‘Tru’ win for ‘Jadu’
Rajendra Jadusingh took top honours at Asphalt Assault:Dirt Splurt held at the Tru-Juice Orchards in Bog Walk, St Catherine, recently.
“I feel pretty good about my win. I haven’t competed in a few years at any level, or in anything with real competition, so it felt good to beat the likes of Maurice [Whittingham], Marcus Barnes, Spencer [Whittingham], and those kind of drivers who are making a name for themselves in the sport,” Jadusingh told the Jamaica Observer‘s weekly Auto magazine.
Jadusingh, known for his eclectic choice of vehicles for dexterity events, tackled the loose surface Dirt Splurt in a regular car, a front-wheel drive Mini Cooper. The complicated course threw off many of the drivers at first, but Jadusingh held firm in his car, dicing through the cones and tyres to eventually post the fastest time of the day.
“The Mini is my daily driver. I used it because it was just convenient. Thankfully it’s small, short and easily rotates. It’s a lovely handling platform,” said Jadusingh.
Jadusingh said his success has sparked his continued interest in the Asphalt Assault dexterity series.
“It started off as a one-off, meaning I had no intention of competing any time after, but now that I did it and had some fun I realise that I’m not as hopeless as I thought I would be after so long of not being behind the wheel,” he added.
In second was pre-event favourite Maurice Whittingham. He brought out his alternate competition car, a Honda-powered Toyota Corolla. The course played its role causing his first pass to be a Did Not Finish. His best time would come on his second attempt. Completing the podium was another dexterity regular, Spencer Whittingham. He opted for a more aggressive start in his BMW 318ti, which netted him the third-fastest lap on his second run, but then was unable to do his third run at the course. Fan favourite Daren Givans was fourth with Garth Chin completing the top five.