Antigua, Antigua, Antigua calling…..What happened over the weekend in Antigua? Well the Trinidad and Tobago contingent had a taste of International competition after a lapse of some two years. The crowd response to this alternative form of entertainment was impressive. The host Nation showed their true competitiveness in several arenas, from the support of their favorite local racers, to their professionally prepared drag racing machines.

The hometown advantage was obvious as our Trinbago team found the difference in track conditions and competition rules a sincere challenge. The difference in track conditions coming in the form of a really good quarter mile strip, but the shutdown distance was a very short 400 feet that then made a tight left turn. This affected the higher-powered cars more adversely for two reasons. They had to attempt even more viscous acceleration at the start and then apply vigorous braking even before completion of the 1000 “foot” run. Drive trains and transmissions buckled under the pressure of fine tuning vehicles to these new conditions.

The flagship of the team the Sheik Lisha Team severed a hardened input shaft in the transmission. Their attempts to locate one locally in Antigua were met with frustration. This was most disappointing since the times previously set by this team in qualifying indicated a top class representation of the talent that was sent to Antigua. Their crew searched the entire island leaving no stone unturned only to find no suitable replacement.

The Tobago Galant of Christian Tam was surely not on familiar ground as increase traction and the uniqueness of a less than normal racetrack resulted in a breakout of class. This is registered as a loss in competition. The string of tough luck extended in to the next phase of competition and the difference in rules and regulations as well as the very different track conditions ended up in grudge runs being the order of the day. The Tobago car suffered no ill fate.

The second generation Mazda RX-7 known as Superman and driven by Ramkarran Beharry, met with Antiguan Kriptonite only in official competition. The grudge runs however was a different story. The last visible run prior the closing of the racetrack showed the Caribbean Teams the reason for the alter ego. The third place standing of Team Superman meant that “Clark Kent” had to change into the personality we all know in Trinidad and Tobago as Superman. The car squatted and left the start line like Superman. This final grudge run left the competition some good nine-car lengths behind, which is an equivalent to .75 second difference in elapsed times. The unique local differences encountered by this team also affected its well-known consistency and reliability.

The hero of the day was the last member of the Trinbago team; Hero Boodram in his self manufactured Hero 1. This car turned heads as on his second run in practice, he established an unofficial time of 6.6 seconds to the 1000 “foot” mark. This was the fastest 1000 “foot” time ever recorded for this particular track. This elapsed time however was accomplished on a non-competition day so it was not considered to be an official time. This is a small example of the difference in rules and regulations. This was not enough though as Hero’s quest for the best of both official and unofficial times resulted in a shattered differential. This was as a result of unexpected additional traction. The Hero 1 however has found a place in the heart of many of the locals and indeed the varied foreigners in attendance, as his team’s spirit and car’s uniqueness found an Antiguan niche.

The experience did not turn out as we would have liked, but it was definitely considered a learning experience. The difference in track and rules of competition got the better of the team. This could be considered one up for the Antiguans, this time around. We would love the opportunity to reciprocate the hospitality and competition of our local talent. Will we get such an opportunity? Feedback from AutoSport is that certain ingredients are already in train for hosting a clash of the best in the Caribbean in the not too distant future. Stay tuned.