The future is here now at La Place Carenage in Castries where the new “Our Planet Centre” has recently opened and is wowing visitors both local and tourists alike.
Taking over from where the Desmond Skeete Animation center was previously located, even more space has been allocated to this large and well planned out exhibit.

The brain child of Pablo Rosenthal and Sara Adams, this dynamic duo have worked tirelessly to bring to St. Lucia a World Class feature that all St. Lucians can be proud of. The bulk of the money to build the center came from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, we are very fortunate that they agreed to cover the huge costs to construct the centre. A number of local companies have also been instrumental in providing much needed assistance.

The Our Planet Centre theme is one of education but not at the expense of entertainment. Who knew that learning about our planet and how best to care for it could be so spell binding!?

The fully computerized exhibit features the following:
Speeches from HRH Prince Charles and the Governor General “Dame Pearlette Louisy of St Lucia via life sized Holograms;
An Immersion Tunnel showing how our Planet and its climate started;
A “Mirrorsphere” where you can see a kaleidoscopic view of our world;
A view of our Planet from Space with “Science on a Sphere” installed by NOAA/NASA;
More than ten interactive games and a “learning zone”;
Motion sensitive floor projection screens that change as you walk on them;
Special effects theatre where you can experience extreme weather events.

The two floors are nicely laid out and one can either wonder around the various exhibits or take the guided tours which will lead from one theatre experience to the next before culminating on the top floor at the Extreme Weather Events theatre. Hold onto your hats as strong gusts of wind, flashes of lightning and fog fills the air, transforming the once calm room into a mini hurricane!! With screens on three sides you are transported into the center of the storm! An amazing laser show finishes off the spell binding event!!

After your brush with a hurricane, don’t forget to try out the various computerized games using the large touch screen panels that utilize the latest innovations in immersive technologies.

A small canteen serves refreshments and homemade ice cream! A well stocked store selling Tee shirts and other trinkets also waits.

Although it is hoped that the main target audience will be the many tourists that come to St. Lucia, it is the schools, both primary and secondary, that will benefit the most by visiting the centre. To this end a steady stream of school children have been passing through the center and a very affordable entry fee has been arranged just for them.

My visit was on a Sunday afternoon which is a good time to go as parking is easy and there are apparently smaller crowds. The centre is open every day of the week from 9am to 4.30pm Monday to Saturday and 12pm to 6pm on Sundays.

For more information, check out their web site here.

To go to the forum for more pictures and a glimpse of the technology behind some of the exhibits, click here.

I have been following, with interest, the introduction of Chinese made vehicles to the St. Lucian market with several companies importing pickups as their introductory vehicles which have been reasonably well received.

Now, for the first time, a vehicle for the masses has been imported from the world’s largest economy in the form of the Geely MK2 five door hatchback. It almost seems strange that it has taken this long for Chinese made cars to make it to the Caribbean. Just about everything is made in China these days and products (baring the Made in China emblem) are no longer perceived as inferior grade products. One just has to look at the back of any ‘Apple’ computer or iPhone to find that some of the best products in the world are being made or assembled in China.

In addition, most products made in China have a reputation for good value for money and this appears to be the case with the Geely car that I had a chance to test drive recently.

Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd is one of the biggest Chinese automobile manufacturers not to be a state-owned enterprise. Geely is also among the top ten Chinese automakers.
In August of 2010 Geely purchased Volvo cars of Sweden from Ford.

The Geely models being imported by Pinnock Brothers Inc. are two hatchback models the GS and GT and an almost identical sedan model that all list for $49,000.00 EC dollars. The most expensive is the GT version that I tested at $54,000.00 dollars. The difference between the GS and GT is mainly found in the interior with leather seats and a sun roof as standard on the GT, in addition, it gets fancier and sportier rims. The GT also has reverse sensors with its own display in the dash board.

All models are for the time being only available with a five speed manual gearbox, Charles Pinnock of Pinnock Brothers Inc. indicated that automatics should be available by years end due to the conversion to right hand drive which requires some additional parts that have yet to be put into manufacture.

The two button remote control that was attached to the key provides much more than the basic lock and unlock functions. By holding down the lock button any open windows can be wound up via the remote so if you forget to wind up the back windows and exit the car, you don’t have to put the key back in the ignition etc. The headlights can also be turned on and off by using the remote controller which would make easy finding the car on a dark street, parking lot or to light a path when the driver walks away from the car.

The horn sounds 3 times if any of the doors or sun roof is ajar when you try to lock it. Unlocking the doors causes the indicator lights to flash notifying you that the doors are ready to open.

The standard chrome door handles require a fairly hefty pull but otherwise the feel of the doors is like any other vehicle in its class.
Once you settle into the firm but comfortable leather seat the view from behind the wheel immediately gives the impression of simple but adequate furnishings. As would be expected of a vehicle in this price bracket, there are few bells and whistles, this is an honest car that has what you need to get from A to B without coddling you in luxurious appointments.

