Most of the automobiles that participate in The Bahamas Hot Rod Association used Saturday’s ZNS car show on the weekend to tune up for the 2006/2007 season, which commenced on Sunday at the association’s racetrack located at the Queen Elizabeth Sports Centre.
Hundreds of drag racing fans were on hand to observe dozens of motorcycles, antiques and racecars showcased in Saturday’s event, initially scheduled to be held at Arawak Cay.
According to BHRA’s public relations officer and vehicle inspector Leslie Crawly, as the governing body for hot rod racing in The Bahamas, members, in particular vice president Gus “Big Ju” Outten, suggested that it would be safer to hold the event at the tracks.
“We are the motor sports association and we have the facility for this type of event. Arawak Cay is not a motor sports facility.
“Through this type of effort we want to portray the sport in a more positive and responsible light. This is one of our goals for this season. We always have all of the safety measures in place and ensure that the cars are fully inspected before they hit the track,” Crawly explained.
The first point’s races were held on Sunday where automobiles raced in five classes, the A-class (high powered cars), the B-class, the Quick class, the All-motor class and the Super-street class.
At the end of the season, the car with the most points in its respective division wins.
The defending champions from last year are as follows: A-class winner – “King” David Rahming’s “Hold Ya Head” race car representing One In A Million team, B-class winner – Bertram Bowe representing Bowe’s Racing team, Quick class winner – Lambert Knowles, All-motor class winner – Kenroy Singh and Street class winner – Portia Bethel.
According to last season’s winner, Rahming he is looking forward to this season.
“This year is going to be very competitive because the A-class field is going to be much larger. Last year we only had five cars competing but this year we expect to have at least 11-12 cars competing. But I love competition. I don’t think that I should be out there dominating all of the time.”
On Saturday, Rahming’s “Hold Ya Head” race car faced off against “Air Force One” in one of the most exciting grudge matches and came out on top after his opponent did not get off to a good start.
Rahming further indicated which components on his vehicle give him the upper hand in most races.
“There are one or two things on my car which makes it more efficient. Some of the other cars have more horsepower however my car is a full body vehicle and that makes me more competitive.
“In addition, I am well known as one of the best drivers on the tracks. So, facts such as these justify my status as the “King” of the track,” Rahming said.
By: Dahalia Smith, The Bahama Journal
