Randy Lewis
World's #1 Ranked Trackchaser
DOVER RACEWAY - BROWN'S TOWN, ST. ANN, JAMAICA
To begin the picture show:
1) Click on the picture above.
2) Then click on upper left photo of the thumbnail pictures.
3) Advance photos one at a time.
or
1) Click on the picture above.
2) Click on the radio button "slide show" in the upper left portion of the screen.
RANLAY Racing Trackchaser Report
DAY 1 – WANTI WANTI CAN’T GET IT, GETTI GETTI NO WANT IT TRACKCHASING TOUR
SPECIAL NOTICE!
This afternoon I saw racing in my 14th different country. Below is a list of when and where I saw first saw racing in each of these countries.
SUMMARY OF “COUNTRY” TRACKCHASING ACHIEVEMENTS
# 1 – UNITED STATES OF AMERICA – Peoria Speedway (Mt. Hawley) – Track #1, Peoria, Illinois – circa 1954 (age 5)
# 2 – CANADA - Cayuga Speedway – Track #174, Nelles Corner, Ontario, Canada – July 31, 1988 (Dick Trickle winner)
# 3 – UNITED KINGDOM – Northhampton International Raceway – Track #378, Northhampton – June 26, 1999 (accompanied by Carol, Kristy, Jim)
# 4 – AUSTRALIA – Speedway City – Track #804, Virginia, South Australia – December 26, 2004 (accompanied by Carol)
# 5 – NETHERLANDS – Driesum Racetrack – Track #839, Driesum – May 5, 2005 (accompanied by Roland Vanden Eynde)
# 6 –
# 7 –
# 8 –
# 9 –
# 10 – MEXICO – Triovalo Bernardo Obregon – Track #1,281, Tiajamulco de Zuniga, Jalisco – October 14, 2007 (accompanied by Carol, J.J., Roger Ward)
# 11 –
# 12 –
# 13 –
# 14 – JAMAICA – Dover Raceway – Track #1,322, Brown’s Town, St. Ann, Jamaica – March 24, 2008
TODAY’S HEADLINES
My college accounting background came into play on this trip. I had to manage my “sunk costs”..................more in “The Trip”.
Today I met the highest-ranking national political figure in my entire trackchasing career. …………..details in “The People”.
What are the chances that Air Jamaica would hold a one-day strike on the first and only day in my 59 years that I tried to fly on the airline? …………..details in “The Trip – Tuesday morning”.
You will not believe what rule #8 is when planning and preparing to participate in a Jamaican holiday parade ………..details in “The Trip – Monday – race day”.
AND THE READERS RESPOND
From time to time interested readers write me about one thing or another. Many times, I feel that my other readers would be interested, informed and/or amused by the comments I get. Here is what a Pennsylvania urbanite had to say regarding my computer problems:
“Hi Randy. Three words. GET A MAC!”
Click on this link or paste it in your browser to take you to today’s Trackchaser Report via my website at
Don’t forget to try my new picture format at my website. There are more pictures to see and they load a lot faster.
GREETINGS FROM BROWN’S TOWN, ST. ANN, JAMAICA.
I WOKE UP IN MONTEGO BAY, JAMAICA THIS MORNING. I WENT TO SLEEP IN MONTEGO BAY AS WELL. THIS IS WHAT TRANSPIRED TODAY.
PEOPLE/STRATEGY/TRAVEL NEWS
The Objective
One of the objectives I established for myself coming into the 2008 trackchasing season was to see more new tracks in foreign countries. So far, that plan has been working out very well. During just this year, I have now seen tracks in Canada, Thailand, South Africa, Mexico, Jamaica and Georgia. Hey wait! Georgia’s not a foreign country.
This gives me 14 countries where I have trackchased in my career. Although I trail Will White (20) and Roland Vanden Eynde (37), the next leading trackchaser, in the top 40, behind me has seen tracks in only seven countries. I have some plans in place to increase my totals even further before the clock strikes twelve in 2008.
I have to give a shout out to the three trackchasers who have seen racing in Jamaica before I got down there. Paul Weisel made it down to this part of the world as a driver back in 1983. I’ve heard him tell the story of his adventure. That must have been fun.