What is considered normal when it comes to power this and power that is included. The windows are all power (with the driver’s side having an “auto down” feature), the locking is central although flipping the drivers side lock does not unlock the rest of the doors; one has to use the dedicated button for that which falls nicely to hand on the right side arm rest. In addition, all the doors lock when the car passes a speed of 5 MPH. There are also power side mirrors and in the case of the GT model, a power sun roof. Other standard features include a “CAUTION” triangle for tire changes, a fire extinguisher, CD/MP3/USB stereo coupled to 6 speakers, a handy compartment for your sunglasses, front and rear fog lights, factory tinted windows and the list goes on.

There is at least one slightly annoying omission and that is a trunk release, one has to use the ignition key to open the hatch back. The saloon does not have this issue and can be unlocked using the traditional lever on the vehicle floor in front of the drivers seat near the ubiquitous gas cover release. Looking at the gas gauge you will not find an arrow to indicate which side the filler is on, in this case it’s on the left and you can see the door when open in the side mirror which will help you remember on which side it is.

The leather front seats are adjustable fore and aft and the seat back can be adjusted to varying degrees of angles, there is no lumbar support adjustment. The steering wheel can be adjusted up and down although you would have to be a very tall person to want to move the wheel up from its lowest position. At my height of 5’ 10” the wheel fell comfortably to hand, however shorter drivers might find the reach to the wheel a bit high.

There are drivers and passenger side air bags which is a nice safety feature, the seat belts are standard in all regards and the shoulder height can be adjusted for comfort.

Starting the 1.5 Liter engine requires a standard type key, no fancy FOB anti-theft device here to give problems and getting a replacement key should be quite simple. The engine started easily and ran smooth with no unexpected noises. The gearshift lever has a reasonable throw and the clutch has a decent engagement point, there was however a slight vibration from the pedal when riding the clutch. It’s almost like it’s there to warn you of your bad driving habit. One other thing I did notice which seemed to get a bit better the more I drove the car is that between shifts the engine revs had a tendency to not drop quickly enough for my style of driving. It’s as though the throttle plate return spring is not pulling the butterfly closed quickly enough or it might simply be the nature of the car that one needs to become accustomed to.

Suspension and ground clearance are more than up to the task and I would consider it above average, particularly for our roads and even some fairly rough dirt roads. Compared to some of the other vehicles in its class, the Geely rides quite a bit higher and should have no problem clearing most normal road obstacles.

The disc front breaks and rear drums are nothing out of the ordinary but seem to do the job asked of them. I did not try any panic stops but the car is equipped with ABS as standard equipment.

The hatchback has a pair of fold down rear seats, these are split 60-40 and when both are folded flat provides a reasonable amount of carrying space. There is also a parcel shelf which can be removed; I find these invaluable for hiding your valuables in the back when you have no choice but to leave them in the car.

Generally the fit and finish is quite good but there are a few areas where the build quality is lacking but certainly on par with the Japanese. Probably the most obvious is the roof mounted rear view mirror. The stalk for this is very flimsy and the flip lever for night time use is not very well placed and did not work well. The mirror is designed to be removed and is in fact easy to do so; why one would wish to remove the mirror escapes me.

Disregarding the fact that the GT model I tested is a bit better featured, the sweet point is either the Sedan or the GS model at a very affordable $49,000.00! To get a new car this size (think larger that the Swift) and with these features for less than $50,000.00 is almost unheard of. Also, banks are more willing to lend on new cars and should make purchasing a Geely a no brainer for someone on a budget.

The warranty is also a fairly generous at three years or 100,000 kilometer on the power train. You won’t find used cars or even some new cars with this kind of warranty.

Full size spare tire.

It seems that Pinnock Brothers are leaders when it comes to testing the waters for introducing Chinese made vehicles for the masses here in St. Lucia. The first Chinese cars available for sale are a huge step up in quality when compared to the various Chinese Pickups that we have become accustomed to. The build quality of the Geely is closing the gap between the Korean and Japanese cars that dominate the local market.

Geely still has work to do, but the company has passed all the crash, safety and pollution standards of countries like Australia and New Zealand and are selling well with the price difference making the brand very attractive. When the quality is directly comparable to a Japanese car, there may not be as big a price gap thus making a choice between the two countries more difficult.

One also has to remember that with the purchase of Volvo automobiles, there is bound to be a one way exchange of technology that will surely benefit the Geely cars that will be manufactured in the near future. Geely is poised to be one of the first Chinese manufacturers to enter into the American market and when this happens the benefits of a cheaper alternative will be easy to justify mainly because of brand recognition.

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We’ve probably all heard of “IT”, seen them on TV or even might have been lucky enough to see them when traveling abroad; but now the wait is over! The Segway has reached our shores and are set to make a splash in the Tourism tour market segment.

Brain child of Eliot Bailey, the founder of Lucianstyle (www.lucianstyle.com) which is a tour operation that is located next to Rehab bar on the strip in Rodney Bay. Twelve top of the line Segway X2 models were imported and are in use for both training and guided tours within the Rodney Bay area. The Segway X2 is the off-road version of the original PT (Personal Transporter) version that was invented by Dean Kamen and introduced to the world in 2001 amidst much hoopla.

Kamen was way ahead of his time and pronounced that the Segway “will be to the car what the car was to the horse and buggy” and announced that they expected to sell up to 40,000 units per year. Unfortunately for Kamen his company found it difficult to sell the units due to most countries banning the vehicle from both the roads and sidewalks. As a result they only managed to sell approximately 30,000 units from 2001 to 2007. However things are improving for the company as many countries including the US are relaxing the restrictions on where the vehicle can be legally operated.

