SixthSpeed Issue 24

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TRINBAGO’s RUFF & TUFF UNDERGROUND

MOTION.LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

JUL / Aug 2019 + Sep / Oct 2020 The prices are RECOMMENDED & do not reflect or include Shipping or Sales tax or Additional Charges: USD $3.50 | EC$10:00 | TT$20.00 | BDS $10.00. It’s only a rough guide people.

Tuning Technica

HOW TO READ A

DYNO SHEET een the News:

Enkei Dealer x War of Wheels 2019 x Team Medicine Man Update x No CMRC 2019 x Sheriff Lobo x Humy x 2019 Rally Trinidad x The Sixth Seal x Rotary Revival

interviewed

GERRARD WILSON

AH HEAR:

Bachannal STILL cyar dun!

Mor MOBILES of MANIACAL MAYHEM:

FRESH NEW

CONTENT SAME BAD ENGRISH WOMAN OF THE SIXTH

Sherece

sookram /sixthspeedmagazine

A Sordid AD Wagon Furry’s Modified Mini Mini Darion’s Ruthless Starlet Grand Touring Euro Accord

blatant escortATion

#sixthspeed

You could say what you want about C33 dis and 180sx dat; there is NOTHING on this earth that does to the side slide like an old school Escort built to exploit the road and desecrate the rally.

SixthSpeed24 | We bring the healing |

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TM

PROTECTION

FOR YOUR SECOND SKIN Meguiar’s Supreme Shine Protectant formulated with 3M Scotchgard Protector is a superior non-greasy formula that cleans, shines & protects against fading, cracking and aging of vinyl, rubber & plastic.

NOT JUST RECOMMENDED BY, APPROVED BY MAJOR AUTOMOBILE

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MANUFACTURERS

3

SixthSpeed24 | We bring the healing |

NUMBERS by

the SIXTH 90,000,000

the dollar amount of fixed penalty notices (traffic tickets) that were issued to motorists in 2018.

THE SUMP PAN

“When we are no longer able to change a situation - we are challenged to change ourselves.” - Viktor E. Frankl

Alright, alright calm down. I know what allyuh going to start with so let

203,100

the drop hammer price in POUNDS the ex-Alan Mann Racing 1968 Ford Escort Registration no. XOO347F sold for after being restored.

24,000

actual cost for an ORIGINAL set of

me take front before front take me. Yes - the magazine late - AGAIN.

BRAND new TE37 Super Laps from

No - it ent close down. No - we ent dead. Maybe - it is because in order

Japan, 18x10.5 5x114 +22, Pressed

to properly deliver the level of grotesque bitterness you have grown

Graphite from the TT dealer.

accustomed to, the team had to walk away, regroup and return with the

100

unrelentingness that you expect from us ALL THE TIME.

the average amount of money most Whenever the magazine pulls an amazing Mumford it means changes are

people unwillingly spend at the

being done to spice things up - some you’ll notice, some you will not, but

cashier when buying gas.

ALL you will appreciate. One that we sure you didn’t ketch was this issue

20

marks the end of another Trilogy. The cover cars for Issue 22 - Darren’s Datsun 510, 23 - Kiran’s Nissan B11 and now Wayne’s Ford Escort - 24 are

gallons of Super unleaded is what

all iconic cars that represented an era of old school and the pulse of what

you are going to get with said $100.

it meant to be an enthusiast back in the day. So, if you have the past 2

0

issues congratulations - if not there is nothing more I can say other hard luck unno, yuh had time. Secondly; this issue is about change and growth.

the amount of real progress

See, the foundation of SixthSpeed has always been built on having fun,

and sustainable development

taking risks and doing things simple & different. Out in the streets is where

motorsport has seen in the

we started and it’s there we had to return to find the voice that was lost.

last 4 years of a “new” TTASA management.

Honestly, I am hyped. This is really revised SixthSpeed cover to cover and you had better appreciate the level husk and elbow grease that went in here since doing this publication takes a CONSIDERABLE amount of effort, hard work and sacrifice from a small team. And while you grinning over the pages of prim improper-ness remember as is written, the Sixth is NEVER on schedule but it is ALWAYS on time.

PURE FAILMENTS COLFIRE INSURANCE

Colfire has gone off the deep-end with the amount of benefits they Linzi.

offer to women ONLY - one such being Handbag Replacement; what

SIXTHSPEED PRIME PARTNERS We got sponsors kids. Yay! Gotta love these folks who contribute so as to keep us blowing up the spot.

