The Montego Bay Motoring Club’s (MBMC) Wet and Slide tarmac dexterity #1 was held on Sunday, January 16, 2005 at the Montego Bay Parking lot on Harbor St. in the second city and by and large was an entertaining and fun filled day.

Despite pre-event planning to design an efficient sprinkling system to keep the track wet, delays with the system caused a delay in the 10.30 a.m. start, but once under way, the event ran trouble free till the water truck had to leave for reloading after the first run. Another truck was hastily summoned and the second run got underway a little past lunch time. Overcast conditions early in the morning did not last, and the sun was out in all its blazing glory to thoroughly scorch the track and quickly evaporate the water. The organizers are now thinking off staging a Saturday night dexterity to avoid paying for expensive truckloads of water.

Twenty-five competitors took to the course laid out by honorary club member Colin Chambers, with competitors being given an announced walk around the course by Dean Corrodus, 2004 Drivers Champion of the MBMC. The very tight course was a variation of the one run last year, only tighter, which played into the hands of the smaller, more nimble cars. That didn’t stop Maurice Whittingham Jr. in the Mad Dem Racing rear wheel drive Toyota Starlet from again totally dominating this event as he did on all the events last year. He posted fastest time for the day in the one lap run but unfortunately he did not complete the course on the championship run 2 lapper, seeming at the time to be too anxious to get to the finish and not completing a required 360-degree turn. Second in the RWD class was Ivan Lee in a silver Toyota MR2, who made only one run and retired.

Second overall and first in the front wheel drive (FWD) category was Clasford Woolery Jr. driving the First Choice Video and Adult Toys Mini Moke, which puttered around the course without slipping and sliding or use of the handbrake to lead all others and win the championship run as well. Second in the FWD class was Dirk Shim sharing Kevin Watson’s blue Suzuki Swift Gti, displacing Watson to 3^rd in class. 4^th in class was Patrick Fowles, driving his newly acquired automatic Toyota Corolla XE Saloon, bought from event sponsors Brothers Motors Ltd, while newcomer Richard Hunter in a Toyota Starlet was 5^th, winning a new pair of Puma driving shoes in the process, being the fastest first time competitor. Richard Rerrie, of Puma/RMS Racing, vice president of the club, donated the prize.

The front wheel drive with limited slip differential (FWDL) class was the domain of Henry He, a participant in the MBMC’s driving clinics, three of which were held last year at Braco in Trelawny (2) and Badda Badda Raceway in St. Ann, and which will again be conducted this year. He’s “Crazy Taxi” Toyota Corolla Gt 4 door sedan was able to distance itself from the other competitors in the class. Second in class was the Team GARD entry of Kevin Jackson, whose Nissan Pulsar 4 door sedan was shared by Terron Hyde, who in turn placed 4^th, sandwiching event organizer Dean “Duct Tape” Corrodus in the Brothers Motors/Performance Center/Spot Valley Raceway/Mr. A/C/ Straight Edge Construction Mitsubishi Mirage RS in 3^rd. Andre Weatherly in the West Med Pharmaceuticals/Mekyah Jamaican Spring Water Mitsubishi Mirage RS was 5^th, rounding out the entrants in the class.

The rear wheel drive (RWD) class was won by Kirk Excell from Team Mobay Racing in a black Toyota Corolla SR5, putting veteran team mates Patrick Gore (in a white Corolla SR5) and Richard Chan in a red Toyota MR2 in second and third places respectively.

Woolery won the 2-lap championship run for the top 10 fastest cars, with Watson moving up to second and Fowles to third place. Excell finished 4^th and Jackson 5^th.

A synchronized drifting exhibition was staged at the end of the program between Whittingham and Corrodus, with both cars circling around a central set of cones 180 degrees from each other. This whipped the crowd into a frenzy, and was only challenged by an impromptu puppeteer show at the lunch break for entertainment value of the day.

The next event on the calendar is the JMMC prize giving to be held on Saturday, January 22 at the Liguanea Club, with racing on at Vernamfield, Clarendon the following day, Sunday the 23, when the club hosts a mixed surface dexterity.

See results here.