The X2 is the second generation model with the biggest improvement being “Leansteer” which allows the steering column to be leaned from side to side which makes for more natural steering compared to the 1st generation.

The Segway is built to stay balanced in one place and designed to mirror the process of human walking. If the rider standing on an initially balanced Segway leans forward, therefore offsetting the balance, theX2 moves forward to regain balance just as in walking a leg moves forward to retain balance. With the Segway, changes from a balanced status are first detected by gyroscopes, and signals are passed on to the onboard computers which then direct motors to regain balance. This process occurs about 100 times per second, so small adjustments to maintain balance occur almost immediately after the balance is offset by the rider.

The side effect of this balancing system is that as the Segway balances itself the entire unit changes position in the direction it has moved to restore balance. (For example, if the rider leans forward, the entire Segway will move forward from its original position, until the rider restores an upright position on the unit.) This is precisely how the Segway X2 is controlled, the balancing and movement is essentially one combined system.

Steering is accomplished by moving the handle bars to the side in which direction you want to, this also causes your body to lean into the turn thereby helping you keep your balance and aiding traction. The X2 can turn on a dime just by leaning the bars all the way to one side without moving forward or backwards.

Learning to operate a Segway is almost second nature and quite intuitive, anyone that has ridden a bicycle will almost immediately feel comfortable aboard. Lucianstyles has a large open grass covered lot next to Rehab which is used for training and they offer 20 minute sessions which is enough time to get operators familiar with the vehicles.

Within a couple of minutes I was moving around the field and after 10 minutes I could slalom around the cones and generally feel very comfortable. To the totally uninitiated I believe it could be a bit intimidating but with confidence and the right training, pretty much anyone should be able to learn how to operate a Segway in fairly short order.

Apparently Segway’s have been in use in Puerto Rico, Barbados and Antigua where they have become a big hit, particularly with the Cruiseship passengers and it is Mr. Bailey’s hope that the same business plan will be successful here in St. Lucia. To that end he has developed a series of trails on Mount Pimard which is the mountain at the end of the Reduit beach which is just a short ride down the road from Lucianstyles. Twice daily tours are run to this area and included is a 20 minute training session, 10 minutes traversing to the trail head and then another 60 minutes exploring and then back to the start. This is priced at $70.00 US dollars but there is a discount for locals.

There is also a sunset tour and a tour that starts and finishes at Pigeon Island. And if you just want the experience of learning the ropes, 20 minute “Learn to ride” training sessions are also available.

Well after taking up enough of Mr. Bailey’s time, I had a close up look of these wondrous machines. The fit and finish is excellent and in addition to both a pleasing design exercise, the build is very robust and should provide many years of heavy use. Power is provided by Lithium Ion batteries that can provide up to 12 miles of off road range and at speeds of up to 12.5 mph which is plenty fast enough! It takes approximately 6 hours to recharge the batteries from fully discharged. Weight is a quite reasonable 120 LB’s. The tires are 21” in diameter and are a semi-knobby design for traction both on and off road, in operation a Segway is virtually silent.

The one major flaw in the whole thing is the cost. It has been estimated that over $100 million US dollars was spent developing the Segway and with the relatively small numbers that have been sold, this has caused prices to remain high. Stratospherically high in this case as these units retail for approximately $7,000.00 US dollars!! And that is FOB, landed here in St. Lucia with shipping and duty paid would add considerably to the cost. A quick search via E-Bay unfortunately does not reveal much in the way of bargains to be had, ex rental units going on for three years of age are selling for $4,000.00 US!!

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I  heard Charles Pinnock of Pinnock Brothers Inc. on Russell Lakes “Drive By” show on Tuesday and was very impressed to hear him promote his new line of vehicles. What a breath of fresh air to hear a Car Salesman promote his product truthfully and intelligently!

Charles has recently returned from living and working in the US for some twenty years and now back home in St. Lucia, and plans to be the first automotive importer of Chinese pickups to actively promote the rugged and affordable aspects of these sometimes maligned and misunderstood vehicles.

Charles started his endeavor by traveling to China to see for himself a number of the Chinese manufacturers in order to choose what he thinks to be the perfect “do it all” pickup for the West Indies Market. Yes, the big picture is to market these vehicles all over the Caribbean including Guyana and the bigger islands like Jamaica.

Charles has a back ground in Aeronautical engineering having worked for American Airlines as a manager in the maintenance department. His approach to setting up a new vehicle dealership has been one based on his excellent engineering background and he has used his skills to pick apart the vehicles that were available to him.

After visiting a number of different manufactures, he was impressed with the Pickups being produced by the Anhui Changfeng Yangzi Motor Manufacturing Co. located in Anhui China. They have proven willing to work with Mr. Pinnock to customize the range of vehicles that will be exported to St. Lucia and so far this is already bearing fruit.

CMC manufacture pickups that are based on a Mitsubishi chassis and use diesel engines that are licensed from Isuzu but manufactured by themselves. The major difference between these Chinese made vehicles and their Japanese counter parts are the philosophy behind the design and build quality.

