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14th July 2006
The Trinidad & Tobago Automobile Sports Association held their biennial (once every two years) general elections at their AGM on July 12th 2006. Jameer Ali has taken up the presidency with Rawlins Amar as the Vice President... More details here
6th July 2006
Please be advised that the High Court Appeal for TTASA vs. Eteck has been scheduled for December 2006. The Motor Sport fraternity will have use of the Wallerfield Facility until the outcome is established, subject to the same terms and conditions as requested by Eteck in the past. Click for TTASA press release.
2nd July, 2006
RALLY MUD HOGS DAY! That’s the only way to describe the STAG / NP ULTRA Speed Stages Rally Third Event of the year held yesterday at the now Famous "ZigZag Stages" Preysal, Couva location, just off the highway. On Sunday Morning at about 3am the rains came again and our showers of blessings turned into rivers of sorrow for our Drivers. Coverage Here... Click!
24th June, 2006
With our plans to use the Heliport squashed due to lack of military clearance for 9 vehicles and camera crew, we decided to return to our meeting point at Bowen Marine. Space was tight and there seemed much potential for many a close call. But for us, space is space and we didn't wait 3 hours in the sun to go home unsatisfied. Warning: Don't try this on the public road! Click here for more!
30th May 2006
Popular Cipriani Boulevard nightclub, 51 Degrees hosted its first annual 51 Miles Photo Safari Fun Rally in collaboration with CARS on Arrival Day, May 30th in Trinidad. Registered participants received free snacks and drinks at checkpoints as they navigated west and north Trinidad via photos, clues and pure luck. Bonus points were awarded for finding treasures on they way to the finale and prizegiving party at 51! Coverage coming soon
24th May 2006
Red Bull's UK-based F1 Team Mechanic Steve Nevey is a critical member of the Red Bull racing team. He visited T&T on the 24th May, 2006 @ 7:00pm @ 51 degrees, Cipriani Blvd. for a technical Q&A on Formula1 & the TWO Red Bull Racing Teams. Forum Comments • COVERAGE with F1 Sound Clip!!!
23rd May 2006
Ms Lavaughn Baptiste won Automotive Components Ltd's TIC 2006 Grand Prize Draw for four NEW Goodyear Eagle NCT5 205/55/16 tires. Lavaughn filled out the entry form which was part of a Power Master flyer that offered some useful battery FAQs for consumers. Her name was pulled from the hundreds of entries! Click here for full recap.
17th March 2006
From 8 heats, 2 semis and 1 final race evolved based on timed runs– five riders on the course at once! In each round, every driver had a Pit stop assistant, to refuel them in less than a minute with a can of Red Bull Click here for full details.
15th February 2006
Neal & Massy Motors have recently spent a whopping TT$4million to renovate their main showroom at Morvant. The multi-dealer showroom will be used to display Neal & Massy Motors' three main brands, Nissan, Hyundai and Subaru. Click here for full details.
31st January 2006
Hyundai, a major sponsor for World Cup 2006 has sent 32 giant Goodwill Balls total to all qualifying countries. Neal & Massy is currently hosting T&T's Goodwill ball and invites every citizen and supporter to sign the ball which will be displayed in Germany at the matches. Click here for full details.
27th to 31st January 2006
The story begins at a New Year’s Eve party in Trinidad on 31st December 2004 when the previous owner was speaking about a yacht he owned that he had been unable to sell for more than 3 years. The story sounded intriguing and it was suggested that an inspection of the yacht take place the following day. Click here for special report.
26th January 2006
The new, redesigned and reengineered 8th generation Honda Civic was officially revealed to the public of Trinidad & Tobago with a gala event at the Classic Motors, Richmond Street Showroom. Click here for full details.
21st January 2006
We are still cautiously optimistic that we will be having access to the track for the entire 2006 Schedule of Events. But in the short term we are kicking off with a Test and Tune on Sunday 29th January 2006 and a full race Event on the weekend of 4th / 5th February. Competitors should attent the briefing meeting on Tuesday night at KAMPO Restaurant, Ramsaran St. Chaguanas – 7:30pm. Click here for full details.