Will White and Guy Smith visited the same track I saw this week in 1998. That’s pretty impressive considering that by that time I had only seen racing in the United States and Canada. By the way, except for Quebec, I hardly consider Canada a foreign country. It’s more like “Minnesota lite” in the English speaking parts of Canada. That is in no way a knock on Canada, I’m just saying it’s really not much different than the U.S. Let me tell you, the countries I’ve been visiting this year are REALLY different from the U.S. Actually, the more different the better to me. I want to have experiences that are unique to what I am accustomed too and I certainly get that on these trips.
The Trip
Pre-trip
I hardly know where to begin in describing this trip. For lack of a better idea I’ll start at the beginning. I don’t have too much difficulty getting from point A to point B in the states, especially with the help of my airline sponsorships. However, flying standby is not always the hot ticket (pun intended) when you really want to get somewhere on time.
Therefore, I planned my trip to Jamaica the same way I did for my trip to Thailand. When I went to Thailand, I knew I wouldn’t have much difficulty getting to Hong Kong. Then I purchased a ticket from Hong Kong to Bangkok, Thailand.
With this trip I knew I could get to Atlanta (sooner or later anyway), so I purchased a ticket from Atlanta to Kingston, Jamaica. This gave me a 100% chance of getting to the track in Jamaica on time. However, I am always on the lookout for a better plan. Sometimes I have to consider an accounting term called “sunk costs”. If you are not familiar with that term let me explain. By the way, I was an Accounting major in college until the second half of my freshman year. Then it dawned on me that learning accounting was just too much doggoned work! I did remember the first two rules of accounting though. They are 1) All your debits must equal your credits and 2) Always keep a sharp pencil. I seem to be better with rule #2.
Anyway, “sunk costs” are expenses you have already paid. You’re never going to get them back no matter what you do in the future. As an example, if you prepaid for a non-refundable movie ticket for tomorrow night and then a friend came up with NCAA men’s basketball championship game tickets (presumably to see UCLA play) for the same night as your movie what would you do? Would you say, “I can’t go to the game, because I already have a movie ticket”? On the other hand, would you say, “heck with the money I spent on the movies, let’s go watch the Bruins kick butt”.
If a better idea comes along, I grab it regardless of what my “sunk costs” or previous expenses might be. As they say, “you have to spend money to make money”. People who don’t have much money never seem to really understand what that really means.
Even though I had a non-refundable ticket taking me from Atlanta to Kingston, Jamaica, I walked away from that ticket. I did this when I discovered I could get a non-stop flight back to Los Angeles from Montego Bay, Jamaica on the ride home. Yes, I would be flying standby on that flight and yes it would cost me some money, but it simplified the return home a good deal. Montego Bay was only half as far from the track as Kingston was, another plus.
By the way, someone asked me what the five most dangerous, non-warring cities in the world were. I looked it up on line. Johannesburg, South Africa topped the list (I was there last month) and Kingston, Jamaica came in fifth. I can’t wait to get to the other three in the top five!
I was still without a working computer. My new computer is beautiful. It has a 17” screen. However, when it’s not working, it’s like carrying around a boat anchor in my briefcase. My cell phone would not be working in Jamaica either. I am paid (in terms of track count) based upon my ability of manage information. I have the best equipment and systems that the “boys back in the shop” can give me. However, when the stuff I have doesn’t work, I relegated to mid-pack with the sick, lame and lazy of the trackchaser brethren.
The race in Jamaica was on Easter Monday. That seemed like at odd date to hold race but I wasn’t complaining. Carol would be gone for the week visiting her parents in New Mexico. That left me to wander about the world anywhere I pleased. Following my trackchasing double in Georgia on Saturday night, my plan was to fly into Montego Bay on Sunday. With one last stop at the Waffle House on Sunday morning, I was bound for “Jamaica mon”. By the way, the Waffle House I visited had a flat screen TV. What is the world coming too?
Sunday in Jamaica
I was flying standby into Jamaica. The availability looked good but then you never know until they call your name. I was most surprised and pleased to gain a first class seat for the three hour flight from Atlanta to Montego Bay. As a matter of fact, I got first class seating on every plane that offered first class during my entire trip. As our kids used to say regarding themselves when some piece of good fortune came their way, “I’m a lucky duck!”