First off these vehicles are designed for the Chinese market first and foremost and consequently only have to meet the smog emissions of that country, not those of the USA or Europe. As a result the engine does not require the elaborate equipment and technology found on the more common Japanese vehicles which are festooned with emission reducing equipment. When it comes to diesel technology which is being heavily promoted for low fuel consumption, this has required the changeover to “Common Rail” fuel injection technology. For this to work there must be a number of sensors that feed information to an ECU which is quite similar to that found on gasoline fuel injected engines. The diesel injectors are then fired by electrical pulses which provides a very exact amount of fuel which greatly reduces emissions but also reduces fuel consumption and that dreaded diesel engine rattle which anyone that has walked past a truck should recognize.

Well the diesel engine found in the CMC line of pickups has none of that techno wizardry! This is a tried and trusted diesel engine that makes no excuses, its loud and anvil simple! Push rods control its valves and a standard distributor type fuel injection pump sends diesel to ordinary injectors, there isn’t a sensor in sight that isn’t there for your common monitoring such as water temperature or oil pressure. Once this engine is running, it will continue to do so until it runs out of fuel or you shut it down. The failure of a sensor or corrosion in a connector will not see this vehicle stranded by the side of the road!

And when it comes to normal maintenance, any semi-competent owner or mechanic should be able to keep the engine running sweet as a nut. With a large separate diesel filter with water detector and easily accessed service points, keeping things fresh should be a breeze. As Charles himself said, if the engine develops a problem, any qualified diesel mechanic can work on the engine. There are no special tools or training needed which is the case with the more modern competitor’s engines.

Here in the developed world we have been force fed technologies that we don’t really have a need for. CMC vehicles offers a more realistic interpretation to what is really needed in our neck of the woods. Some may consider this to be a throw back, but having a working reliable vehicle that is easy and affordable to maintain can mean the difference between new vehicle ownership or purchasing a used more modern vehicle that is off warranty and liable to cost the owner considerably in both time and money just to keep running.

So armed with this background, it was with an open mind that I approached my first inspection. I rolled up at the fairly small dealership which is located at the RMC building in Bois d’orange right next door to Hilron Mauricettes vehicle body repair shop.

The only vehicle left of the original order is a fully loaded twin cab 4×4 “Flying” model. This would be considered the top of the line version having a prerequisite amount of large diameter chrome roll bar for the box and in the form of a bull bar at the front. There are also power windows and power locks along with the standard power steering and air conditioning. The interior of the rear tray has been coated with a Rhino type tough rubberized compound which is a nice standard feature.

The engine is a 2.7 liter, in-line four cylinder diesel with turbo charger but no inter-cooler. Red line starts at 4,000 rpm but can be over revved if desired however with the torque of a diesel being found way below the red line, this is not the recommended way to drive a diesel.

The five speed gearbox shifted smoothly but has an extremely long throw, so much so that with the seat back to accommodate my legs I had to lean a bit forward to engage 1^st or 3^rd. A bent gearstick would be advantageous here and even a short shifter as it feels like you have to move the stick through a good 12″ to go between gears. The clutch was very nice although a bit stiff and with the torque this engine provides you don’t even need to rev the engine much. This model has the standard gearing but the next shipment will have lower first, second and third gears which has been spec’d due to our mountain terrain. I could see this being a good idea for people who will be carrying a lot of heavy loads and certainly for the two door version. However my short drive with an unloaded vehicle impressed me with the gear spacing and ratios, so for me I would prefer this set of gearing. I would not want too short a first gear for day to day driving. I will have to test drive one of the shorter ratio versions when they get here to know for sure.

There are the usual transfer case low and high ratios and selection of 2 and 4 wheel drive, one thing I would have hoped for would have been auto locking front hubs. Having to get out and lock the front hubs when you are up to your ankle in mud is no fun! But again this all harkens back to the basic needs of the vehicle.

The quite sporty wheel is comfortable and the right size, the power steering felt good being quite effortless. Road handling felt a bit truck like but certainly acceptable.

What really is truck like is the noise this engine makes, and we are not talking about exhaust noise either! Whilst not deafening, this is certainly as loud as any four cylinder truck engine that you are likely to come across. Sound proofing in the cab is pretty good and if you drive with the AC on and windows up then the noise is not intrusive. Just shut down the engine before getting out or you will be in for a surprise if you are not accustomed to the rattle sound of a direct injection diesel engine!

This engine though is fairly spritely and feels neither weak nor high strung. Plonking along with your foot off the accelerator in second gear is amazing! And there is more than enough power for brisk cruising and overtaking, this is where the turbo shines. Apparently a few of these models were brought in without turbo’s and for our roads it was deemed too anemic. All future orders will be for turbo models only and the better for it.

There are a number of obvious details which point to the “you get what you pay for” category. Fit and finish is one of them, as Charles alluded to during his interview, body lines and moulding shapes are not up to Japanese standards. There are quite a few large gaps between doors and panels which are a bit surprising but are one of the reasons why this vehicle is for sale at this price point which I just realized I have not mentioned yet.

This last one was going for the lowly sum of $66,000.00 dollars as a special introductory price. The next shipment will be a bit higher so I would assume around the $70,000.00 mark. This is at least $20-30,000.00 dollars less than anything else in its class!

