The Montego Bay Motoring Club kicked off its 2008 season of competition with its signature Wet ‘n Slide dexterity event at Pines Plaza in Junction, St Elizabeth, on Sunday, February 24 to the delight of the St. Elizabeth residents in attendance, who invited the organizers to host similar events there every week, indicating their approval of the high entertainment value event.

The event started at approximately 3.30 pm and ran till 9 pm, when the crowd was whipped into a frenzy by a freestyle drifting display by Marcus Barnes, Ivan Lee and Maurice Whittingham, perfectly executing a three car, tandem drift around a cone.

In the competition proper that preceded the exhibition, Whittingham, the 2007 Jamaica National Rallysport driver’s champion and 6 time regional rear wheel drive champion, had already stolen the limelight with a blistering 49.24 second run in the rear wheel drive with limited slip differential class. 2nd and 3rd in class was the Mandeville pair of Marcus Barnes and Al Siddique Ali, driving variants of Toyota’s 1980s rear wheel drive Corolla DX sedan.

Whittingham in familiar winning style.

Barnes (left) and Ali.

Dmitre Dawkins won the front wheel drive class with a determined drive in his Geo Metro, posting the lowest elapsed time of the day, a 48.10 sec run, but hitting a cone in the process to end up with a total time of 50.10 secs., staying just ahead of late arriving 2007 FWD National dexterity champion Joel Jackson (50.46 on his one and only run) and Dean Corrodus in a “Kingfish” Toyota Corolla sedan (51.06 secs.), the same car that Jordan Powell had used to post a 47.30 secs. winning time the last time the event visited this venue in December.

A beaming Dmitre Dawkins collects his prize, Joel Jackson in a quick run and a blurred Dean Corrodus sliding his Corolla @ twilight.

Ezmond Farqueharson in a Toyota Levin 51.07 secs. got the better of Jew Plus James in a Corolla station wagon (58.81 secs.) in the front wheel drive with limited slip differential class.

Farqueharson (left) and James.

Omar came out the victor over Shane in the battle of the Munroe brothers driving similar Toyota Altezzas in the rear wheel drive class, posting a 55.96 secs . time while his brother was distracted taking photographs of the lovely St. Bess young ladies in attendance, so much so that he scored a DNF (did not finish) on his final run when a particularly attractive example flashed him a smile from the sidelines. Third in class was the very jovial Andrew Moss in a Nissan Frontier Pick up, having a great time on that Sunday afternoon while wrestling the largest vehicle in the competition around the course.

Left to right: Omar winning, Shane focusing on the prize, and Moss having fun.

The small four wheel drive field would see St. Elizabeth driver Michael Soares emerge the victor in his Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution III (1 min 7.25 secs.) with Dominic Peterkin and father Macklin suffering boost problems in their shared Evolution 6 ½.

In the two lap championship run, Jackson made good his threat for the top spot with a scathing 1.34.00 run, Whittingham responded with a 1.35.71 time to capture second place while Corrodus was third in 1.36.62.

L-R: The daylight run of the course that Jackson missed, Whittingham at the prize giving and Corrodus cutting it close.