When I arrived into Montego Bay it was raining lightly. That wasn’t a problem either today or even tomorrow, race day. I would be seeing racing on a road course and that type of racing never rains out. It’s warm and humid in Jamaica all year round. Right now, the daytime temps run into the mid-80s and it doesn’t get much cooler than 72 degrees at night.
I cleared immigration control with ease at the Sangster International Airport. One of the benefits of first class seating is that you get off the plane first and are automatically ahead of the 150 people who were flying in the “steerage” compartment in the race to clear customs.
I had a Hertz rental car reservation. Like most of the world, Jamaica has right side steer cars and they drive on the left side of the road. I was given a 2005 Lancer by Christopher, the local Hertz rep. Please look for Christopher’s picture on my website. I promised him and I never break a promise.
I had used www.tripadvisor.com to help me discover “Toby’s Resort” in Montego Bay. I had some difficulty making my reservation and I’m going to have to fight with some folks when my credit card bill comes due, but that’s another story for another time.
Toby’s was located at one end of the “Hip Strip” in Montego Bay. The hotel has 65 rooms, a pool, bar and restaurant. I would only be here for two nights and the $85 per night charge seemed reasonable considering the major resorts were charging well over $300 per night.
When I met the staff, I soon learned that Jamaicans travel to the beat of their own drum and their own timing. Although I had some good service, far too many people seemed totally uninterested in servicing the tourist trade.
By the way, the ethnic diversity in Jamaica in nearly non-existent. I found South Africa and Japan to be the same way. Most residents in these countries look exactly like their countrymen. This is in stark contrast to living in Southern California where the multitude of ethnicities is everywhere.
By the time, I had landed, rented my car, found the hotel, fought over my reservation and went to my room it was 9 p.m. It would have been easy to just call it a night after a long day of travel. However, the RANLAY does not roll that way. I didn’t come all the way to Jamaica (which is just south of Cuba) to sit in my hotel room.
I made my way to the “Hip Strip”. This is a collection of restaurants, souvenir stores and other mainly non-descript retail establishments. Do not in any way mistake this for the Las Vegas strip or Times Square. It’s really not much, but it did have some unique characters for me to encounter along the one mile walk.
Nearly every cab driver slowed down to inquire if I wanted a taxi. When I told them I would be walking, they came back with “Whadya need, Mon?” “Do you want a smoke…..a girl”? I must have been asked these questions, 50 times during my two-day (actually three-day but more about that later) stay. I don’t smoke and I’ve already got a girl.
I came across the Doctor’s Bay Hotel for my late night dinner. I had “jerk” pork chops. Nearly every meat in Jamaica can be prepared “jerk” style. This simply means the meat is prepared in a spicy, somewhat like BBQ sauce, mixture. I love spicy food and this was delicious. I also had one of the best Mai Tai’s I’ve ever had from some excellent servers.
My walk back to the hotel included my fair share of “Hey boss, whatya need?” questions. Toby’s, my hotel maintains 24-hour security much like all the other Jamaican properties I visited as well as how all tourist locations in South Africa operated. I spent a few minutes conversing with the two Jamaican security guards about the topics of the day. They warned me to be careful when I walked about. I never really felt in danger at any time, but I tried to keep a watchful eye out to avoid any kind of trouble.
Monday – Race day
The official language of Jamaica in English. Although when Jamaicans talk amongst themselves, it’s impossible to decipher their conversations. Carol and I visited Jamaica several years ago during a Caribbean cruise. From the hip strip, I could see two cruise ships that were in Montego Bay’s port.
The Jamaican topography is one of rolling, heavily forested hills (jungle?). The highways were good, but the local roads were not. They were filled with lots of potholes. The highest point in Jamaica is the peak of the Blue Mountains at 7,402 feet. It is in this area that the famous Blue Mountain Jamaican coffee is produced. I brought some back for Carol who is an avid coffee drinker, although I never touch the stuff.
Let me say that Jamaican highway drivers are the worst. They make the drivers in Mexico seem like straight A students in a driver’s ed class. Jamaican drivers will pass you regardless of how much oncoming traffic is headed their way. Most roads are two-lane affairs. Jamaican drivers will make a pass and the car being passed is expected to move over toward the shoulder of the road and the oncoming driver is expected to move over to the shoulder of the road. This leaves one-lane up the middle of the two-lane highway for the passing driver. It is absolutely crazy!