I also had a look around the future parts department and there were already a few commonly damaged or replaced parts on the shelves which is pretty good when you consider that there are less than ten units in the island so far. And like the vehicles, the parts will also be correspondingly cheaper! As each new shipment of cars come in, so will the stock of parts be built up.

There will be many advantages to owing a vehicle from a small Boutique type dealer like this one. The number of models that will be imported will be fairly small and this means that less parts have to be kept in stock. Models will not be updated year to year like some of the other manufacturers which creates a nightmare when it comes to determining how much stock to keep. Because the vehicles are relatively simple, there is less to go wrong so again less parts are needed. So if you don’t need the latest and best vehicle on the road to impress friends and family, a CMC vehicle could well be the most intelligent choice that you could make.

This line of vehicles should be a boon to the average farmer or contractor which is after a rough and ready vehicle that can be repaired in the field if necessary.

The only real unknown quantity at this point in time is how well they will hold up under our local conditions. We all want cheap and I certainly don’t mind giving up a lot of features but the big question remains, how reliable is it? Hopefully this will be answered in the affirmative and consumer confidence will build, which is needed to support a new product such as this which has so much to prove compared to the established brands.

What is a certainty is that the Pinnock Brothers are hitting the ground running as their approach to marketing their line of vehicles is getting the word out through hands on demo’s and one on one meetings with the target audience to show them the benefits that can be derived from choosing a CMC vehicle.

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A large foreign contingent representing three countries made their presence felt at the second Drag Wars invitational drag racing event held on February 21^st and 22^nd to celebrate St. Lucia’s 31^st independence anniversary.

Building on what was a very successful inaugural first Drag Wars event that was held last year on December 5^th and 6^th at the abandoned Beanfield airstrip in Vieux Fort but better known as The Base; Absolute Promotions outdid themselves and have been at the receiving end of numerous accolades from both competitors and government officials who attended the event.

Neil Beepat along with Autosport Promotional Ltd. of Trinidad went to great lengths to ensure that this was an event to top any that had been held in this part of the Caribbean to date and was probably one of the largest events of its kind that could come close to matching the annual Barbados rally which is the premier motor sporting event in the Caribbean. 

This time spectator comfort was of high importance and to this end temporary bleachers were installed on the North side of the track adjacent to the starting area that could accommodate at much as 1,500 people. These same bleachers were last used as temporary stands at the Beasejour Cricket Grounds for World Cup in 2007.

Additional smaller stands were also erected for those members of the public that had pit passes and for the VIP section. Consequently there was a very good view of the track available.

Once again the safety and security of both the racers and competitors met the highest standards and there were no incidents to mar what was an action packed weekend.

The event kicked off with the arrival of the Vincentian contingent that arrived at Port Vieux fort on Friday morning. A total of 15 cars were delivered to the track!

That afternoon the Trinidadians and a single Grenadian car (two other cars were already here from the last event) arrived at the port as well. 17 Trinidadian cars joined up with the other two Grenada cars that were already at the track.

This is gave a grand total of 34 foreign cars that took part in the event. Mervyn’s drag rail that everyone loved from the last event was on the island but did not take part. There were at least 20 local cars and a collection of motorcycles which included the crowd pleaser “Horsie” and the Marztech Racing Suzuki Hyabussa!

Even with the retirement of Horsie due to clutch problems on the Sunday, there were a huge number of distractions in the form of some incredible high horsepower cars that performed huge smokey burnouts and wowed the crowd as they dashed down the well prepped track.

Speaking of the track! The early prognosis was not so good due to a lack of traction caused by a dearth of rubber which is needed along with “Trackbite” to provide the necessary grip that the cars need. That’s where those long smokey burnouts prove their worth. Not only do they warm up the tires making them sticky, but they also lay down a thin layer of rubber and with multiple passes provides the necessary rubber for good traction.

By the end of Sunday the cars started running good times and the track only got better with some near record runs being recorded on the Monday. For the first time cars entered the 8 second bracket with two 8.9 second runs!! This is a staggering achievement and matched Horsies run on his bike last event.

The Trinidadian’s dominated the event but several of the Grenada and St. Vincent cars were also very impressive! Once again Neils drag Supra with small block V8 ran the best time for any St. Lucia car! That his car even competed at all was just short of a miracle. Just days before the event Neil during a practice run experienced a major engine failure. A new engine was quickly ordered and was expected to arrive in St. Lucia on the Thursday, however the shippers did not come through and the engine got stuck somewhere in the US. Mervyn the cars builder, being stuck between a rock and a hard place pieced an engine together out of three broken ones and the cobbled together engine held up well throughout the event with the car laying down a personal best of 9.6 seconds!!

Neils car was the first St. Lucian car to do 10 seconds and in the same day managed 9’s!!! This is a car to look out for in the future and an 8 second run is very possible. Hopefully this has answered some of the Toyota fanatics negativity that it was sacrilege to remove the venerable 2JZ engine and install a small block American V8.

There were a number of memorable moments, the first was a 20 seconds of silence for the founder of drag racing in St. Lucia, Mr. Vivian Molinaro that passed away last year. There is hope that if The Base can be secured as a permanent racing facility that it will be named in his memory.