Kevin De Leon Construction Co Ltd.

the hell is that? It’s insane, one sided, advantageous and ridiculous for policy holders; especially men who always come up with the short end and automatically branded as

# 121 Southern Main Rd, Curepe, Trinidad | (868) 662-4622 | deleonconstruct@gmail.com

unsafe, to cover a bill arising from

Bin Stuntin Promotions & GTees (Apparel)

estrogen carelessness. In our books

GTees - Branded Apparel/ T-Shirts/ Trincity Mall & Mobile Unit (POS) | (868) 724-6696

if you to leave your house & land in

FGCL - Frank’s General Contracting Limited

plain sight on the front seat to bun

Abida Gardens, Bagna Trace| (868) 776-4957

Innovative Security Technologies Limited 126, Cipero Road, Victoria Village, San Fernando, Trinidad. | (868) 657-5826, 653 1412 www.innovativesecuritytech.com

tief eye you deserve to have it do a Casper. We are sure had it been a man and his wallet that get sting in the same way the response wudda be TUFF LUCK.

GREASE PARTNERS It’s the people who supply your SixthSpeed Fix! UP in the NORTH Car Boutique (POS) Teknet Performance (POS) Miniciti (Valpark) Quickbits (Curepe)

622-8193 625-8638 678-7430 645-7297

DOWN in SOUTH Sheriff’s Auto Supplies (San/Do) Mileage Mack Ltd. (San/Do) QWKWHP Co. Ltd. (Debe) Princestown Auto Supplies RONS Marketing (San/Do) Torry Hosein (Gulf City Mall) Parts Solution (Princestown) Pink Noise Audio (St. Madeline) Maztune (Cocoyea) Blue Coral Racing (Princestown) Marty’s Barbershop (Mon Repos) Auto Fusion (Princestown) SMAC Limited (Barrackpore) ED’s Auto Supplies (San/Do) Unipet Gas Station (Gasparillo) Penal Alignment Center

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ACROSS in the EAST Street Customz (Arima) Kingston12 Garage (Pasea)

683-6065 784-6710

RIGHT there in CENTRAL Tuner Imports (Charlieville) XR Performance (Cunupia) Custom Sound & Security (Couva) Chris Performance (Munroe Rd.) Peak Performance (Munroe Rd.) MAS Tuning Dyno (Esperanza) Realtime Imports 2D Max Auto

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ACROSS in ‘BAGO Keep It Real Auto

741-8707

ADVERTISERS INDEX

It’s the GREAT folks who support us in supporting you

Aditi Sportline (Performance Parts & Lubricants) Auto Fusion (Specialized Welding) AutoNation (Honda Parts & Service) Blue Coral Racing (Performance Shop) Boodram & Sons Ltd. (Foreign Used Parts) Chris High Performance Parts & Wrecking Cleantec (Foreign Used Vehicles) D&D Tyres & Auto Parts Ltd. Daily Driven Taxi Service Doodnath Auto Electrical & Wrecking Drift Central (Dyno, ECU Tuning & Mechanicals) DynoLab (Dyno) EDs Auto Supplies (Auto Supplies) Forensys (Accident Reporting) Imraj Brothers Muffler (Muffler Works) Kingston12 Performance (Mechanic Garage) Nankang (Tire) Peak Performance (Performance Shop) Pink Noise (Car Audio & Auto Security) Quality Car Care (Auto Detail. & Suspension Works) QwkWhip (Wholesale & Retail Auto Products) R Tune (ECU & Engine Management Tuning) Reverse Concepts (Design & General Printing) SAS Racing (Performance Shop) Sheriff’s Auto Supplies (Car Parts) Shift Performance (ECU Tuning & Performance Parts) SMAC Limited (Car Parts) South Auto Service Station (Vehicle Inspection) Street Concepts (Performance Shop) Tuner Imports (Performance Shop) Valvoline (Automotive Lubricants) XR Performance (Performance Shop)

mysixthspeed@gmail.com #9 Ramnarine Ave., St. Margaret’s Vge. C/Bay, Trinbago W.I

The Editorials: We endorse individual expression and free speech but we can’t publish everything; so we reserve the right to use submitted material and editorials as we see fit.

