Sheena Gayle, Gleaner Writer
Western Bureau:

Energy drink company Red Bull will join forces with one of the Caribbean's top drivers, Team MoBay's Doug Gore, for the upcoming races of the season.

"I have been working on this for the last two years and I am happy that Red Bull has made a move to endorse a driver in Jamaica," Gore told The Gleaner during the official sponsorship ceremony at Caribbean Producers in Montego Bay on Friday.

Increased popularity

He added that this is the first time that the energy drink company has endorsed a driver in Jamaica and he welcomed the move as motor sport has increased in popularity across the island in recent years.

The sponsorship will see Doug Gore receiving tyres valued at US$380 each for his four upcoming races of the season. According to Gore, "This is very significant as I use six tyres for each race and I will be involved in four races, therefore, the total cost for tyres for all those races would be US$9,120 (or approximately $805,296) just for tyres. Thus, this sponsorship will offset a lot of the cost to race as the tyres are not cheap."

Win-win situation

However, this race-car driver hopes that the Red Bull sponsorship will evolve into a long-term agreement which, according to an optimistic Gore, "can turn to be a win-win situation for both parties as I am intent on showing Red Bull what I can do for them through this sponsorship". He currently drives a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution V for the dirt tracks and a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X for solid surfaces.

Gore, who has won the Caribbean Champion Driver's title in 2007, is set to battle his competitors in the upcoming race at Dover in St Ann on Labour Day (May 25), a race in Ironshore, St James, following Dover and one in Barbados in July.