DARING ‘drifters’ and bikers sent sparks flying at the Montego Bay Sports Complex in St James on Sunday.

The venue hosted the third instalment of the thrilling Tyre Warehouse SPEED, where drivers battled for prizes and glory while navigating an obstacle course.

Once again drifting sensation Cleve ‘Cutta Hype’ Ottey demonstrated his enviable skill before scores of adrenaline-filled spectators in a fine showdown.

Exhibiting dexterity, speed and control in each move, Ottey — who lost to Salvador Davis last month after his rear-wheel drive Toyota Starlet suffered a broken disc — defeated contender Jamar ‘Skoolaz’ Kinkead and rookie champion Chris-John Addison to take the top spot. ‘Cutta’ clocked a time of 1:45.54 minutes to edge out Kinkead’s 1:47.92 and Addison’s 1:50.485.

“I guess you could say that it was effortless. I just did what I always do,” Ottey told Auto.

“There are a lot of people who could give me a real challenge, but maybe they need to try applying a little less pressure. Sometimes you have a nice flair when you’re out there driving, and it’s best not to worry about the time and just have fun,” he continued.

Drivers young and old held their own, gaining favour with each run of the course as the crowd cheered on. Among the favourites were Ian Wright, Kingsley Scott, Nicholas Barnes, Richard Chan and Stephen Silvera, who took to the tarmac in a series of blistering runs.

Much to the delight of the crowd, in between runs of the obstacle course by the drivers, stunt riders from the MoBay-based Rush Riders also pushed their skills to the limit, trying to outdo each other with fearless high-flying manoeuvres.

Event organiser Stephen Mahoney seemed pleased with the action-packed displays which, at times, included death-defying freestyle runs by the drivers.

“It just keeps getting better. We’re extremely satisfied with this one and with the format it took. We’re thinking of adding a few more surprises for the next edition, so those who missed this one won’t feel left out,” said Mahoney.

The excitement continues with another instalment on May 19 at the same venue.