Gore looking to end the season well

Leighton Levy, Gleaner Writer

As far as Doug 'Hollywood' Gore is concerned this season's racing at Dover has already been a tremendous success. It has been a season where Gore has managed to turn the tables somewhat on the long-ruling King of Dover, David Summerbell Jr. After the first three meets of the four-meet Dover season, head-to-head, Gore has five wins to David Summerbell Jr's four in nine matchups.

In the individual classes, the going between the two has also been close. Kyle Gregg leads the overall standings with 102 points so far this season and is trailed by Summerbell, 76, and Gore, 75. In Modified Production 4 Class, Gore leads with 36 points, five ahead of Summerbell. However, in the Thundersport Class, Summerbell, with 45 points, holds a six-point lead over Gore.

For what seemed like an eternity, Summerbell, the five-time Caribbean Motor Racing Champion, and his Mitsubishi Evolution 8, have dominated Dover, sweeping away everyone before him.

Decisive partnership

Prior to the start of the season, the fiercely competitive Gore, tired of playing second fiddle, set about trying to even the odds and, after making a brave pitch to Adam Stewart of ATL Automotives, he found himself a willing partner.

Stewart equipped Gore with the specially built DTM-spec Audi TT that is proving to be a game changer.

With advanced aerodynamics and almost 500 horsepower under the hood, the Audi has helped Gore inch ahead of Summerbell this season and even taken his treasured track record.

"Adam said to me early this season, Doug if you think 'Hollywood' was a household name, wait until I'm done with you," Gore revealed. "Adam has told me it has been a match made in heaven." And it has proven to be just that.

Gore admits that he is still learning how to get the best out of the Audi and during that process has learned quite a few other things as well. The more he drives the Audi, he says, the more he learns about his driving skills. He has also learned a lot working with the engineers from Germany who have maintained the car this season.

A great year

So, as the season winds down this Heroes Day, Gore believes that 2011 has been all that he would have imagined. "It has already done that. Going out and breaking the track record, (1:18.114) that was a wow factor and beating David in all three races last race meet that was a really big accomplishment for me," he said. "The hype is still on and I would really like to finish on a winning note. And honestly, if I can get two out of the next three races this weekend, I will be a real happy man when I lie in my bed on Monday night."

Winning two out of the next three races might not be as easy at Dover today though, considering that the fiercely competitive Summerbell, responding to the Gore challenge this year, has reportedly added a sequential gearbox and more powerful brakes to his Evolution 8 for this last race meet.