All credit will be given where applicable. Also the views expressed are those of the writers and NOT the magazine so don’t shoot the messenger.

The Disclaimer: At Sixth Speed we try our best to guarantee that the information in these pages are correct but we will not be held responsible if you decide to try anything and ish goes wrong. Any damages to persons and property is not our fault; that burden of responsibility rests upon your shoulders pappy.

24 | SixthSpeed21 | www.sixthspeed.com SixthSpeed24 | We bring the healing |

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SixthSpeed24 | We bring the healing |

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across to the Jack and Jill Stage in Couva. Weather was CHOICE meaning men get braver, open up and by the 2nd stage 5 cars were out. Gobin Mahadeo x Chris Ackee experienced electrical issues that shattered the dreams of the winning 3rd overall.

Kyle Gregg x Marcia Dawes (Evo 7) from Jamrock took 1st in Grp N and were singing we are the champions as they took 1st overall. Spirit of the Rally award went to Lee Vaz x Andrew Grahame despite all the issues they experienced. Father and son

THE CARSHAFT Living the car life is one thing but talking about the car life is what the Sixth does best.

CARNAL-LUST MADE

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duo, Ryan x Scott Pinhero took Group A and Team Historics i.e.

Harold Morely x Shiva Maharaj was the fastest 2WD for the day.

Link up: Facebook: TTRCfans

Medicine Man

2001 Toyota Corolla AE112 Sportivo In all honesty this was one of the ugliest Corollas made but that does make much of a difference as only 100 were made thus making this car harder to find than a Wallerfield Cobeaux yamming on black market spongecake. Based on the Levin to a point, the car was put together by Toyota Australia’s aftermarket department T-CAM (Toyota Conversions, Accessories and Motorsport).

Yanging things to tun over the road was a 5 speed manual mated to a boosted version of the naturally aspirated, 1800cc, twin cam, aluminum head, cast iron 7A-FE block with 9.5:1 compression. Under duress the 7A-FTE was able to properly

• (2018) The Medicing Man Racing Team did it again. What you

pulchan 154hp @ 5600rpm x 175 lb.ft @ 3600rpm and at just 8psi blowing out the

ask? Why, break their own Personal Best (PB) record of course.

IHI turbo, the car was pleasantly spritey but aboveall it was reliable. Factor in an air

With an unchanged setup; the 3.2L R32; driven hard by Larry

to air intercooler, new cast iron exhaust manifold, revised exhaust, re-mapped ECU,

Ramnath from Drag International broke it twice with a 7.19

better flowing injectors, colder spark plugs, oil cooler and the Sportivo was hella

run in November at the Haltech World Cup finals and again in

responsive with almost no turbo lag. Suspension saw stiffer springs going on to the

December at the Import vs. Domestic where Larry did a 6.95.

stock shocks and the addition of a 5 piece body-kit that does wonders to improve

Considering what this car is, that is a helluva a performance

the visuals of an otherwise ghastly car. Brakes were now front and rear with driving

that is sure to decimate.

lights, sports steering wheel adding to cosmetic appeal.

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SixthSpeed24 | We bring the healing |

SixthSPEED

SHUTTERrazzi

Photo: Sponge e

an Photo: Kevin Kh

Photo: Chad Ha mel-Smith

Photo: Gerrard Wilson

At the sixth we celebrate creativity and many seem to have the eye. So here we showcase a few of the COOLEST shots fresh from the Trinbago Underground that have us saying Wheyyyyyy sah!

mjit Photo: Pradeep Ra

Photo: Caleb Jo nes

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CROSSFLOW Cuz solving puzzles is a learning SIXTH-perience.

•

The ONLY magazine that lives by the code “If it not local, we don’t want it.”

•

Noted as the Indian Range Rover in South, it is the vehicle that have endless accessories.

•

_____ _P___

•

_____ __S__

______ ____X

•

Which racer has won more circuit championships that no-one can ever seem to remember?

•

What car has dethroned the Tiida to claim the title as OFFICIAL car of the people in Trinbago?

•

One of THE most EPIC traffic jams was in 2011 when 60,000 people went Chaguaramas for

Known as the original Medicine Man, Evan owned • a light, 13B powered 2 door Ford Escort called

____I__ ___

MUFFLER BEARING

STALK CONTROL

OPEN WHEEL GASKET

IDLE AIR MOTOR

WHAT ISSUE FEATURED THIS CAR?