There was also a march past of all of the vehicles that were taking part in the event, they ran slowly down the track and then looped back around to pass close in front of the crowd so they could all get a good look. A few stopped and did a quick burn out to the roars of approval from the assembled multitude.

What was seen in abundance is the “Testicular Fortitude” that the racers displayed whilst hurtling down the track at break neck speeds. The acceleration of some of these vehicles has to be seen to be believed and the wild gyrations some cars made as they scrambled for traction taxed the skill of the drivers and riveted the spectators in their tracks!!

As the event came to a close appearances were made by several government ministers including Tourism minster Mr. Allen Chastanet and the minster of communications and Works the honorable Guy Joseph. MC Russell Lake grabbed Mr. Joseph and involved him in the prize giving ceremony! Mr. Joseph shared his enthusiasm for the sport by running his large American Pickup down the track to the grand amusement of everyone.

Prizes were given for the various brackets from 16 seconds down to an open class which was 9 seconds and faster. Medals were given for second and third place in each bracket and a trophy for the winners of each class.

Once the racing was over with, there were a number “Grudge Matches” where various competitors paired up to see who would come out on top. Unfortunately a brief rain shower (the only one for the entire weekend) wet the track and stopped the racing. This was the time the crowd decided was right for leaving and the stands quickly emptied. It was difficult to tell how large the attendance was without seeing the ticket sales, but there had to be at least 5,000 people there on both days!

So hats off to the promoters for a extremely well run event. There is talk that the next will be held in September and we can all look forward to this

]]> http://www.lucianriders.com/2010/02/210/feed/ 1 http://www.lucianriders.com/2010/02/drag-wars-invasion-gets-under-way/ http://www.lucianriders.com/2010/02/drag-wars-invasion-gets-under-way/#comments Sat, 20 Feb 2010 04:32:46 +0000 Lucian_rider http://www.lucianriders.com/?p=203 Friday all of the foreign cars arrived at the track after being offloaded form the two ferries. Here are some shots of the cars at the track.

The gentleman’s game was replaced with classic cars along with an eclectic collection of show vehicles at the Beasejour Cricket Stadium on National day, the 13th of December.

Russell Lake, of “Drive By” fame, the popular car oriented show that airs on Helen FM, finally put his money where his mouth is by promoting this unique event which promised some of the oldest cars still existent in St. Lucia today.

For those of us older than 40, it seemed like just yesterday when many of these older cars traveled the roads of St. Lucia; but now they are mainly an extinct breed. Either being consumed by rust in some forgotten field or having gone to the various land fills around the island. Fortunately a few have survived the ravages of time and proud owners are now into restoring these old classics and were anxious to showcase them for all to see.

The rules were simple, the car must be 20 years or older or in the case of kit cars of which there were three fine examples, must be representative of a vehicle over 20 years old. That was about it! No rules for working engines or period parts were being enforced; a number of cars were brought in on trailers but as this was a stationary show, it did not matter.

The oldest car was a Morris Minor 1000 circa 1965, this car was resplendent in dark blue and has been very nicely restored.

Other notable cars were a Morris Mini, two Volkswagen Bugs, two Porsche 924’s and a Land Rover Defender. This last vehicle is practically ageless as the basic design has gone unchanged for decades and not long ago before the Japanese invasion, these fine vehicles graced every large farm throughout the length and breadth of St. Lucia.

In addition to these iconic vehicles, there were a spattering of manufacturers like Mercedes, Chrysler, Suzuki, Nissan and Mazda which had a single representative car on show. Then came the Kit cars!

The three that were present were works of art and their owners watched over them like proud parents. George Bevan, the young owner of a beautiful Mercedes 1929 model, built his from scratch and has melded old and new to create a stunningly beautiful car. This amalgamation of steel and fiberglass brilliantly painted in white, can run as good as it looks due to the powerful Toyota 1JZ 2.5 liter twin turbo charged engine!! This is certainly no grand fathers car being that it is sporting over 250 HP! The lack of a roll bar and seat belts makes this a car for the young and brave!!

There was also a very similar style kit car that was built around a Volkswagen bug chassis and engine. Certainly a far more laid back form of conveyance.

But probably the most exotic and beautiful car in the show was a Shelby Cobra which had recently undergone a total repaint and was sporting a gorgeous metallic blue with red and white racing stripes. To match the body, under the hood sat a small block V8 engine with the requisite Edelbrock rocker covers. The huge side slung exhausts that dominated the sides of the car was just icing on an already incredible cake. To say that this car caused vehicle envy amongst the various contestants was an understatement! The drool factor was extremely high and like bees to honey, the crowd was immediately drawn to it.

Keeping the crowd occupied were the fine tunes of yesteryear, all songs older than 20 years that was professionally DJ’d by Rusty Ranks. The master of ceremonies was none other than Russell himself and with boundless energy he ran from one section of the show to another keeping the crowd entertained.

Further entertainment was provided by the Radio Control Car club that had a number of cars on display in addition to having a track setup on the fringes of the grounds opposite the Gros Islet stands where the cars were run at high speed.

The show was very well attended and will hopefully become a feature event that all gearheads can look forward to. Thanks must go to Russell for promoting the preservation of old cars in St. Lucia and creating a show in which to bring them to the attention of the general public.

