Jamaica's Tommi Gore (centre) tops the podium during an outing in England recently.
contributed
Having had a fairly successful taste of Formula Four (F4) action recently, Tommi Gore has developed an insatiable hunger for more, as he hopes to chart a fruitful career on the circuit.
Gore’s passion and, by extension, unflinching desire to make it big in motorsport is of no surprise given the fact that he comes from a proud racing family that has made its mark in local and regional racing. His father Douglas ‘Hollywood’ Gore is a multiple rally and Dover champion, while his grandfather, Neil, raced at Vernamfield.
And already the young Gore has a solid platform on which he can build, having competed in the final round of the Radical Cup in the United Kingdom, and the final round of the FIA Formula 4 CEZ Championship, over the past month.
At the Radical Cup event held at the Donington Park Circuit, Gore driving for the Rob Weldon-owned Raw Motorsports team, had a series of mixed results in qualifying, but capitalised on wet conditions to not only win in the final race, but also the Sunoco Driver of the Weekend award.
“This was my first event outside of the Caribbean, and with only one other event in a similar Radical SR3, I know it was going to be difficult to adapt to this new track. But I saw the rain as an opportunity on the final day because I have always been confident in the rain even though I had never driven a Radical in the rain prior.
“So, it was an amazing experience and also great to place my stamp on the international scene and show the world that Jamaicans can be competitive in any genre of any sport that we are passionate about,” Gore told SportsMax.TV.
That performance was followed by the Formula 4 opportunity and while the call for Gore to journey to Hungary came at the last minute, the budding driver knew it was a no-brainer.
“Needless to say, I immediately booked the flight, called sponsors and emailed my professors to advise them that I would miss class,” Gore shared.
For Gore, it was the big break he had longed for, and as fate would have it, he performed beyond expectations.
The 18-year-old placed third in the second race of the weekend, as he staved off the challenge of champion Ethan Ischer and claimed the final podium spot. He also topped the Rookie class in each of his qualifying races and was later named top rookie for the weekend.
“Prior to that weekend I had never even sat in a Formula car let alone drive one, so the Jenzer Motorsport Team’s expectations were very low going in. But by qualifying, I was in the top four and was able to fight for a podium. I finished fourth overall in races one and three to finish out a very solid performance,” Gore shared.
“This was a jaw dropping opportunity, the professionalism of the team and preciseness needed to be on pace with the front runners was beyond imaginable; to only be two tenths of a second off the fastest lap by the final race was applauded by the team, especially knowing that I went up against drivers with two years in these same cars,” he added.
Though the end results were on point for the most part, Gore was not shy to admit that both outings in England and Hungary were mentally and physically draining.
In fact, he recalled that the last minute advise from his father, coupled with his stubborn determination to rise above challenges, as the fuel that drives his ambitions.
“Honestly, they (the races) were not easy; it was very physically and mentally challenging to be on my best performance to seize the opportunities presented. Fortunately, my dad has always been a large figure in my career, from watching his legendary battles with David Summerbell Jnr at Dover Raceway, to him giving me those last-minute tips while on the grid before a race,” Gore reasoned.
He also credits the likes of Peter Rae, Craig Lue, Collin Daley Jnr and Chris Issa for their role in moulding his career into what it is at present.
With his immense potential now clear for all to see, the jovial driver remains optimistic that he will reap the fruits of his labour in the near future.
“My personal goal is to become a paid driver for a racing team, whether that be in prototype cars such as the Radical or Formula cars such as the F4. So, I’ll keep putting in the work, showing what I can do and then let the rest sort itself out,” Gore ended.
Sherdon Cowan is a five-time award-winning journalist with 10 years' experience covering sports.
Teenager Reid Jr gets first senior team call-up as Reggae Boyz to kick off WCQ without Blake et al
Adrian Reid Jr’s consistent showing throughout the recently-concluded Jamaica Premier League (JPL) has been rewarded with a senior team call-up, as Reggae Boyz Head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson named a 26-man squad for the upcoming Concacaf World Cup qualifying fixture against Dominican Republic at the National Stadium on June 6.
Reid Jr’s inclusion comes as Hallgrimsson will be without a number of his first choice players –Demarai Gray, Amari’i Bell, Joel Latibeaudiere, Ethan Pinnock, Andre Blake and Dujuan Richards –due to injury, while Leon Bailey remains unavailable.