In Need for Speed Underground it was the menu song that people used to play on repeat

___ L__

Before there was drag racing on the cross, the original location in San Fernando was in front of

____ C___ ____

MONKEY WRENCH always car-justing to the madness.

WHICH IS A LEGITIMATE AUTOMOTIVE PART NAME?

______ F______

_____A ____

•

It is the automotive body that is stiffling Trinbago motorsport with their incompetence?

_T___

________ ___D___

•

The first, fastest, full body V8 powered drag car to run in the 7’s was ?

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06

18

01

04

Hideous

Sportage is supposed to accomplish other than making the already frog like resembling vehicle look weirder

Forsaken

that it already is. Nowhere close to

Bizarre

stylish, X does not mark the spot and it sure as sugar does not give any sort of

+ The new Hilux look horrible. With

+ The upsurge in never see come see

mutant superpowers to the Sportage,

the front resembling a dragon fly

people wanting to own the original

+ Fitted as a 3rd party aftermarket

unless of course you want to check

drunk on sour rice wine, why would

braps is realer than freshly boiled tipi

addition that KIA Trinidad endorses,

money vanishing like nightcrawler

anyone in their conscious mind buy

tambo than however it is a downright

we are not sure why people install this.

after the cost of the thing is added

this on a 7 year loan and proudly drive

shame that the RX8 is considered the

What the X-Man Grille for 2015 Kia

to your loan.

it thinking they reach.

the white color pencil in a Crayola set.

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SHORTShift

Wagon Runner

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Owner: Brandon Rampersad Car: 2002 Nissan y11 Ad Wagon Engine: QG15DE(T) Power: 150hp x 153tq*lb @ 8psi Boost | Build Time: 6 months.

MODS: Extractor type turbo manifold made with stainless steel, stock internals, T25 Garrett Ball Bearing turbo, FMIC, External Turbosmart 38mm wastegate, Type1 Turbosmart BOV, Dual Core Brass radiator, 310cc QR20 Injectors, Evo X fuel pump, FPR, ECU Master DET3 piggy back management, QG18 Gearbox, Exedy Clutch & Pressure Plate, Modified Suspension, Megan Racing top mount strut bar, Dunlop 205/40/R17 Overall Build: Brandon Rampersad 377-1802 Build Assist: Pooh’s Auto Breaking Traction 461-4968 Fabrication & Piping: M&S Muffler Service 656-3614 Performance Parts: Blue Coral Racing 717-4641 Tuning: R-tune Precision Tuning (Ryan 689-5226) Mechanical: Shah’s Auto Garage 792-7584/ 789-7434 Final detailing & Touch ups: SKR Automotive 655-2873 Paint & Suspension: Suspex Auto Andy 399-5813 (Paint) / Wesley 650-2694 (Susp.

Hydrodipping: Liquidel Hydrographics Dylan 747-8158 Tyres: Tyre Jungle- Narine 761-7609 Rims: Fitment Joe 795-9843 Upholstery: Wayne 710-3666

Special Thanks to: my parents for encouraging me to do welding at NESC, Ameer, Shaun, Conry & Shiva with the drift prickup

The Nissan AD

is used for two things; pulling bull (working taxi just in case you were wondering) and toting ting to the market.

Not to be confused with the Wingroad; more so the Wingroad Aero Sport Limited blessed with the SR20VE VVL; the normal, regular, boring as eff cousin to the B15 with the bench seat in the back meant for torture and anguish AD is NOT MEANT for fun times and black top devastation. So imagine our surprise when we stumbled across this project put together by Brandon Rampersad. The thing blew our collective minds with confusion and had us asking - Whyyyyyy?

