Motorsport: Team Streetz Jamaica boosts dexterity series
Popular dexterity series Asphalt Assault will see some major changes to its format for the upcoming 2020 season scheduled to begin on Saturday, Feb 22 at the Palisadoes International Raceway in Kingston.
This year, for the first time, Asphalt Assault will become a championship series, with eight rounds across the island. Four of the eight rounds will be put on directly by Team Streetz, while the remaining four are partnerships with other organisers under the Asphalt Assault brand name. The championship will be scored by the six classes within the series and based on the number of competitors in each class. Extra points towards the overall championship can also be gained from being the fastest in class, and overall on a single run for the day.
Along with the implementation of the championship—now sponsored Lubit—is a prize package of JA$500,000. The PRO-Class will retain its per-event-prize pool format generated from entry fees. But the event will no longer use the winner-takes-all scheme. Should there be 10 or more entrants, 70 per cent of the fees will go to first place and 30 per cent to second place. Team Streetz expects this shift from single events to an overall championship to increase the level of competition and the number of competitors that participate. This will then further broaden the appeal of Asphalt Assault to fans, media, and sponsors.
Dexterity events are challenge courses that take place over a variety of surface types, dirt, tarmac, wet, dry or mixed. The genre was originally brought to Jamaica by English servicemen, who based it on the UK sport of Auto Test. It’s not a high-speed event, relying more on car control as it includes, handbrake and three-sixty degree turns. Dexterities are considered the starting rung to rallying.
Team Streetz took over the near dead entry-level Rallysport of dexterity in December 2017 and has run its Asphalt Assault series from strength to strength. Christopher James of Team Streetz sees the Asphalt Assault Dexterity Championship as significant step in the right direction for the sport and is looking forward to the day when a National Dexterity championship returns.