The winners of the various categories will be announced on the “Drive By” show.

Click here for an album of pictures taken during the event.

Vieux Fort, December 7, 2009

Well the curtain has gone down on the inaugural “Drag Wars” racing event held here in St. Lucia, the first time that this prestigious event has made an appearance in the Helen of the West.

St. Lucian’s are not total neophytes when it comes to drag racing but this is the first time that a promoter has taken over the organization of such an event; previously local clubs have banded together and raised funds and accepted donations of time and money to stage small racing events. These have been under funded and decidedly lacking in safety and creature comforts for the participants and the attendees.

So enter Absolute Promotions Inc., headed by Neil Beepat, an avid amateur racer and fast car enthusiasts. Having been introduced to the sport of Drag Racing soon after purchasing a BMW M5 three years ago, Neil started to dominate local races with consistent low 12 second passes that few local cars could match. Admittedly the fully computerized BMW makes such a feat ridiculously easy so Neil started looking at having a car built specifically for Drag Racing. A MKIV Supra was soon purchased and immediate plans were put into place to upgrade the standard non boosted engine to a fire breathing single turbo 2JZ, Toyota’s premier straight six monster.

However a decisive meeting between Mervin Bonnet a Trinidadian master car builder from Trinidad and Neil created a working relationship that would eventually lead to the hosting of “Drag Wars” in St. Lucia. Mervin was asked to take over the build of the Supra and with him came 25 years of race car building experience, his familiarization with small and big block American V8 engines lead him to convince Neil to rip out the Japanese in-line six and replace it with a naturally aspirated small block V8 that would be fully built to handle as much as an extra 300 HP of Nitrous Oxide whilst still putting out over 600 HP in naturally aspirated form!

The car finally came together the week before the event and made its maiden sprint down the track on the Sunday morning of the event. Mervin, in addition to bringing his expertise in hosting and organizing events of this magnitude, also happened to bring along his 8 second Drag Rail car that was totally built by him! This amazing vehicle thrilled the crowd with noisy burn outs and thrilling blasts down the track, the likes of which has never been seen in St. Lucia before!!

So with Mervin on board, Neil got busy with putting together the first of hopefully many Drag racing events to be held in St. Lucia. The deserted drag strip/ex airstrip, known locally as “The Base” had to be prepared so that both local and foreign cars could do battle on a track surface worthy of the “Drag Wars” name. In addition the fringes and shoulders had to be trimmed back along with the erection of fencing to keep the crowd back at a safe distance. Timing equipment and officials had to be brought up from Trinidad and security had to be arranged to keep the crowd under control. And let’s not forget the thousands of other details that must be attended to, to put on an event of this magnitude.

Finally on Saturday the 5th of December it pretty much all fell together and the event got underway with cars registering, getting scrutinized by the safety officials and then testing got underway to determine in what bracket the cars would run. “Drag Wars” is mainly a “Bracket” event where cars are sorted by how many seconds it takes for the car to run down the ¼ mile track. The fastest run would determine the bracket which started at 16 seconds and ended at 10. Anything faster than this would be in the open class like Mervin’s Rail car.

It was also possible for a car that qualified for a faster bracket could drop back into a slower bracket but if the car ran faster than the allotted bracket during the race would “Breakout” and so loose the race. All in all this allows cars of all types and sizes to compete against cars of similar performance.

Most cars were registered on the Saturday and the track was coming into its own due to rubber being laid down on the launch pad as a result of tire warming “Burn Outs” that in combination with a sticky adhesive called “Trackbite” that is sprayed onto the starting or launch pad for the first 75 feet. The accumulation of rubber and “Trackbite” is what allows the more powerful cars get the grip they need to launch off the start, the first 60′ being the most important. Low 60′ times are key to low quarter mile times.

The crowd that showed up on the Saturday was entertained with a number of fast runs from the visiting Grenada and Trinidad teams and particularly impressive was a rider from Trinidad with the nickname of “Horsie” that was riding a 2009 Suzuki Hyabusa that was modified with an extended swing arm and was breathing Nitrous Oxide or Nos for an extra boost of power. “Horsies” best time for the day was an 8.9 second pass that smashed his previous record which was in the low 9’s. With the track proving to be both safe and fast, things were looking good for the real racing to take place the following afternoon.

Sunday dawned bright with a few rain clouds that kept the sun in check and but also drenched the track just before the event got underway which delayed the start until the track could dry out again. Fortunately the rain stayed away for the rest of the afternoon and once a few stragglers had registered and been “Bracketed”, the racing got underway.

When I say racing, being the maiden event, meant that things did not quite go to plan. The racing started a bit late and without lights to illuminate the track the racing would have to stop by 5:30 pm regardless of how things were going and this is exactly what happened. Several of the “Brackets” did not get a chance to finish all of the races necessary to declare a winner and there was some confusion caused when the wrong cars came to the line to race and had to be sent back. However considering the steep learning curve for both the promoter and most of the participants, everything went quite well and was taken in stride. No-one really cared who was declared the winner of the various brackets as most were out to either test their cars against the lights or the car that was in the opposite lane. Plus the crowd that had arrived in their thousands only cared about the display before them as car after car zoomed down the track, some more impressive than the last! The timing system was working well and this was connected to a pair of large red LED display boards about half way down the track that allowed the crowd to see the times and trap speeds for both cars. There was also a large TV monitor that allowed everyone to see the action and to see instant replay’s, of the better runs.