Stirred into the car life as a yute, Brandon was always hanging around his uncle at SUSPEX and seeing Dirty Projects shining under sideways smoke all over the place only flamed the vehicle love intensity. As you can well imagine with Team Dirty glowing in one of the right of passage cars if you’re from south - an A31/ C33 under RB he wanted one as well. However; that wasn’t to be because after getting the plastic, his dad more or less told him to take over the AD which up to that point was the family go getter. Using it to go to NESC where he was studying piping & fitment, the bone stock Y11 with 109hp x 105lb*tq at the crank got it’s first rounds of small upgrades a few months in with 4-2-1 extractors he built himself as well as a 2.5in exhaust. Based on SixthSpeed science we are 100% sure that those mods did nothing really to beef up the bullwuk on an already dead engine; BUT, it did give him the opportunity to practice his welding, get his hand dirty and put the theoreticals he learnt in school into practice. Working on weekends with his uncle Andy, the next round of changes involved scrapping the car to flashover; sending the seats to upholster by Wayne, woodgrain dipping of trim pieces

by Liquidel Hydrographics and lastly the drop which was done by another uncle; Wesley, who also worked at SUSPEX. After attending a show or 2 and getting some all eyes on me Brandon felt hollow. It wasn’t enough he was able to shine, grind, pump and thump - he wanted moar. Thus the call for speed began whispering and was outright shouting after going to some shows and seeing level SR & RB in everything. Thinking hard, he wanted the pace; but, he also wanted to come different; he wanted to do something that people didn’t see often; something that would ketch people eye - but what? Then the thought dawned like dishwashing liquid - why not turbo the QG.

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SHORTShift

MiniMALLY MANIACAL

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Owner: Jonathan (Furry) Ferreira | Car: MINI Countryman S All4 R60 Engine: N18 1.6T | Power: 251BHP @ 5500rpm x 237 ft*lb Build Time: 2 years.

MODS: Custom (twine/shift performance) air intake,coolant overflow bottle relocation,catless downpipe, Stock twin-scroll turbo, orge motorsports front-mount intercooler,GFB diverter valve,AEM ver2 water/meth injection system, Custom Stage 2 Shift Performance ECU re-map, Godspeed racing springs,Godspeed rear-adjustable camber arms, New fuel rail, OEM fuel pumps(tank and direct injection on engine block,new fuel injectors BUILD CREDITS: Mechanical: Mark 1 Performance : 678-6689 EMS Tuning: Shift Performance : 734-TUNE (8863) Performance Parts: Street Concepts : 664-2518 Dyno: Fine Tuned Dyno : 681-9200

Special Thanks to: my fiancé for supporting my car addiction and having interventions with me every time I buy the “last part I need”, Jesu DeGannes (Barefoot Diagnostics), Collin from QuickServ

It’s no secret

that the majority of us at the “office” consider the new MINI ghey. Heavily frowned upon in our ramping circles, to us it is a car primarily bought by hairdressers and housewives and pretty much used to go gym, grocery and getting de chirren (sorry - the children). Cars like this are meaningless to us UNTIL we saw THIS car move wind on the people road on 2 separate occasions and was like - nah - WAIZ Dissssss!

One time calls were made to the SixthSpeed network of macos and t’was revealed that the MINI we witnessed bar-b-que the bitumen belonged to Jonathan Ferreira. Taking pattern after his Dad who was a pure car man himself, his first car after getting the permit and spending his savings was a 1st Gen. RX7 that belonged to Rawle Francis. From there is was a slew of Rotary including a 1st gen shell from Fresh Cut that was sent by Stephen Jagroop to get a rebuilt Series 5, Microtec, single turbo and chune by Raymond. Out the garage came nothing but lane shredding loosness in all the places where pure fun is supposed to be had - Reform, De’ Cross, Golcunda, Foreshore, Diego Martin and Pt. Lisas. Then there was the scrap heap he bought after selling the shredder that dealt him blow after blow; from the chassis being a mess to changing the world of thing, he get PROPER bullocks and burn level dookies fixing ting. Bitter with the experience, the heap was traded for a Subaru RA which he later sold as his dad surprised him with his dream car - a BMW M3 with the competition pack.

Hella entertaining; the Beema checked all the boxes, but soon came the realization that the M3 was wayyyyy to vulnerable to be a daily in a Trinbagonian world of doh business. Restricting it to weekends only, Furry was looking for something to be a beater. Crossing his mind was a manual, 2014 Elantra but in conversation with his aunt she happened to mentioned having a low mileage MINI still under warranty that she didn’t use much. No stranger to the MINI world as he pass thru one/ two in the past this one t’was different, not only was the price fantastic, it was a 2013 MINI Countryman S All4 R60. These came 4WD, 1.6 turbo churning out 181hp x 177lb*tq and along with the usual fluff it did everything in daily comfort and sporty-ish panache.