6th-8th January 2006
Bavarian Motors Limited held their 2006 BMW Expo at the Chagaramas Golf Club Clubhouse from Friday January 6th to Sunday January 8th. The invited guests and the general public that attended were treated to a display of all the currently available BMW models including the BMW 1 series, 3 Series, 5 Series, 6 Series, 7 Series, X3, X5 and MINI. An added bonus was a test drive in a BMW X5 3.0 with Mr. Philippe Cornut, a precision driver from the French based firm, Sagaro productions and special events. Click here for full details.
18th December 2005
Sporting a highly modified rotary engine and a massive turbo, GMC's Don Purcell was gunning for Sean Ready & Jason Laing's times and the bragging rights for the fastest rotary in the english-speaking Caribbean. In a most spectacular fashion, Don Purcell's newly built rotary powered RWD Starlet racecar flipped 7 times before coming to a flaming halt. Don checked into the hospital with a dislocated shoulder and lacerations to his arm. Word is out that he is ready to race again!!! Click here for full story
Dale Mayers 10.8sec lowers street record &
Greg Chung 11.2 fastest FWD street car!
11th December 2005
'Donut' Dale Mayers, did it again in his black RX7 Turbo, setting a new record for Fastest Street Car in T&T Sunday 11th December, at AutoSport Drags @ Wallerfield. Also, Gregory Chung driving his 'Silver Bullet' 600+ hp Civic took the record for fastest front-drive street car at 11.2. Jason Laing's Puff n Stuff Rx7 broke the record for fastest rotary time in T&T running a... Click here for full story
6th December 2005
Ragner Schulte, Marketing Manager of Porsche Latin America, feature speaker remarked that "over 200 people present here demonstrates tremendous interest in the Porsche brand." Bernard Hadeed of Lifestyle Motors was presented with a fully decorated Porsche plaque in commemoration of the dealership's Grand Opening at Lifestyle Motors. Click here for full story
4th September 2005
Barbados Auto Racing League (BARL) held their International Circuit Racing Meet at Bushy Park. This event was sponsored by Williams Industries Inc. Both St. Vincent and Guyana sent their top circuit racers to take on the Bajans on their home ground. Click here for coverage
7th June 2005
BMW, the ultimate driving machine... times four. Following last month's introduction of the dynamic and youthful 1-Series, Bavarian Motors Limited invited invitees to the launch of not just one, but four new cars. Click here for full story
14th May 2005
Club ZEN is a virtual magnet for the 18-35 year old who has any night (and cash) to spare. What better place then to launch BMW's most youthful automobile aimed at today's young, vibrant and active sophisticates. But at Zen? How would it be done? BMW went through the (risk and) trouble of hoisting a brand new 1-Series hatchback all the way up to level 3 of the Zen nightclub! Now we knew why... Click here for full story
17th October 2005
'Donut' Dale, in his 1st Generation turbo rotary RX7, broke the record for fastest street car in T&T Sunday 16th. at AutoSport's Test & Tune event at Wallerfield. Dale beats the record set by both Ram Beharry in the "Superman" Savannah Rx7 (11.0) and James Hadeed in his Nissan Silvia (11.2) set over a year ago. Click here for full story
T&T's own Chevron, Mint Cars and Mobil1 rail cars make waves at an international event
Release dated 06-May-05 • Rawle Mahabir
The T&T Team which participated in the Curaçao International returned home after giving a professional showing and matching strides with the best in the top Bracket of Drag Racing.
Sheldon Bissessar was the talk of the competitors with his truly professional approach both in preparation and execution. And the T&T layout of their pit area also attracted the eyes of everyone, as we are accustomed to seeing on our local track.
Sheldon ran away with the award for fastest car of the Event clocking 7.01 secs. at a speed of 200.13 mph. And this having to back off at least three times due to “wheel shake” a phenomenon experienced when the wheels are trying to out run the machine.
So Sheldon Bissessar can now lay claim to another milestone record being the first T&T Drag Racing driver to cross the 200mph threshold.
And as expected, he has confirmed what is required to solve this problem and as they say, “the parts on the way”.
