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.
England's cautious approach to managing Jofra Archer during Australia ODI Series
England will continue to take a cautious approach to managing Jofra Archer's workload during the upcoming five-match One Day International (ODI) series against Australia. The Barbados-born fast bowler, who has been steadily reintroduced to international cricket following a series of injuries, will be closely monitored throughout the series, according to a report from ESPN Cricinfo.
Archer's return to the international stage has been managed with great care this year. After making his comeback with two T20 Internationals against Pakistan in May, he featured in all eight of England's matches during June's T20 World Cup, where he emerged as their joint-highest wicket-taker. However, since then, his playing time has been carefully limited. He did not play at all for Sussex in the latter half of the T20 Blast's group stages and was given intermittent rest periods during The Hundred, much to the frustration of Southern Brave captain James Vince.
Since The Hundred, Archer has only played two matches: a T20 Blast quarter-final for Sussex and one T20I for England against Australia, where he showcased his skill at the death by clean-bowling Sean Abbott and Xavier Bartlett in consecutive deliveries. He was rested for the second T20I in Cardiff, and the series decider was washed out by rain in Manchester. Despite these limited appearances, Archer has consistently proven why England has invested heavily in his recovery and return.
Archer is now part of England's 15-man squad for the ODI series against Australia, starting in Nottingham. However, given that he has not played a 50-over game in the last 18 months, he may be rested for one or two matches in the series. England is taking a gradual approach to increasing his workload, especially considering his long-term ambitions to return to red-ball cricket. Archer has not played a first-class match since May 2021 due to his persistent back and elbow issues.
"Jofra will have to be managed throughout the series," England captain Jos Buttler told Sky Sports on Sunday. "He's played a really good stint now of T20 cricket, but obviously you can only bowl four overs in there. There's a jump in intensity getting loads up to taking full part in an ODI - and of course, as an England fan, to push those loads up hopefully to get back into the Test arena as well."
England's interim coach, Marcus Trescothick, echoed Buttler's sentiments, emphasizing that Archer is aware of and comfortable with the long-term plan to manage his workload. "He knows the plan," Trescothick said. "It's discussed long in advance of picking the team on each day. We know what we're doing with him, and where we're going. He's comfortable: he knows what he's doing."
Trescothick further explained that managing Archer's workload is part of a broader strategy, involving coordination between the coaching staff, team directors, and medical personnel. "That's a bigger structure, in terms of what we're trying to do with Jofra. You come into the series knowing what we've got and what we can do with him. That's an agreed plan between the coaches, directors, physios, and all the different people. We'll still be managing him [in the ODIs] - exactly the same thing."
England's cautious approach to Archer's reintegration into international cricket reflects the value they place on his long-term fitness. With Archer having already shown glimpses of his match-winning capabilities, his careful management during the ODI series against Australia aims to ensure he remains a key asset for England in all formats of the game for years to come.
Ricciardo ready to experience the world of motorsport amid F1 exit rumours
Daniel Ricciardo revealed his desire to experience the world of motorsport as his 13-year Formula One career hangs in the balance ahead of the 2025 season.
Ricciardo, who has raced for five different teams in F1, is yet to find out whether he will race for RB next year.
The Australian and team-mate Yuki Tsunoda were considered the favourites to replace Sergio Perez at Red Bull until the Mexican signed a new two-year deal.
Red Bull is a team Ricciardo knows well, of course.
Ricciardo has won eight F1 races during his career, seven of which came with the Austrian-based team before his move to Renault in 2019.
Across his 257 race entries, the 35-year-old has also claimed 1,329 points and 32 podiums, but Ricciardo has been unable to get close to the top three in recent times.
The Australian has not stood on the podium since his last victory at the Italian Grand Prix in 2021, picking up just 55 points over the last three seasons for an RB team who have struggled to emerge from the midfield places in a competitive grid.
Ricciardo finds himself 14th in the drivers' championship this term, with his best finish coming at the Canadian Grand Prix in June, where he finished eighth.
With time potentially running out on his F1 career heading into the final seven races of the 2024 season, Ricciardo kept his options open as to what may come next.
“I mean there's things I would like to try and experience," Ricciardo said in an interview with Tourism Western Australia ahead of the release of his new film 'Drive the Dream 2.0'.
"I don't know, let's say on a competitive level, I grew up a fan of NASCAR. I'd like to drive a NASCAR. I'd love to drive around Daytona, for example.
"But would I like to compete? Yes and no, but I also know that, it's not what I grew up doing, and I'll probably get smoked so like, I don't know if I need that!
"I would love to experience it. I love motorbikes. I love MotoGP. I would love to try a MotoGP bike, but I would be very, very slow and probably horrendous. Just like, all in my own time.
"And actually Bathurst, if it's, obviously okay, it's the V8 that does the race there, but you know there's the 12 hour and stuff, so maybe that's one I could compete in.
"If a V8 team said 'hey, do you want to do a few laps around Bathurst, no pressure, just to experience it', then I'll definitely take that up."
Montego Bay United, Arnett Gardens, Mount Pleasant secure wins to open 2024-25 Wray & Nephew Jamaica Premier League
Montego Bay United FC, Arnett Gardens FC and Mount Pleasant Academy all secured wins on Sunday’s first day of the 2024-25 Wray and Nephew Jamaica Premier League (JPL) season.
Four-time champions Montego Bay United were the biggest winners of the opening week, securing a 4-1 victory over Vere Phoenix United FC at the Wembley Centre of Excellence, their first opening game win since they joined Jamaica’s top football league 13 years ago.
MBU took the lead in the seventh minute through newcomer Jordan Britto before Vere got on level terms four minutes later through Damion Thomas.
That score held through the rest of the first half but the second half was all Montego Bay United as Brian Brown, captain Owayne Gordon and Shaniel Thomas all scored within 15 minutes of each other to complete the 4-1 score line.
At the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex, a Warner Brown double in the ninth and 10th minutes and a 55th minute goal from Kimani Arbouine gave Arnett Gardens a 3-0 win over Dunbeholden FC.
Last season’s beaten finalists, Mount Pleasant Academy, opened their season with a 2-0 win over Portmore United at Ferdie Neita Park.
The goals for the Theodore Whitmore-led unit came from Sue-Lae McCalla in the 27th minute and Shaquille Bradford in first half stoppage time.
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