True to form it began to feel bleh and Johnathan began researching ways to up the antlers online. Since nobody ever modified one locally (read the first paragraph as to why); he dropped in a catless downpipe, race chip and Forge BOV to replace the stock diverter as that was prone to breaking. Jon was bad - until it dawned, whilst these mods gave some performance; nothing was optimized and in the case of the chip it wasn’t exactly safe. The better fete was to reflash the ECU; which, after contacting a company outta yard required him to take out his unit, FEDEX it abroad and then wait a couple of days before getting it back for re-installation. While exploring that option the company also recommended an intercooler upgrade and it was while saving to handle that scene, he stumbled across a local person that did the same thing.

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small, delightful & violent If you’re into bible stories you surely would have heard about the tale of David and Goliath - unno the situation where a small man that nobody considered lick dong the giant who everybody had money behind with a big stone. Outside of the fact that the story proves the effectiveness of a properly placed rock to face; it’s also proves that with perseverance small axes can indeed cut down big trees and you should never underestimate the underdog.

At one time this chiquito carro began life as your average, no flams, nothing special, bone stock Toyota Starlet EP82 GT. Owned by Darren Balwah the sole purpose of this car in the beginning was simple - get him to and from work. Then; there was the fateful night when his parents told him not to go anywhere and he decided to do the complete opposite and jump out; only to get a bad drive on the cross, ride the car up on the pavement and obliterate the broad side. Sour but persistent, you can’t keep a good car down so the EP was sent to the straightener who started the process of scrapping. However; during this downtime, the authorities of avocation beckoned and Darren affi fly out forthwith in order to assume work duties in Saudi Arabia. With employment taking priority it need not be said that the EP took a seat 30 rows back.

Seeing the scene, it was younger brother Darion who decided that enough was enough and this needed to finish. Happily taking over the reigns; it was during a small blag session at the garage about speed, the talk regarding transforming the GT into a Mighty Morphin Power Ranger came up - say no more. In record time; on the 4E-FTE; which is the most powerful of the E series engines ever produced, wandered Pauter connecting rods, a port and polish head by Precision Heads with 3 angle valve job, 5A-FE cams, Wiesco 9.0 : 1 compression pistons, oil relocator kit, SARD 650cc injectors & FPR, Weapon R intake manifold, Tomioka TD05 18g turbo, custom ram horn manifold from Wicked EP in Australia, intercooler, TRD helical LSD, ARP head bolts, Ultra Racing braces right thru, HKS SSQV, AEM Stealth 320lph fuel pump, Exedy stage 4 clutch kit and TEIN lowering springs w/ KYB shocks. Between Darion & Darren, saying they went to town on parts; especially for it being a first time build, was an understatement and with guidance from Techpoint Tuning (Marvin Guy) they were instructed to buy a Haltech (Elite 1500 to

SCARY AND UNCONTROLLABLE IS HOW DARION DESCRIBES THIS CAR ALTHOUGH WE DON’T KNOW WHY HE ACTS ALL SURPRISED WHAT DID HE EXPECT.

SixthSpeed24 | We bring the healing |

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be specific) one time to avoid any issues and use the K20 coil packs from

Next was an issue with the wastegate; initially, it was positioned facing

a Honda DC5 on the ignition. With management waiting, Joel Matthews

downwards and due to excess vibration, the thin gauge pipe used was

assembled things including deleting the distributor, adding a SPAL 14in fan

always cracking. Also, because it was passing close to the clutch slave

on pull and throwing in a Honda 3 core radiator to cool what was about

cylinder there was a lot of heat radiating on fluid that doesn’t need it.

to come. Exhaust was done by Farley utilizing 3in stainless steel to an HKS

Solution; reroute the duct thru the bonnet; which we don’t like too much

barrel and after the required break in period, 1st tune on race gas saw the

and use a thicker schedule.

Starlet generating a rather conventional 347hp @700rpm on 28psi with Marvin backing the power down to 250hp using NPs finest and just 18psi.

