Having caught the imagination of the public with his ‘race what you have’ format at his Battle of the Belts event held in February, organiser Brian Clough had the opposite problem as many drivers brought out their race cars to participate in the second instalment on Sunday, June 9.

“I think the weather scared people, so we didn’t have the size crowd we had at the first one, but we’ll try again,” Clough told the Jamaica Observer’s weekly Auto magazine.

The iffy weather forecast actually worked in favour of the racing and fans, even if there was a momentary light sprinkle, otherwise the overcast conditions kept patrons and the track cool.

Those in attendance were able to watch the action longer without the usual oppressive Vernamfield heat, and the lower temperatures meant more horsepower for the race cars to use down the quarter-mile strip.

The Battle of the Belts formula has seemed to have caught on, and there was a more serious tone to the event with multiple racers, race teams, and actual drag cars not only vying for bragging rights, but the $150,000 purse per class.

After a smoky drift demonstration from Chris-John Addison it was straight into the race action across three of the four classes of vehicles that showed up. There were only two car classes and a drag bike class. All competitors put down a show for the patrons, having close finishes, while the drag bike class saw plenty of interest as well.

Overall, Clough was happy with the interest the drag racing community has taken in his unusual race format and plans for the third and final Battle of the Belts for 2024 are underway.

The heavyweights came out and pulled no punches at Battle of the Belts. (Photo: Rory Daley)

The bike category was well-contested and exciting for the crowd. (Rory Daley)