Automobile racing is not simply about watching cars repetitively driving around a track while being disturbed by the obnoxious buzzing of their engines. It is about family support, teamwork, practice, adrenalin, competition, and an unbelievable amount of preparation and dedication. It’s a thrilling sport, which, once understood, can no longer be underestimated.

Douglas Gore, aka ‘Hollywood’, loves driving fast because “there is no other sport that I have ever done which gets the heart pumping like this. When the green flag drops, it’s as though you just had a heart attack, as everything goes blurry. This does not last long, so you are always looking for the next fix.” It is not just the pace of the race that thrills Gore, but also the rivalry. “I have helped many competitors raise their game, in the hopes of having more competition,” he notes confidently.

Gore’s tremendous talent has taken him to the USA, Mexico, throughout the Caribbean, and Japan. He has fond memories from all, but mostly the latter. “I really liked it over there (Japan),” Hollywood tells SO “being so different.” The level of racing outside of the Caribbean — and the conditions and controls of the tracks’ environments — is far superior. However, some of his best racing has been right here at Dover, where he knows the track and the people he is up against.

Hollywood’s skill is not all it takes. Behind every great man is an even better woman. Namely, his wife Debra, who has been backing him “from the days of driving the Opel Corsa GTE (starting in 1994), with Debs and Mr Meany (Debra’s father) as crew,” he says. Hollywood has always loved the fame but “it’s hard on the family…support from them has been tremendous from day one”.

“No one in their right mind wouldn’t be nervous, but it makes Doug,” stresses Debra, “So I support it and always have.” Don’t think for a moment that she is not a devoted fan: “The shorter five-lap races have less room for error, so it’s very exciting. The longer 12-lap ones are interesting, as you see the endurance of the car, which one overheats, and whose tyres don’t last!”

Hollywood is relaxed about the condition of his purpose-built Audi TT, because the team around him maintains it at the highest level, allowing him to focus where it matters — on driving. With a carbon-fibre body that is light and strong, plexi-glass windows and windscreen that don’t shatter, custom-made tyres, and an engine that runs on high-octane avgas (aviation gas), this car has powerful performance. Thanks to Crew Chief David Bell (D-Bell) and the rest of Hollywood’s team, who have all taken this venture on as a hobby job, there have been no close calls. “Nothing can be left to chance,” says D-Bell. “I even got ‘pinged’ at three this morning about the car!”

The intricacies that go into making a race day successful are beyond what any random punter could consider, but all within the grasp of one’s comprehension, once explained.

Did you know for instance , that it is a Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) requirement that the driver’s blood type be on his suit, helmet and car? It turns out that Hollywood’s A+ is not just a prediction of how he’s expected to compete that day! And during the race, tyre temperature and pressure are critical, and yet can change throughout day, so have to be checked regularly. Did you also realise that this can be the difference between winning and losing, so tyres are pumped with nitrogen to make them more stable? And due to how fast Gore drives, as soon as he stops, the temperature inside the car rises to 160 degrees Fahrenheit. He has to sit in the car during the after-race weigh-in, dehydrating like a dog in the desert, before he can get the relief of his team cooling his face and neck with iced cloths, and drinking cold water. Which is why they cannot allow fans to fuss over him right away. “We need to make sure he is not crowded and that he has air to breathe,” says D-Bell.

It truly is a fascinating sport.

After signing on with his sponsors ATL Racing, Wisynco and Petcom in February this year, Gore feels he is at the best he has ever been. “I could not ask for any more.”

Being 40- something, Gore is not looking to be a world-famous Grand Prix driver, but he does believe that the likes of Kyle Gregg and Andre Anderson have great potential. As do some of the great Go Kart racers, with big family names backing them.

Doug ‘Hollywood’ Gore says to Jamaica: “Never give up. You never know what’s around the next corner waiting for you.”

An example of the expense involved in car racing at this level: Each tyre on Gore’s car must be changed after a 12-lap race, costing US$400 per tyre. The engine, which needs rebuilding after a year, costs US$35,000-$40,000.

— Emma Sharp Dalton-Brown