I saw highway police with people pulled over nearly every five miles. The police wore bullet proof vests on the outside of their uniforms. I also saw several accident victims and my share of speeding emergency vehicles. Normally, I don’t notice this kind of thing when I travel, but it was impossible to ignore in Jamaica.
During my travels, I came across some local Jamaican newspapers. There were two items of special note. First, they commonly place photos in the paper showing mourners viewing the casket of their loved one. I’ve never seen that anywhere else before.
I also came across a top 10 list of how to survive a road march (parade) during the holiday festival season. I found rule #8 to be most interesting. Here are the top 10
Rule #1 – Keep hydrated….
Rule #2 – Dress in cool clothing….
Rule #3 – Wear a hat and sunglasses….
Rule #4 – Wear comfortable shoes….
Rule #5 – Eat a good meal before you start….
Rule #6 – Drink energy drinks….
Rule #7 – Use Sun block
Rule #8 – Do not allow any of the other drunk, tipsy, high or over exuberant revelers to engage in illicit sex acts with you on the road, it’s bad for you health
Rule #9 – Stay in the shade as much as possible
Rule #10 – Make sure you are well rested the night before.
Unfortunately, I did not come across any Jamaican parades!
I spent Monday morning and Monday afternoon at the races. When I got back to my hotel, I had another walk down the “Hip Strip”, had dinner and went back to the room to pack for my departure tomorrow. I had just two days in Jamaica, but with a car I was able to see and do a lot. Outside of the major resorts, the country shows its poverty. I was glad to view the Jamaican culture up close. I can see how it would be easy to go to some large and exclusive resort, hang out at the hotel beach each day, eat at the hotel restaurant each night, and never really “see” Jamaica. I don’t like to travel like that, but I can understand why some people might see that as the preferred option.
Tuesday morning – departure day
My plane didn’t leave today until 4:25 p.m. How lucky was I to be able to get a non-stop flight from Montego Bay to Los Angeles. The flight only operates four days per week and Tuesday was not one of those days. I figured they had added an extra day for this flight because it was Easter.
After a quick breakfast on the “Hip Strip,” I found a place to get on the internet. By the way, I never did find an ATM to get any Jamaican dollars while I was here. Jamaicans takes U.S. dollars, but I’m sure I took it in the shorts every time I was at the mercy of a local’s exchange rate policy.
Filling my rental car’s tank before I returned the car to Hertz was a challenge. I stopped at a local Texaco station right next to the Sangster International Airport. It was not immediately obvious that only certain pumps were for cash transactions and others for credit card usage. Of course, I got in the wrong line.
I had picked up the car with the tank 5/8 full. Therefore I had to return it with that amount of gasoline in the tank. It’s an algebraic challenge to figure out how much gas is needed when gas is being sold in liters, the miles I had traveled were being measured in kilometers. I simply solved for “X” and determined I needed 16 liters. I told the full-service attendant that’s what I needed. “No problem, mon,” as he stuck the gas nozzle in my tank and went off to service another customer.
I was lucky to have kept an eye on things. When the gas pump showed I was rapidly approaching 16 liters and the gas attendant was showing no interest in the situation at all, I stopped the gas flow at the point where I reached my 16 liters. Then I had to move the car and hassle with paying by credit card inside the station’s office. Fortunately, when I got back to the car and started the engine the gas gauge moved right up to 5/8 and stopped. I’ve always been pretty good with numbers.
When I returned to the Hertz rental car parking lot, I encountered “Christopher” again. He had been on my website and now was a big fan. He had just one question, “What’s up with those dreaded East coast trackchasers?” I didn’t have the heart to fill him in.
Tuesday afternoon – departure day
When I went to the Air Jamaica ticket counter to check-in I inquired about the load factor on my flight today. All indications told me the load was light. It was. There were only 25 passengers booked! I was concerned they might not make the trip all the way from Montego Bay to Los Angeles with such a light load. I was right but for the wrong reasons.
I went into the terminal to wait for my flight. The international terminal is beautiful and modern in Montego Bay. While I waited I had one of the best cheeseburgers I’ve ever had at Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville restaurant.
