AS the black, green and gold balloons dispersed into the crisp St Ann air in tribute to founder of Dover Raceway, Alfred Chen, the “big juice” drivers revved their engines to further celebrate their fallen hero in preparation for the much anticipated Thundersport race at the Heroes of Speed race meet on National Heroes’ Day, October 18.

Before the drivers thundered through the chicane on their seven lap journey through the 1.6 mile circuit race track, Chen was honoured not only as a driver but also as a visionary in his creation of the track, which attracts Jamaicans in droves every holiday to witness the rigours of circuit racing, driven by adrenaline, excitement and passion.

“This year is somewhat special, as October marks ten years since the passing of the late Alfred Chen, the man who gave the Jamaican people this motor racing facility,” said Hillary Jardine, president of the Jamaica Race Drivers’ Club, organisers of the Dover race meet. The memory of the legendary Chen will live on through the re-naming of one of the Thundersport races, the Alfred Chen Memorial Trophy race, to be run at the Heroes of Speed Race Meet every October.

To win this trophy, a driver must be successful in three consecutive or five such races in total. ‘King’ David Summerbell Jr has already placed his grip on the first Trophy, by winning the 2010 inaugural race.

Chen was also honoured for his role in establishing the Caribbean Motor Racing Championships (CMRC), for which Summerbell Jr won the driver championship in 2009 and is currently leading the 2010 series, with the final slated for Guyana on November 7.

Jamaica is presently six points behind leaders Guyana for the 2010 Country Championship in the CMRC; the first leg was held in Jamaica on May 23 and the second leg in Barbados on August 29.

Doug Gore, Peter Rae, Andre Anderson, Detier Wilson, Dean Shaw, Halquin Rodney and Summerbell Jr will continue to contest the championship for Jamaica.

The Alfred Chen racing legacy continues to blaze the track, with his nephew Alan Chen being described as one of Jamaica’s fastest growing motor racing stars, with special skills in drifting.

Alan, who competes in the Modified Production 2 class in his 1987 Toyota Corolla and in the Thundersport class in Peter “Bull” Thompson’s renowned Mazda RX7, was proud to share in

the moment.

“It warmed my heart to see him being honoured in this way, he definitely deserved it, Jamaica lost a great man. Growing up I knew him to be a man that always looked ahead, just like he did with the track, you could come to him with any idea and he would just expound on it. He really loved racing and he had intended

to expand the track to house international drivers.”

This expansion had actually begun, with the building of two apartment blocks. The elder Chen was also philanthropic at heart, and starting plans to build a health centre in Trelawny, in an effort to give back much more than just racing to the surrounding communities.

— Kesi Asher