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Red Bull teams up with Jamaica Karting Club for an exhibition event on the streets of Kingston!
3rd September, 2006 • Journal Extract and Photos by Narend Sooknarine
The adventure began on Saturday 2nd of September after a full day or airport and flying on BWIA. While on the flight I perused the Caribbean Beat magazine where Zorce had an article featured– their Oct/Nov 2006 Issue. Once I was safely on the ground at the Norman Manley International Airport, I collected my luggage and was met by members of the Jamaican Red Bull Energy Team and one of the Red Bull Air Force stunt jumpers. Then it was off to the Kingston Hilton where I met a lot of the guest athletes, organisers of Red Bull Smokin' Streets and JKA's newest star, Natasha Chang.
Dressed in full Alpine Stars / Red Bull colours, Natasha started racing in February 2006. Although the Red Bull cameraman Rich Van Every had previously aranged his shoot with her in full racing gear, they graciously allowed the Zorcerazzi to join in. Apparently, all the racers were given event branded suits compliments of Alpine Stars and all the Karts were also dressed in Red Bull liveries. Having won the last August JKA event, Natasha was pretty confident about her performance at this one. A few conversations and a quick meal later, I was off to the JKA briefing with Mitchell Watson (Mitch) to observe and interact. Of course, each JKA driver was treated to a complimentary copy of Zorce Issue #8.
After the driver's briefing we drove down to the street course, only to be passed en route by a modified MR2 that continued into a ninety degree right turn with a slight uphill at a rate that would send most drivers out of control and into the wall. We arrived some minutes later at Knutsford Boulevard, just in time to see the culprit ace driver emerge from her red Toyota– Natasha Chang. With a large grin on her face she explained that it was "her big red go-kart" and that she didn't have time to sit and wait behind us. We really didn't mind at all but it was time to see how the preparations were coming along. It was 11pm Saturday night and the various teams had been going steady for the last 3 hours and it was time for refueling... Enter the fully stocked Red Bull VW. People were moving after that!
I was up at the crack of... oh, 8:30 on Sunday 3rd, 2006. I was eager to see what Knutsford Boulevard had been transformed into. I stopped for a moment to take a picture of the unsuspecting fishes in the man made pond at the hotel– not even they knew the magnitude of what was going to take place. This was more than just a karting event, it was a symbol of Caribbean Motorsport progress. Smokin' Streets had the potential to inspire 15,000 people to come to the Palisadoes Karting Raceway to JKA's exciting events. It was also a serious challenge to the Red Bull Team, to show their mettle. I set off on foot this time since the track was really a short distance away from the Kingston Hilton. As I made my way around to the boulevard I realised I wasn't hearing any karts and it was just after 9...
It was at this point that I had the first jaw-dropper... the muscle cars! "Ah mossle cyar dis!" exclaimed a Jamaican in his native tongue and of course as a true Caribbean man, he was quick to ask the price for one so he could pelt it into a comparison to make it look small and attainable regardless of what he could actually afford. You have to admire the enthusiasm– he obviously had his wings for the morning. So there they were– an original, antique Ford V8, a Corvette Stingray, a Pontiac Firebird, an Oldsmobile 442 and a crazily modified Ford Mustang. The Mustang stood out like a sore thumb as the other muscle cars showed off their natural beauty accented by just a few modern touches like the FOOSE-style rims. The Mustang on the other hand , was dressed as an extra for "the Fast and the Furious." Two completely different schools of thought I suppose. As I passed by I realised that other corporate sponsors were taking part in the event such as Automotive Art and the local Kia/Suzuki Dealership.
But what of the karts? We continue this story on page 3.
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Knutsford Boulevard, Kingston Jamaica – Course Specifications |
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Price |
Free entry! |
Fuel |
Red Bull | ||
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Engine |
iriekart.com, JKA, JMMC |
Safety |
Water Barriers, tyres, fence, EMS | ||
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Aspiration |
smoky |
DJ |
Yes | ||
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Hairpins |
2 |
VIP Area |
Yes, with a/c too... | ||
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Chicanes |
more than enough |
Afterparty |
Yes | ||
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0-setup |
12 hours |
Top Speed |
70 mph / 113 km/h ??? |
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