MAY PEN gets wet

BY HURBUN WILLIAMS Observer writer

Friday, December 30, 2011

IT was a wet and wild extravaganza at ‘Drifting in May Pen’ on Regency Strip, Mineral Heights in Clarendon on Monday.

Travelling at high speeds, cars slipped and careened around cones, much to the delight of the sea of spectators on hand.

And, from all indications, the event exceeded the expectations of even the promoter.

“For a first attempt at staging something like this in May Pen, I thought it was fantastic," said Chris Rickman, event organiser.

The drivers of the wide range of vehicles – including remodelled cars and trucks - excited the crowd with their dexterity. Among them was Richie Rerrie, who drove his four-wheel-drive, 2002 Subaru WRX. With several spells of spins on the spot, he stole the show with his 2000cc turbocharged engine.

“This vehicle has some amount of advantage over the other vehicles where traction is concerned on a wet surface,” Rerrie told Observer Auto. “But the car is harder to turn in tight spaces.” Nonetheless, the crowd selected him the winner.

Another crowd favourite — and one who generated excitement especially with the younger fans – was Cleve ‘Cutta Hype’ Ottey. Manoeuvring his 1984 rear-wheel drive Toyota Starlet through the tight spaces available with accuracy, the Montegonian — who was sponsored by M&M Auto Alignment Centre and Carz Rehab — won many of the hearts in the large crowd.

One of Ottey’s displays involved having a female spectator stand in the centre of the track during one of his hairpin zig-zag demonstrations. However, despite the breathtaking show, Ottey placed second to Rerrie, the latter of whom described Ottey as “fantastic … providing solid and exemplary entertainment”.

Ottey, a mechanic by profession, said he sought the assistance of colleague Donneil ‘John’ Richards in fine-tuning the engine of his vehicle.

“I need to have the car synchronised in an effective and efficient way to participant in events such as this,” Ottey explained.

Jamar Kinkead, driving a Toyota Levin AE86, sponsored by Kinkead Cellular and Unique Wheels, came in third.

Mark Lin, Randall Singh, Garfield Cameron and Melvaughn Thompson all added excitement for the crowd which seemed hungry for this sort of entertainment.