As Matthew Gore crossed the finishline at Dover Raceway in St Ann for the Jamaica Race Drivers Club Heroes of Speed meet, recently, he cemented the faith shown in him by title sponsor Grab ‘N’ Go by winning the 2015 Modified Production class one (MP1) championship.

“They literally made my championship happen,” Gore said.

According to him, he had originally intended to take 2015 off from motorsports when he secured sponsorship from Grab ‘N’ Go, the company that owns a line of high-end gas station convenience stores, at the start of the circuit racing season. They joined long time supporter Motolubes, dealers for the Amsoil brand of lubricants.

“It was a small budget that only allowed me to focus on Dover. But in the end, we were able to be consistently competitive. In the end we were able to keep up with several of the faster cars a class up,” he explained.

Underneath the brightly coloured livery of Grab ‘N’ Go that graces the Toyota Starlet, it has undergone a host of upgrades, from suspension to engine, to keep it ahead of the field. Not only has it flown the winner’s flag proudly, but Gore posted a personal best of 1 minute 30.8 seconds at the October meet.

“That’s my fastest time given the current tyre restrictions,” he said.

For Gore, the highs and lows of 2015 have fortunately been few and far between. Apart from winning the MP1 title, he said he had several great races with class rival Dean Shaw, who trailed in the points. The low was the JamWest Speedway Emancipation of Speed meet in August, where the car didn’t match the circuit causing him to overdrive and damage the car.

“The gearing was wrong. I could only hit 115mph on the front straight while everyone around me was flying by at 135 plus. I had to push hard,” he said.

With the circuit racing season over for the year, Gore will turn to his true love: rallying — prepping the car for Rally Jamaica at the end of November. He hopes the success will continue there allowing for an expanded programme in 2016.

“I want to win the two-wheel drive class of Rally Jamaica,” he added.

Gore’s long-term plans for the Grab ‘N’ Go Toyota Starlet is to contest both rally and circuit next year as he defends the MP1 title.