Michael Luke, his Chevron teammate driving his Mint Cars Chevron Rail, was trucking along in his bracket until he went that wee bit too fast and broke out. Not accustomed to running a very consistent time, he was up against competitors who run consistently within a half second groove, whereas here in T&T we run a full second Bracket. But he still ran a personal best of 7.6 secs., awaiting the accurate information.
Riccardo Pustam with his Mobil1 Showtime Rail experienced mechanical problems and discovered a new blend of oil and water in his crankcase; he thus chose to let discretion be the better part of valor and not cause any serious damage to an obviously ailing engine.
The T&T Team earned a great deal of respect from all of their seemingly more experienced competitors, especially from those who thought that we were trailing far behind in the quality of machinery and tuning ability of our drivers, and they are now hoping to have a reciprocal visit from both Curaçao and Aruba in the not too distant future.
Plans are already in place to facilitate this exchange with all of the required approvals currently being sought.
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Daniel Ramoutarsingh pilots his monster Mitsubishi to victory at Wallerfield International Circuit Meet.
Release dated 01-May-05 • Pedram Lalla and Duane Boodasingh
So the TRINRICO Evo 6 returned to the track at the TTMF International Circuit Racing Event on May 1st and what an incredible day Daniel Ramoutarsingh had.
In a scintillating display of smooth driving that he made look so easy, the combination of car and driver ran away with top honours winning all of the races entered. This has certainly been a good investment that will be a winning combination for a long time.
What is even more interesting was the fact that this car was tuned by the Moody Team out of Jamaica prior to the event, after which they went their merry way. And come race day, the car performed flawlessly with checks just being made for fluid levels, tyre pressure (and to see how much tread was still there after each race). Way to go.
We are awaiting the official results to see if he may have lowered the track record which he set at the last TTMF Event in March.
But just as exciting was to see the return of Daniel’s ex Mitsubishi Mivec, now owned and driven by Gerrard Carrington. But wait, this has been totally remodelled with what seems like full front panels off a Makinen Evo6 AND full Evolution four-wheel-drive running gear. And did it work well this first time out!
So some serious callouts here. Where is Peter Morris? Where is Ainsley Lochan? Bring out the Evo’s and let’s see some real action. Click here for Coverage
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Sammy Cummerbatch gets intimate with a wall at the hairpin
Release dated 29-April-05 • by Pedram Lalla & Duane Boodasingh
The Bajans seem to like the circuit @ Wallerfield and were practicing hard on Friday 29th. for the circuit racing event on Sunday.
Unfortunately the BMW M3-powered Escort of Sammy Cummerbatch lost brakes and sent him hurtling into the wall at the hairpin after taking the chicane under full power. The other competitors were diligently tuning their Group 2 cars and seem optimistic about their chances in competition .
Sammy is okay. He complained of some chest pains but he seems to just be bruised (so far) from the impact and his harness. As you can see in the photos, the roll cage definitely did it's job! He was taken to hospital for medical examination.
Our crew got there in time to see the cloud of smoke as the Escort ran up the mound and into the wall. But only got shots of after the crash. We believe that TV6 may have gotten some footage of the car in Friday's practice session. This car would have been a main contender for the the international circuit racing event on Sunday 1st May against the best of T&T.
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8 Teams from B'dos on the way, Guyana bows out...
Release dated 24-Apr-05 • Article by Pedram Lalla
"To each his/her own" - a statement that has been uttered throughout time to reflect the different opinions we as individuals possess, allowing us to respect each other's views and standpoints. In the automotive fraternity, this quote takes on a new meaning.
Everyone has been interested in some form of 'car stuff' in one way or another, whether referring to car shows or full-fledged racing. Within the racing arena itself, there are always contrasting views as to which is best, varying from discussions about FWD, RWD or AWD to the best engine setup. There has also been debate as to which aspect of racing is more exciting to watch; the raw power and straight line speed in drags, or the driver skill and handling aspect of solodex.
Circuit racing has often been a combination of all these factors, and here in Trinidad it is no different. With competitors varying from Turbocharged to N/A and FWD to AWD, there is no doubt that a certain level of ‘across-the-board’ automotive appeal is present. This is further enhanced by the nature of the Wallerfield circuit track, which requires a great deal of power to muscle down the front straight, while demanding the driver skill and braking/handling aspect needed to manoeuvre through the twisting turns. Not only does this appeal to all forms of racing admirers, but the beautiful, show-car quality appearance of many of the cars often leaves the glamour enthusiasts wanting more.
