to go head to head with the Mini of Peter Arrindell. If not, he can always bring out his MGB GT and challenge Kevin Singh…..how about it, James?