MBMC Dext #1, Sunday, Feb. 24, 200, Pines Plaza, Junction, St Elizabeth.
Pos. Name / Car / 1st run / 2nd run / 3rd run / Best
Front Wheel Drive
1. Dmitre Dawkins / Geo Metro / 52.49 / 51.44 / 50.10 / 50.10
2. Joel Jackson / Mazda Demio / DNS / DNS / 50.46 / 50.46
3. Dean Corrodus / Toyota Corolla / 56.27 / 52.54 / 51.06 / 51.06
4. Gary Mills / Honda Integra / 1.04.55 / 1.00.66 / 52.93 / 52.93
5. Suzette Lawrence / Honda Civic / 58.18 / 55.17 / 54.88 / 54.88
6. Gail Grimes / Suzuki Baleno / 1.01.64 / 1.05.66 / 56.05 / 56.05
7. Owen Wong-Ken / Toyota Corolla / 59.66 / 57.19 / 1.01.38 / 57.19
8. Adrian Brown / Mitsubishi Galant / DNS / 1.17.12 / DNS / 1.17.12
Front Wheel Drive with limited slip differential
1. Ezmond Farquharson / Toyota Levin / 56.36 / 54.75 / 51.07 / 51.07
2. Jew Plus James / Toyota Corolla S/wagon / 1.13.07 / 1.06.10 / 58.81 / 58.81
Rear Wheel Drive
1. Omar Munroe / Toyota Altezza / 1.11.40 / 57.68 / 55.96 / 55.96
2. Shane Munroe / Toyota Altezza / 1.00.63 / 56.22 / DNF / 56.22
3. Andrew Moss / Nissan frontier P/up / 1.08.64 / 1.10.71 / 1.02.46 / 1.02.46
4. Jerry Wiles / BMW M3 Turbo / 1.14.01 / DNF / 1.10.11 / 1.10.11
5. George Blackeller / Toyota Corolla DX / 1.38.47 / 1.52.78 / DNS / 1.38.47
Rear Wheel Drive with limited slip differential
1. Maurice Whittingham / Toyota Starlet / 50.63 / 49.45 / 49.24 / 49.24
2. Marcus Barnes / Toyota Corolla DX / 54.79 / 1.04.79 / 50.55 / 50.55
3. Al Sidiqque Ali / Toyota Corolla DX Turbo / 1.06.02 / 53.28 / 52.43 / 52.43
4. Sanjay Paragon-Singh / Toyota Corolla SR5 / 1.12.25 / 1.07.96 / 53.3 / 53.3
5. Ivan Lee / Toyota MR2 Turbo / 57.91 / 58.41 / 54.01 / 54.01
6. Randall Paragon-Singh / Toyota Corolla SR5 / 1.05.83 / 55.52 / 54.07 / 54.07
7. Cleve Ottey Jr. / Toyota Starlet / DNF / 1.04.67 / 54.18 / 54.18
8. Henry He / Mazda RX7 Turbo / 1.00.61 / DNF / 55.19 / 55.19
9. Natasha Chang / Toyota Corolla DX / 1.02.19 / 1.05.82 / 55.30 / 55.30
10. Ian Wright / Toyota Starlet / DNS / 1.04.20 / 59.23 / 59.23
11. James Ince / Nisan Silvia / DNS / 59.36 / 1.04.25 / 59.36
12. Pernell Fitz-Coy / Toyota Starlet / DNF / 1.00.35 / DNF / 1.00.35
13. Kenji Lee / Toyota Corolla SR5 Turbo / 1.10.48 / 1.08.78 / 1.01.70 / 1.01.70
14. Marvin Porteous / Toyota Starlet / DNF / 1.08.42 / DNF / 1.08.42
15. Shane Rhoomes / Ford Escort / 1.13.22 / 1.16.26 / 2.06.17 / 1.13.22
16. Krishna Gardener / 1.15.54 / DNF / DNF / 1.15.54
17. Walton Small / Toyota Starlet / DNS / DNF / DNF / DNF
4 wheel drive
1. Michael Soares / Mitsubishi Lancer Evo III / 1.07.25 / DNF / DNS / 1.07.25
2. Dominic Peterkin / Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI / 1.12.47 / DNF / DNS / 1.12.47
3. Macklin Peterkin / Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI / DNF / DNS / DNS / DNF
4. Garte Halloway / DNF / DNS / DNS / DNF
Ladies Class
1.  Suzette Lawrence
2.  Natasha Chang
3.  Gail Grimes / 54.88
55.30
56.05
Championship Run 2 laps
1. Joel Jackson / 1.34.00
2. Maurice Whittingham / 1.35.71
3. Dean Corrodus / 1.36.62
4. Dmitre Dawkins / 1.38.76
5. Marcus Barnes / 1.47.61
6. Ivan Lee / 1.48.19
7. Ezmond Farquharson / 1.51.61
8. Alsiddique Ali / 1.53.24
9. Gary Mills / 2.02.13
10. Sanjay Paragon-Singh / 2.08.65

February 25, 2008.

Text by: Dean Corrodus. Photos: Shane and Omar Munroe.