This year, local circuit racing has evolved to an extent that encompasses these factors in thorough fashion, allowing Trinidad to boast of having some of the fastest, most competitive and nail-biting racing action in the Caribbean, which has even the largest of enthusiasts on the edge of their seats. Now, the time has come to see how much progress has really been made.
The Trinidad & Tobago Motorsport Federation (TTMF), who has done a remarkable job on the circuit scene since their initiation last year, has thus arranged for the next meet on May 1st. to be one whereby this question would be answered.
With the challenge being placed, Barbados has promptly responded to the call with 8 of their top competitors (see below for Team Barbados’s racing contention) coming to show what their country has to offer, hoping to run away with the title against the local Trini boys. Guyana, however, has bowed out of this meet, due partly to the high performance of our cars which they are unwilling to attempt to match, as well as the after-effects of the flooding making it difficult for transfer of their cars.
Having seen our performance in the first meet this year, it is obvious that Trinidad is going to be no pushover. Despite the Bajan’s reputation of being one of the fastest regionally in the racing circuit, Trinidad’s status in this arena is also ranked up there with the finest, being considered on par with the best the Caribbean has to offer. Now as these two powerhouses of West Indian racing are about to meet, the question is left as to which country can take the honours of not only winning bragging rights, but assuring their presence as one of, if not the best in the Caribbean.
Can our local boys Ravi, Gary, Daniel, Franklyn, Mark and crew hold off Kenrick Husbands and the Barbados team? Find out on May 1st. at the Wallerfield Circuit Raceway – its guaranteed to be one of the best racing meets ever in Trinidad and a great treat to anyone there! Come out in your numbers and support team T&T, and be prepared to see some of the fastest and hottest cars in the island duke it out for top honours on local soil!
Click here to read more about this topic in Trinituner forums
Click here to read about the Friday Practice Session - M3 Escort Crashes!!!
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Release dated 20-Apr-05 • Article by ASPL
So a powerful team of T&T Drag Racers will be participating in an International Drag Racing Event in Curacao over the weekend of 28th April to 1st May. Heading the team is Sheldon Bissessar driving his PSTL Chevron Party Time Rail. Michael Luke with his Mint Cars Chevron Rail and Riccardo Pustam with his Mobil 1 Showtime Rail are the other members on this Team and they all have been past Champions in AutoSport Drag Racing.
Sheldon did his best time with his previous machine in Puerto Rico but he has been unable to better this performance in T&T even though his new machine is far superior and much more powerful. Why is this? Simply, because of the gross power of this new engine, reputed to be on either side of 2000 Hp, he just has not been able to get traction to the ground to accelerate through the quarter mile and demonstrate the real capabilities of this new machine. Just compare his top speed with his previous Rail, which barely got past 175mph to his 2004 best-time of 7.311 secs. at 195.64 mph.
So on a very smooth and dedicated track as exists in Curaçao, we are all hoping that the true story on this combination of Car and Driver will unfold. These three drivers did make an initial visit to check out the track in early March.
And not for one moment are we thinking that Michael and Riccardo are mere supporting actors in this exercise. Both of these drivers, previous Open Class Champions, with many Fastest-Car-Of–The-Day awards under their belt, have made extensive upgrades in various areas to their respective machines, so we are certain to see some personal-best performances and looking forward to all of them coming back winners in their respective categories.
Some 40 Team members and supporters will be accompanying the drivers on this trip next weekend.
The official itinerary for the weekend racing in Curaçao is as follows:
Djaweps 28 Aprel:
Outo/Motosaikel Show:NIGHT ON THE TRACK
Dianan 29, 30 di Aprel, 1 Mei : Karedanan Internashonal
So now you can read some Dutch...
Released on 26-Feb-05
With instructions from E-Teck and the Ministry of Sport for drag racing events to take place on the south track at Wallerfield, heavy overhauling of the runway surface needs to take place.