It was then that I noticed a problem. The first three Air Jamaica flights of the day had been cancelled. The next three were all delayed. What was happening? I would soon learn that the Air Jamaica flight attendants were staging a one-day strike. I have been alive for 59 years and for some reason, the first and only day that I have ever planned to fly on Air Jamaica Airlines, they decide to go on a one-day strike. Yes, this may have been my worst ever logistical trackchasing trip in my life.
The long and the short of it was I would not be leaving Montego Bay today. I would not return to Los Angeles on Tuesday. The best I could do was to get back at home by Wednesday. However, I had a plan to return to the southeast on Friday. It might not even make sense to go back to L.A. at all. Since Carol wasn’t home, I might just stay on this side of the world for the rest of the week.
It was 5 p.m. and I had no flight, I had no rental car, I had no hotel, I had no computer internet connection and I had no cell phone. Ya, I guess this is how the trackchasers of yesteryear had to do it, although they rarely went very far from home in the old days.
I sat down to plan my attack. I decided to rent a cell phone. They were only seven dollars for the day and 30 minutes of international call time was only 11 dollars. That sure beat the pay phone I considered using until the operator told me the first minute to the U.S. would be $25 and each additional minute three dollars.
The woman who rented me the phone recommended a hotel that would rent me a room for $46. She also personally selected a cab driver to take me there for another ten dollars U.S. This woman was most helpful as my original travel plan was falling apart.
Soon I was arriving at the Hotel Glorianna. If you think somewhat run down New Orleans garden hotel you might be close. The hotel also had rooms for $66 and $86, but it was just me, I could go the budget route like I used to do.
My room was about 8’ by 10’. It was small and had exposed light bulbs. Of course, you can see the room and everything I’ve talked about at www.ranlayracing.com. I hope you like the new photo system I have that allows me to post more pictures that load faster for you.
The room was also next door to the swimming pool and the bar. Of course, the bar played loud and continuous Reggae music until nearly midnight. I would like to kill the guy who kept asking for “Hot, Hot, Hot”.
Nevertheless, I had my dinner poolside (spaghetti and chicken) and smiled at my good fortune. I was in Jamaica. I was having dinner poolside while listening to Reggae music. I had seen a new track in a new country. I couldn’t wait to tell you about it.
Wednesday morning – departure day again!
It was still a major bummer not having a working computer. I probably spent $25-30 in internet usage fees along the way up to this point. I am increasingly finding that computers are much more important for information gathering than email receipt. I didn’t use to think that.
I also found that the three most important items for information gathering that I had with me on this trip were my cell phone, my reading glasses and my airline schedule guide. Yes, my lifestyle is different than most.
I will continue to take more trips like this. Some folks ask why I would ever want to leave the paradise like area of San Clemente. I figure San Clemente will always be there (even though we live in an earthquake zone!). When I’m old and don’t feel like traveling I can always walk at the beach. However, now I’m just a kid and the world is my oyster!
Today, I didn’t wait for Air Jamaica again. I hopped a Delta flight to Atlanta. I would stay there for two days and begin my next trackchasing trip on Friday. Heck, I was in first class on the way back to the states. I had nothing to complain about.
I did buy a beautiful bottle of Jamaican rum for my friend in Atlanta. Then, IN A TRAVELING FIRST, the TSA folks ran us through a full airport security check on THE WAY OUT of the Atlanta airport. I’ve had that happen when you land back in the U.S. from some foreign destination and are transferring to a domestic flight but never when the U.S. arriving point is your final stop.
I inquired, in a nice way, that wouldn’t get me thrown in jail, what was up. I was told that arriving U.S. passengers would be walking through the secured part of the airport after they cleared U.S. customs and before they could hit the street. Therefore, it was off with the shoes, take the laptop out, take your gels and liquids out before we could do anything. Apparently, Atlanta is one of only two U.S. airports with this policy. This also meant the loss of the rum. Sorry, Dale, this had to happen if the trip is going to be classified as one of the worst ever logistical trips!
The People
I met a number of nice people at the track today. I’m not sure I got everyone’s name or if I did if I got it right. Please accept my apologies if I made a mistake here.