Although not specifically invited, a large Antiguan contingent showed up to work on and tune a couple of local cars. Two of them were also professional drivers that expertly handled several of the cars and a number of the motorcycles present. The sister islands of Antigua, Grenada and Trinidad have certainly produced a fine and dedicated number of professional racers that hopefully St. Lucia will be able to emulate as racing becomes more popular here. The camaraderie between racers is something that has to be seen to be appreciated! Cars were being worked on by all and sundry and if someone was short tools, the right tool would be immediately offered for use by competing drivers and crew.

The racing produced some very impressive times but none as incredible as “Horsies” last run of the day that netted an amazing 8.89 second quarter!!! The crowd went wild and “Horsie” rode up and down the fence high fiving the crowd!

All in all the racing was top notch and the promotion of the event was very good considering the short time available to put it on and the lack of hands on experience. Absolute Promotions should be very happy with their performance and are to be congratulated by everyone to have put St. Lucia on the map when it comes to hosting this type of event.

Apparently Neil Beepat is committed to hosting another event for St. Lucia’s independence which will be around the 22nd of February 2010. Several government ministers were on hand to witness the event as specially invited guests and they have given their assurance that their government was very impressed with the turnout and the implications racing could have for “Sports Tourism” and that they will be putting their ministries behind future events. Hopefully this is not just political pandering but the real deal as the benefits of these types of events towards the economy of the island is real and not imagined.

As a vote of confidence, the Grenada and Trinidad teams are committed to keeping their vehicles here in St. Lucia until February as they can’t wait to take part in another race hosted here. Already the accolades have been pouring in and promises to compete are coming from competitors from the other islands. The Independence day Drags promises to be everything this event was, just “Bigger”, “Better” and certainly “Faster”!

I can hardly wait!!!

Professional Drag Racing comes to St. Lucia!

Absolute Promotions is pleased to announce “Drag Wars” to be held at the old Bean Field airstrip Vieux Fort, better known as “The Base” on the 5th and 6th December 2009.

This is the first time that Drag Racing has been endorsed by the Government of St. Lucia along with a promoter which will ensure that this event is properly managed for the benefit of both the general public and the participants.

Race cars from both Trinidad and Grenada are expected to take part in the event along with a number of local racers. Leading the local contingent will be Neil Beepats “Full Drag” Supra which should give the visitors a run for their money.

Also in attendance will be an 8 second Drag Rail car from Trinidad, this will be a unique opportunity to see a vehicle of this caliber running in St. Lucia.

In order to make for the fairest type of racing and also to encourage enthusiasts with slower cars, there will be bracket racing starting from 16 seconds down to 9.

Bracket racing is a form of drag racing that allows for a handicap between predicted elapsed time of the two cars over a standard distance, usually ¼ mile (402.336 m).

Trophies will be awarded and prizes to be won are as follows:

Grand Prize: Weekend for 2 at Coconut Bay
1st Prize:Dinner for 2 at Kimatrai
2nd Prize: $200.00 Gif Voucher from Saint Lu Metal & Plastic.
3rd Prize: $100.00 Gift Voucher from Hobie

All proceeds are to go to rebuilding the St. Judes Hospital.

Please visit the following link to the Lucianriders forum to discuss this event and to download an entry form: Lucianriders

The St. Lucia Motocross club (SLMX) held their final motocross race of the 2009 season at the Cul de Sac track on July 19th. Unfortunately St. Lucia was inundated with rain for several days prior to and during the event which led to a very wet and muddy track.
Several of the races had to be shortened and the mini bikes did not race as all but one of the riders elected to sit out the day due to the very difficult track conditions.

The ‘A’ and ‘B’ class put on a very good show with an almost full contingent of local and Martinique riders making up each class. One must applaud the French riders for their commitment due to the high cost of traveling to and from Martinique to compete in St. Lucia; their attendance has given credence and an international flavor to the series.

Making a comeback to racing was Kevin Elcock as he showed that he can still be on top by capturing the number 1 spot from the raining 2008 Carnival Champ, Daren Rosemond. In class-B, last year’s Carnival Champ Carlan Mitchell did not regain his title due to an injury he sustained while racing which then made it a very interesting race between Keran Rosemond, Kalvin Kahain and Olson François. In the end Keran Rosemond came out on top as the B-class Carnival Champion for 2009.

The SLMX club has worked hard to promote motocross racing in St. Lucia and has managed to pull off an exciting finish to the series in spite of the tough conditions. Sponsorship for the event has been slowly gaining momentum and the SLMX has proven to be the only true motorsport promoter that is able to consistently put on a regional class event year to year.

The level of racing has reached new highs with a number of experienced riders that are able to tackle the challenging track that graces the Cul de Sac arena. Their high flying antics over the triple jump, numerous doubles and table top jumps is testament to both their skill and bravery. St. Lucia should be proud that these riders have been able to progress to the point where they can represent St. Lucia both here and abroad by running at the front of the pack.

More pictures and videos can be found here: Lucianriders