On Thursday February 24th there was a meeting at the south track of some sub 10sec racers and a few officials from AutoSport, Speed Promotions and TTASA to discuss the arrangements for upcoming drag racing events. The faster car's drivers should be most concerned here since the south track is in far worst condition than the usual north track where extensive work was done last year to improve ET's and safety. Now all that work needs to be redone to the south facility..
>>Click here for Proposed track layout
Next Drag Meet: March 20th
>>Track discussion continued here
All clubs come to an agreement over event dates, finally
Released on 18-Feb-05
TTASA invited all of the major players to a meeting this evening and we all attended. Present were reps from AutoSport, CARS, Speed Promotions, TTASA, TTDRA, TTKA, TTMF, and TTRC - this is listed in alpha sequence!
However we also received a notice from e-TecK (over the last two days) indicating “All Auto racing bodies are to meet with TTASA with a goal at arriving at a common schedule, which reflects the inputs of all sporting bodies.”
The discussions were amiable at times, compromising and of course a bit heated on certain issues. But in the spirit of wanting to move forward, we all agreed that we will work on the main issues at hand and thrash out the bothersome ones as we go along. And there are not a few of these i.e. Constitution, affiliation, licences, track conditions etc.
>>Story continued on Trinituner.com
Click HERE for MotorSport Calendar 2005!
Release from the ASPL (T&T) 14-Feb-05
History repeating itself….. or Not learning from our mistakes? We are seeing a trend here that's worth looking at.
In 1997 AutoSport, in conjunction with the TTRC staged the first Texaco/Tecmarine International Stages Rally. This also was part of the Caribbean Rally Championship series. Feedback from everyone involved, clearly indicated this Event was a tremendous success. In 1998, the Event was even bigger and better and again T&T was the final leg of the Caribbean Rally Championship Series. The major comment was the loose stages in T&T were the best in the Caribbean. And at that time, this event was as big as what Jamaica and Barbados were holding.
>>Story continued here... ALONG WITH NEW FOLLOW UP EDITOR'S NOTE Re: TTRC
Release from TTKA
Karting will now have 2 New Classes and a packed raceday with practice, qualifying, heat1, heat2 & Final Race for each class. More night events are also carded for this year. The new classes are "Sportsman" for kids (9-12) and the World recognised "Rotax" fully spec'd class for advanced drivers. The sportsman class already has 4 new drivers while the Rotax class is rumoured to be packing twice that.
Shifter Class moves to a lower min. weight of 385lbs, Tires are now TTKA-spec (dry) and fluid catch cans are a must. Track preparations start from Feb 13th at Pier 2, Chaguaramas. All members and well wishers are encouraged to lend a hand. From membership fees to cornering diagrams, it's all now in PDF format! Click the links to download the new rules and appendices for 2005.
Next Karting Meet: Feb 20th, 2005
Release from the TTASA
NACAM represents North America, Central America and Mexico. NACAM was the first new zone created by the FIA.It is the largest after Europe. President of NACAM, Mr. Enzo Spano visited Trinidad to strengthen relationships with racing fraternities in the region. He wants to educate local clubs and organisations of the racing administration structure in the world and the region.
Release from AutoSport & 'Solo'
Dale Mayers emerged a winner in the 11 secs. Class, (actually clocked a personal best time of 10.9 secs.) and made all of us very proud. Seems as though the long stay in the containers had its effect on the fuel in some of our cars and this led to re-tuning attempts to get back some performance. Brian Franco and Chester Lewis ran in 12 secs. And when they did not red light, they broke out the bracket. Remember they had to face that sharp turn 400 ft. after the finish line, when we are accustomed to running for nearly half mile after our finish, so they tried to get the jump at the start. Rajesh and Erica ran in 13 secs. And faced the same red light problems. The team was well received and will be back in Antigua for a much bigger Event shortly.
at Homestead, Miami.
Release from the TTKA
Gary Hunt, President of the Trinidad & Tobago Karting Association (TTKA) was at Opaloka and Homestead, Miami, FL over the Carnival weekend testing and racing a Birel 05 kart chassis. These karts are built and tuned at RYSA Racing. The Managing Director of this company is Rudy Ramsaroop, a trini now living in FL.
RYSA has a very successful kart racing supply and racing outfit and will be tuning karts for competition here in T&T for 2005.