I had a wonderful trackchasing interview with the track announcer, Chris. He was most interested in the hobby of trackchasing. With the robust sound system at the track, I expect that 5,000 or more Jamaicans went back home and fired up their computers to do a Google search on the word “trackchasing”. If they did, they found the website for the World’s #1 Ranked Trackchaser at the top of the Google search list. He had just made his first ever trackchasing visit to Jamaica.
I also met a photographer, pictured on my website, who works for a Jamaican racing magazine. They did the good-looking race program that sold for 200 Jamaican dollars (about $3 U.S.) today. I even took HIS photo for my website.
Hilary Jardine was next on the list of Jamaican dignitaries for me to meet. Mr. Jardine is president of the Jamaican Race Driver’s Club. He has been involved with Jamaican racing for more than 50 years and was one of the founders of the Dover Raceway. Mr. Jardine had given me some help in advance of the race and was most gracious today. Thank you, Hilary!
My final introduction was to Mr. Mike Henry. He was introduced to me as a “minister” of Jamaica. He wasn’t part of the clergy, but he is Minister of Transportation for the country. He was at the track today to announce that the government would be providing one million dollars (don’t know if that was in Jamaican or U.S. currency) for the construction of a bridge so fans could get to the track easier.
Mr. Henry was the highest-ranking political official I have ever met while trackchasing. I don’t count my encounter with Richard Nixon at the Illinois State Fair in this ranking for two reasons. I was at the fair as a “racechaser” and not a “trackchaser” for the USAC Silver Crown races on the one-mile dirt oval. I only got to shake his hand and did not really meet the sitting president. At least Carol was able to see my aggressive posture that enabled me to get beside President Nixon’s open convertible (something the Secret Service apparently overlooked). She could then project my behavior into 36 years of future support and comfort. Anyway, that’s the way I like to tell the story.
Mr. Henry, upon learning of my world ranking in trackchasing asked, “Is this your favorite all-time track?” Proving that I could provide a political answer back to a politician, I told him, “This is a beautiful track. With the money you’re providing for the bridge, it’s going to be even better. I’m looking forward to a wonderful day of racing”.
The people I met at the Dover Raceway were great. I hope more trackchasers decide to take in an event down here.
PROVINCE RANKINGS
St. Ann
Today was my first ever visit to Jamaica for trackchasing. This is my 14th trackchasing country. As it turns out, just a few trackchasers have ever ventured down here. None of them has seen more than one track in Jamaica (Jamaica currently has only one countable track). I hope that my international visits and those of the others in what is becoming the “big three” (Roland Vanden Eynde and Will White) would encourage trackchasers from all over the world to branch out a bit.
By the way, I make up the smallest angle of trackchasing’s “big three” triangle. Trackchasers Roland Vanden Eynde (
Now you can see the entire up to date trackchaser rankings for Jamaica. With so few entries, it won’t take you much time to scan the list. Just click on this link or paste it in your browser:
http://trackchaser.net/statcountry.asp?country=JAM
By the way, whenever I quote trackchasing stats (most of the time anyway) I will be using the trackchaser’s on line Bible, www.trackchaser.net. I will get my fellow competitors’ totals from there unless they have provided me a more current update. I will use whatever information source of information that is most current at the time I write each Trackchaser Report. I don’t think I can make the statistical information any more accurate than that.
TRACK TYPE
In the world of trackchasing, we have three types of tracks that are considered countable. These include ovals, circuits (road courses) and figure 8 tracks. Generally, a road course includes both left and right turns. Figure 8 tracks cross over themselves.
This afternoon I saw racing on an asphalt road course. This was my 133rd lifetime circuit track (world ranking #3). Roland Vanden Eynde leads the world in circuit visits with 351.
COMPLETE TRACK TYPE CATEGORY RANKINGS OF NOTE:
Dirt Track Standings
http://trackchaser.net/statsurface.asp?surface=Dirt
Paved Track Standings
http://trackchaser.net/statsurface.asp?surface=Paved
Ice Track Standings
http://trackchaser.net/statsurface.asp?surface=Ice
Mixed Track Standings
http://trackchaser.net/statsurface.asp?surface=Mixed
Oval Track Standings
http://trackchaser.net/statoval.asp
Circuit (road course) Track Standings
http://trackchaser.net/statcircuit.asp
Figure 8 Track Standings
http://trackchaser.net/statf8.asp
Indoor Track Standings
http://trackchaser.net/statindoor.asp
RACE REVIEW
DOVER RACEWAY, BROWN’S TOWN, ST. ANN, JAMAICA
I had an absolutely wonderful day of trackchasing. Normally, I’m not much of a fan of circuit racing but today just seemed a little bit different than the normal road racing experience. Let me tell you why I felt that way.
