Bajan Lad Impresses In Canada's Karting Championship

Even though Orry Hunte is the Barbados Karting Association's (BKA) 2004 Frutee Championship leader in the Yamaha 310-Lb Class, and a previous winner of back-to-back championship titles in 2002 and 2003 in the Yamaha 250-Lb Sportsman Restricted Class, no one expected much from him as he left Barbados in mid August to compete in Event Number 5 of the FIA-sanctioned Ron Fellows Karting Championship in Markam, Canada.

Backed by sponsors BWIA, Lucky Horseshoe, Courtesy Garage and Ice Down Splash of Canada, and the undeterred confidence of his father and crew chief Don Hunte, the ADO Trading Racing Team departed Barbados on August 14 for two weekends of racing in four separate classes, against Canada's best karters from each class.

Their first outing was the weekend of August 22, which featured the Mosport racing event. With less than 15 minutes of scheduled practice-time, Orry faced the daunting task of racing an unfamiliar kart-with a Rotax engine he had not tested-against Canada's best young karters.

Amazingly though, Orry clocked a blistering 41.995 seconds qualification time-mere split-seconds off the pace of the Rotax Championship leader Bryan Forbes, whose best lap was recorded at 41.082 seconds.

Orry then went on to stun the field by crossing the finish line in fourth position, to bring home to Barbados a well-earned trophy. Pre-race favourite Bryan Forbes did not finish the race.

Heavy fog and rain caught Bajan crew off-guard when they turned up for the second weekend of racing on August 29th and 30th. Already facing a difficult situation, the team did not pack rain tires for the journey to Canada, meaning Orry was forced to qualify for the Honda 4-stroke class on slicks, instead of grooved tires, which were essential for the prevailing conditions.

Despite this setback, Orry was just 1.2 seconds off the pace of the pole qualifier. In acknowledging his efforts, a Good Samaritan rewarded Orry by loaning the Bajan crew a set of used rain tyres. Orry capitalised on this deed by progressively shaving seconds off each successive lap time, to take the chequered flag in 12th position overall, a mere 0.567 seconds per-lap, behind the winner's best time of 53.744 seconds.

Because he was understandably unfamiliar with qualification techniques employed at the highest level of racing in the Honda class, Orry was unable to qualify on the pace, and therefore started the final race at the back of the grid of 25 seasoned karters.

However, determined to show that his surprising results were no fluke, Orry turned in a stellar performance by passing 11 karters including two contenders that spun off the track, to finish 12th overall.

In commenting on Orry's performance, crew chief Don Hunte ponders the outcome had Orry benefited from even fifteen more minutes of practice prior to qualification rounds. He also noted that everyone was very friendly and hospitable towards the local crew which helped with their adjustment. He went on to thank the trip sponsors for their support which allowed the small team to showcase local talent at the highest level, and he vowed to return next year.

Orry continues his quest for the coveted BKA 2004 Champion Driver honours this Sunday September 19th, when the club resumes their local racing schedule after a long summer break with Round 7, slated for the Bushy Park Racetrack at 9:00 a.m.