By Rory Daley

Observer writer

daleyr@jamaicaobserver.com

Team KIG emerged victorious in the inaugural staging of the Turbo Energy Drink Jamaica Off-Road Challenge and Scavenger Hunt held across two locations in St Catherine and St Andrew, last Saturday.

The team consisted of driver Jeffrey Panton, Kingston Industrial Garage (KIG) managing director, co-drivers Leon Smith, Xavier Johnston, and Allison Lee.

“It was a great event for a first-time effort, especially for the off-road community,” Panton told Auto at the awards.

KIG won with a commanding 905 points accrued across all the tests, including both scavenger hunt portions, and a blistering pace set in the off-road challenge sections. They also collected the stock-class trophy on top of besting team Toyota Jamaica LC79’s 755 points. Cooper’s Troopers took third overall with 750 points. However, the fastest combined time prize went to an aggressive team Toyota Jamaica Hilux, who pushed their pick-up to the edge, leaving Panton — a multiple rally champion — philosophical about the whole thing.

“I’m happy to have won, but I could have gone faster. Given how the rules were explained to me, I drove accordingly. I will be back next year,” he said.

The event was exciting from start to end as an informal battle of the brands emerged at the first challenge location, the old Caymanas dirt-bike track. Panton threw down the gauntlet putting his Ford Ranger through an obstacle course, thought only reserved for the modified 4x4s.

Toyota Jamaica’s managing director Tom Connor followed in one of the most interesting vehicles, an ultra-rare and expensive 2015 Toyota Land Cruiser Series 70 LC79.

“We brought it in to test the market,” Connor explained.

The fight for vehicular off-road supremacy raged to the very end, much to the delight of the spectators and eclipsing the large-tyre modified runners. At $9 million, it was clearly too much to risk the LC79 and the humble Hilux took up the slack at the hands of Gregory Brown, Toyota Jamaica’s service manager. Trailing bodywork at the Temple Hall course he secured their win.

The lone female driver Leslie Hamilton for team MJG Fiya took home the Modified class win.

“The event exceeded my expectations in terms of the excitement and the crowd. I was happy to keep things running tight,” Christian Sale, Turbo Energy Drink Jamaica Off-Road Challenge and Scavenger Hunt co-organiser said.

He admitted there was room for improvement, but stressed that the point was for everyone to be able to experience the capabilities of their off-road machine in a safe and environmentally friendly manner.