JAMAICAN Tuner Magazine’s (JTM) inaugural Dyno Day Competition was a massive hit with the automotive crowd who came out in droves at McGann’s Auto on Dunrobin Avenue, St Andrew, on Sunday.

“As a first attempt, Dyno Day was a clear success with both competitors and the audience,” Denton Lewis, Jamaican Tuner Magazine chief editor, told Auto.

The only hiccup came from the typical tardiness of the competitors, many of who waited till late to arrive or enter as they tuned their cars to the last minute.

“We thought starting early would give people the time they needed, but they all just came late,” Lewis said.

The result was the competition running nearly three hours past its scheduled 5:00 p.m. end time and several cars not getting their chance. The time lag didn’t seem to affect the audience who were totally engaged to the end. Between the time it took to swap cars on and off the dynamometer the crowd were entertained by JTM’s Sean Campbell, who did emcee duties. Campbell provided humour and prizes to anyone who could guess the horsepower numbers of the vehicle on the dyno at the time.

Nissan ruled the roost when it came to interest, more specifically the R32 Skyline GT-R of Olympic sprinter Asafa Powell and a later model R35 GT-R. The latter was unable to set a horsepower figure, much to the disappointment of the audience, as it couldn’t be strapped down safely to the dyno. Powell would go on to take the 4WD/RWD Pro-Race category as a lazy second gear run, instead of the traditional third gear, netted 520 horsepower to the wheels.

“I didn’t want to stress the car. Came here on pump gas, so I’m happy with what it made,” Powell said.

Sebastian Rae won Pro-Street for front-wheel-drive naturally aspirated cars making 152hp at the wheels. FWD Pro-Race, went to the Honda Civic of Robert Davis, belting out a massive 295hp. Ava Howell sealed the final class 4WD/RWD Pro-Street when his Lancer Evolution VIII generated an impressive 465hp.

“Given the crowd response and the demands from the tuners, we might consider having another Dyno Day soon,” Lewis added.

– Rory Daley