The 17-year-old Reid Jr, who assisted Cavalier to the JPL title, has represented Jamaica at the youth level, and is now on the cusp of following his father and former Reggae Boy Adrian Reid as senior team representatives.
Whether or not the central defender will be giving his debut, is left to be seen, as along with those injured, Hallgrimsson will also be without right-back Dexter Lembikisa and midfielder Kasey Palmer, who will both serve card suspensions for the opening World Cup qualifying contest.
After next Thursday’s game, the Reggae Boyz will then be on the road three days later for their second Group E fixture against Dominica.
The group also comprises British Virgin Islands and Guatemala.
Reggae Boyz Squad - Shaquan Davis, Jayden Hibbert, Coniah Boyce-Clarke, Jahmali Waite, Dexter Lembikisa, Di'Shon Bernard, Greg Leigh, Damion Lowe, Michael Hector, Richard King, Tayvon Gray, Jon Bell, Kasey Palmer, Karoy Anderson, Bobby Reid, Daniel Johnson, Alex Marshall, Adrian Reid Jr, Kevon Lambert, Shamar Nicholson, Renaldo Cephas, Michail Antonio, Deshane Beckford, Kaheim Dixon, Cory Burke, Devonte Campbell
Maguire: 'magical moments' win tournaments
Harry Maguire says that tournaments are built on "magic moments" as England begin their preparations for Euro 2024.
Under Gareth Southgate, England's tournament record has vastly improved, with the Three Lions playing their first major tournament final at Euro 2020 since they won the 1966 World Cup.
They also reached the semi-final of the 2018 World Cup and the quarter-final in the 2022 edition but lost out to eventual finalists Croatia and France on those occasions.
Maguire has been a pivotal figure for England in their last three tournaments and admits that it is fine margins that can ultimately decide the result.
"I think all three of the games we've lost in those tournaments could have gone either way," Maguire told Sky Sports.
"Playing a tournament is totally different to playing league football - it's built on moments, and you've got to make sure you're there within the game to let the moments take over.
"That's where your big players come to play and produce those magic moments.
"You just need to make sure you're there to make it and perform on the day to give yourself an opportunity to go and win."
England are now aiming to go one better than they did at Euro 2020 when they lost on penalties to Italy in the final at Wembley Stadium.
Asked what it would mean to get his hands on the trophy, Maguire added: "It would mean absolutely everything...
"We haven't lifted a trophy in a long, long time - but we've been close.
"It's a good time to be an England player. We feel we're in a good moment and it's a tournament I'm looking forward to - we're going there to win."
England begin their Euro 2024 campaign against Serbia on June 16, and will also come up against Denmark and Slovenia in Group C.
'Good feeling around England squad' ahead of T20 World Cup, says Buttler
Jos Buttler says there is a "good feeling" around the England squad, following their pre-T20 World Cup series win over Pakistan.
The reigning champions, who begin their title defence against Scotland in Barbados on Tuesday, completed their preparations with a seven-wicket victory at The Oval wrapping up a 2-0 series win.
It was a disrupted series with washouts preventing the T20Is in Leeds and Cardiff, but England finished it on a high, successfully chasing down Pakistan's total of 157 with 27 balls remaining.
Although the tourists were looking good at 59-0 within the first six overs, the pendulum swung in the hosts' favour as Adil Rashid and Jofra Archer quickly bowled Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam.
Buttler (39) and Phil Salt (45) then led the way in England's successful chase on the day of the former's record-breaking 116th T20I for his country, surpassing Eoin Morgan.
And despite playing two fewer games than scheduled in the series, the skipper feels the squad are in good shape ahead of their World Cup defence.
"We have worked hard in training and there is a good feeling around the squad," he said. "Guys are all stepping up and performing.
"It would have been nice to get two more games in to expose a few guys to different situations, but we have really good experience in the group and a lot of guys have been playing in the IPL, so we are not short of cricket."
Of his own performance, he added: "I have a quest to keep improving, trying to work on a few different things in my game that I haven't been doing. That is giving me fresh energy and motivation.
"It went well for five or six overs but then I got out. The middle order needs to step up," Pakistan skipper Babar Azam said, with his nation beginning their World Cup campaign against the United States on Thursday.
"We need to sort out those things for the World Cup. We have a few injuries, but there are a lot of positives. Our play is good in patches."
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