Getting to the track was a challenge. It’s located well off the main A1 highway and the ocean up in the hills of Jamaica. The roads aren’t very good the closer one gets to the track.
Once I got somewhere near the track people started parking on each side of the already narrow and pothole filled two-lane highway (ala Eldora). I gave that some thought but had no idea how much further we still had to go to reach the track’s property. When I did reach the parking area, I found that the grassy and somewhat moist ground was filled with cars. I sort of made my own spot and readied for a fun international trackchasing adventure.
Regular tickets for today’s race sold for 1,000 Jamaican dollars. Pit passes were $1,500. I wanted a pit pass but somehow that got lost in the translation and I was given a wristband that was only good for general admission. I didn’t know of this oversight until I was on the other side of the track’s property and was denied admission to the paddock (pit) area.
Once I cleared the ticket booth, I waited with my fellow fans to cross the track. Practice was going on and the crowd swelled to more than 500 people waiting to cross into the infield. The V.I.P. tower sits on the highest point of the track’s grounds. It’s sort of a “pagoda” style affair. From its peak it provides a fantastic view of the track.
I arrived at the scheduled start time of 11:30 a.m. For some unknown reason, the program’s start of racing was delayed almost two hours. Maybe they get that from their American cousins. It was no big deal to me. This gave me time to explore the place.
Probably the most impressive part of my tour was a large area where food vendors were cooking up “jerk” chicken by the hundreds. The chicken was being cooked in large 55-gallon steel drums that had been cut in half horizontally for the task. Jamaican reggae music was blaring over the robust sound system. It was a real carnival atmosphere and the air was heavy with the scent of BBQ chicken. Please go to www.ranlayracing.com for photos of the jerk chicken cooking as well as everything I’ve mentioned in this report.
The track itself had significant elevation changes. For the fan that was willing to walk around, nearly every inch of the nearly 2-mile course was visible. As I toured the track grounds I was most impressed by the quantities of people sitting on the hillsides. I did not see any formal seating areas. Folks just found a place to sit and did so.
I was told by one track official that there were more than 5,000 people here today. He said they expect more than 8,000 for the upcoming Caribbean championship meet in May. The fans were also very enthusiastic. When the first race went off they stood, cheered, yelled and waved their arms in excitement. I rarely, if ever, see this level of fan support in the U.S. with the exception of major NASCAR stock car races.
My next stop took me into the paddock area. Before I could enter I did need to go back to the ticket booth to get a wrist band for the paddock area. I thought I had done that when I made my original ticket purchase but I was told I did not. I was paying in U.S. dollars and getting change in Jamaican. I’m not really sure how much the pit pass cost me, but I think it was around 25 U.S.
The paddock area was unique as well. Each car had its own private garage. Fans were allowed to get up close and personal with the cars and drivers. Race teams could should a steel barred gate to keep spectators at bay if they needed too.
I made several visits to the paddock area, which was also teeming with fans. The start/finish area and a beautiful old “Goodyear” bridge spanned the track at this point. If you come to the Dover Raceway make sure you can gain admission to the paddock area.
Today’s program called for ten races amongst five classes. The races were short just 5-7 laps. The classes included: Improved Production, Modified Production – class 3, Modified Production – classes 1 and 2, IP 45 and C&W Broadband Thundersport. This didn’t mean anymore to me than I suspect it means to you. Some races had as many as 20 cars or so and some as few as 6-7 cars.
I roamed around the track taking pictures at virtually every vantage point there was to see. In between taking pictures and visiting the paddock area, I stopped to have some Jamaican food. I dined on “jerk” chicken, Jamaican citrus punch, Heineken beer and corn on the cob. It was all great.
After I had been at the track for some four hours, my afternoon was wrapping up. Some folks were starting to leave. I feared it might be a nightmare, possibly even in the dark, getting more than 5,000 people down a winding pothole filled two-lane road. The road wasn’t even two-lanes wide with the spectator cars parked on the shoulder.
