A ‘Radical’ affair at Dover
The second event for the Jamaica Race Drivers Club’s calendar is set to take place at Dover Raceway, St Ann, this Sunday, July 3.
Dubbed Clash of the Titans, given the previous performances at the last race meet, the titans could be boiled down to the four Radical race car drivers in Thundersport class 2 (TS2), Kyle Gregg, William Myers, Collin Daley Jr, and Senna Summerbell.
For Gregg, the man who started the Radical influx in 2015 and still the lap record holder, meet one was supposed to go easy. However, a mechanical issue hampered his outright performance in his new Radical RXC Spyder as testing during the rain hid the fault away from the team.
“The Radicals may not be as fast in a straight line as a Lancer Evolution, but cornering and handling we outdo them, and with Dover having so many corners and less straights, it suits the Radical,” explained Gregg.
Even then, the speed of his other three TS2 rivals was a shock to the status quo. Gregg ended the first meet with two second places and a win in the final TS2 race of the day over the driver that was blazing up the track, Senna Summerbell.
The Summerbell name returned to the TS2 entry list in the form of Senna, son of motorsport icon David Summerbell Jr. The 20-year-old made a statement in his debut at the highest level of circuit racing.
“Thinking where we were coming from, this is my third time ever in the car and I just can’t imagine how fast we will be at the next race meet with everything sorted,” Senna said at the time.
He didn’t have to wait for the next race meet as he almost completed a clean sweep and came tantalisingly close to Gregg’s 1:15.767 Dover track record set in 2019 at race pace in his Radical SR8. Upon winning the first two TS2 races on the third and final race for the day, a slow leak saw him drop to second behind Gregg.
The other two Radical racers are no strangers to circuit racing, having blazed their own trails and successes in the lower ranks of the sport. Now armed with the correct machinery, William Myers and Collin Daley Jr have migrated to TS2. Their retirements disguised their on track pace. Myers secured pole before having to sit the first two races out due to mechanical problems.
“I’ve had this Radical too long,” joked Myers.
He explained that he had purchased his Radical SR8 in 2019, only to have the pandemic shut down motorsports, leaving it to sit for the past two years.
For Collin Daley Jr, his SR3 was able to keep in touch, making him a threat to look out for this meet.
“I got the opportunity, and it was time to step up after three years in my Honda Civic,” said Daley Jr.