This proved to be a wise decision on my part. Even though it was 4 p.m. there were still a few stragglers driving UP the road to get to the track. There was not enough room on the road for one car to drive down the road and one to drive up the road at the same time. This meant that cars had to squeeze over to the side and stop to allow a car coming in the opposite direction to pass. It was during this time that I wished I had purchased the “collision damage waiver” insurance from Hertz!
RENTAL CAR UPDATE
Montego Bay, Jamaica – Sunday/Tuesday
Jamaicans driver right side steer cars and drive on the left side of the road. I’ve travelled enough under these conditions that I’m not bothered by this at all. I try to keep one mantra in mind when making turns. “Lefts are easy, rights are scary”. Today I had would be driving the Hertz Rental Car Racing 2005 Lancer.
I drove the Hertz Rental Car Racing Lancer 114 miles in the slightly more than two days that I had it. I have never driven in a country with more wild and crazy drivers. I paid an average price of about $3.76 per gallon. The Lancer gave me about 28.8 miles per gallon in fuel mileage at a cost of 13.1 cents (U.S.) per mile. The car cost 94.7 cents per mile to rent, all taxes included.
Thanks for reading about my trackchasing,
Randy Lewis
Jamaica’s #1 Trackchaser ….along with some others
The truth seldom brings complaint.
TRAVEL DETAILS
AIRPLANE
Los Angeles, CA – Atlanta, GA – 2,113 miles
RENTAL CAR
Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport – trip begins
Hartwell, Georgia – 145 miles
Lavonia, Georgia – 161 miles
Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport – 278 miles
AIRPLANE
Atlanta, Georgia – Montego Bay, Jamaica – 1,118 miles
RENTAL CAR
Sangster International Airport – trip begins
Brown’s Town, St. Ann, Jamaica – 46 miles
Sangster International Airport – 114 miles
TRACK ADMSSION PRICES:
Hartwell Motor Speedway – Free
Lavonia Motor Speedway - Free
Dover Raceway – About $25
RANKINGS
LIFETIME TRACKCHASER STANDINGS UPDATE:
There are no trackchasers currently within 100 tracks of my lifetime total. It’s not my fault!
1. Randy Lewis, San Clemente, California – 1,322
Full Lifetime World Rankings
http://trackchaser.net/trackchasers.asp
Other notables
These worldwide trackchasers are within 10 tracks (plus or minus or more) of Carol’s current trackchaser total.
26. Kevin Eckert, Indianapolis, Indiana – 450
27. Carol Lewis,
28. Ken Schrader, Concord, North Carolina – 354
29. Max Allender,
2008 TRACKCHASER STANDINGS
1. Randy Lewis, San Clemente, California – 24
2. Mike Knappenberger, Reading, Pennsylvania – 16
3. Ed Esser, Madison, Wisconsin – 12
4. Carol Lewis, San Clemente, California – 9
4. Guy Smith, Effort, Pennsylvania - 9
Tracks have been reported by 24 different worldwide trackchasers this season.
Complete 2008 Trackchasing Standings
http://trackchaser.net/statyear.asp?year=2008
LIFETIME COUPLES TRACKCHASING STANDINGS
1. Randy & Carol Lewis, San Clemente, California – 1,680
2. Allan & Nancy Brown,
3. Guy & Pam Smith, Effort, Pennsylvania – 1,666
LIFETIME NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC DIVERSITY STANDINGS
2007 NGD results are posted at www.ranlayracing.com
Official Trackchaser Rules
http://trackchaser.net/rules.asp
Past trackchasing reports are available at:
Official trackchaser standings can be viewed at:
Some of the data in this report comes from www.trackchaser.net and my Garmin GPS aka “Dusty”
UPCOMING TRACKCHASING PLANS
I honestly wanted to go home after this race, but the people of Jamaica wouldn’t let me. More on that next time. I’ll just hang around and see what I can pick up. I’ll get back to San Clemente some day.
RACETRACKS VISITED IN 2008 (** not the first time to visit this track)
1,299.
1,300. Bira Circuit, Pattaya (road course),
1,301.
1,302.
1,303.
1,304.