Given the horsepower of the car and Darion being labelled as an original leggo beast we were taken aback that he didn’t obliterate the gearbox - to

Both figures were nice enough to puree the pavements; one moreso than

us that was a miracle, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t any problems on

the other and for 2 years there was nothing but fulljoyment beating people

that front as well. At 350hp, the rapid rate at which the Starlet swung rpm,

coming and going for gyro. However, during that time a couple issues

if Darion didn’t ease off the throttle and silky slide into 2nd he would get

cropped up; first - the current suspension setup wasn’t doing a good job

blocked out totally. To solve this contentious matter they did two things;

of abating the weight transfer. Everyone knows that plenty power on a

one was to mix and match synchros - 3rd went to 2nd; 2nd went to 4th and

FWD car is a nightmare to harness, so the TEIN x KYB shock and spring mix

4th went to 3rd. Yes, we had the exact same look that you do right now -

was jettisoned for a set of BC Racing coilovers from Aditi Sportline and

does it make sense on paper - not really BUT hey. Two; it just so happened

alongside, ULTRA Racing adjustable panhard lateral bar, fender braces and

that Darion had an uncle who used to work on cars back in the day and his

front lower 4 point brace.

Dad was a man outta the old school wallerfield; between them they came

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INTERVIEWED:PHOTOGRAPHER

Gerrard WILSON

We will admit, you have been around the block, how this enthusiast and photography thing start for you cuz you don’t look like you ever race a day in your life? ROFL; I have never raced buy my dad used to drive Mini’s back in the 70’s & 80’s at Wallerfield. So when it came to the pull of motorsport that skipped me totally in my early teens. BUT; by late teens, early 20’s it kick in with a vengeance. Two thousand and Four is when I first picked up a camera (Dad’s Sony Cybershot) and started taking notice of events.

On one of my early outings up Wallerfield with him, I was standing in the pits trying to shoot and that’s when the, late Rawle Mahabir saw me and asked what I wanted to do. I said take pictures; he said don’t stand there you wouldn’t see anything and at that point guided me on where to go to get good shots. In a way you could say Rawle was the genesis; thereafter, I was able to meet Duane Boodasingh (Trinituner), Devi Nath (Devi Nath Photography) and Narend Sooknarine (Zorce Racing Magazine).

Papur; you connected to some big names in the circles. So why did you decide to follow up and stick with photography; everybody knows that men in their 20’s have no idea what they want and try everything? Well, after one time is another and like any hobby, once your passion for it grows and you realize you have a knack for it that is where you begin to spend most of your time. When I got married, my wedding present (Thank You Lizel) was a camera and that is really when things took off. A year later I attended my first Rally Barbados and was properly harasses by Devi Nath for shooting the rally while looking at a screen versus looking through a viewfinder.

That was my cue; so, like many I skimped, scraped and saved to buy my first DSLR; a Canon 30D. And before people give me grief; the reason I went with a Canon was because everybody at that time had Canon, so I could borrow a lens from anyone when I needed to.

What would you say is a common misconception people have about photography? That it is easy to do. Most people have NO IDEA how much work is actually involved, not so much in the taking of the pictures but in post production sorting, choosing and then editing.

Who were the influential people and what did you learn from them? Through the media guys; it was everything; how to frame, what to look for, colors, how to stand, how to hold a camera, equipment, what events to attend - and the more I learned, the more I understood that shooting an event and covering an event is two different things. Alot of people do not know that.

Care to explain those two things thing? You can shoot an event and simply take pictures; but to cover an event is all encompassing. You shoot everything with regards to what is going on; from the cars on the track to the sponsor flag blowing in the breeze; it could be anything and everything.

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grand

terrorizing

Trinbagonian

go fast car culture is uncanny. Few people genuinely care about comfort; practical performance and toting luggage or passengers. Like many of the few, Lester Nurse wasn’t about that extreme life; he instead was about cooking something to conquer the ills of daily boredom and Mamaguying Maracas with mauvais langue. Having an EG hatch back in the day to which he did a B16A swap followed by a manual conversion and other mods, a coworker kept buzzing to buy and as we all know when somebody want yuh ting more than you it is about that time.

Now on P2 (walking), Lester was faced with the haunting question - what to get? The thought of an EK3 did cross the mind but that was like Bata Bullets - everybody was beating one and he did not want to be like everybody. Sometime later he was in conversation with a brethren working Bicks and mentioned that then gyal/ now wife was looking for a Wingroad. It just so happened that a shipment of knockdown touched the yard and upon going to view the scene right next to the Nissans was a 1999 Euro Honda Accord that nobody wanted, even though the car came loaded with more features than a Civic - HID’s, speed sensitive steering, 5 link multi point suspension, 2 liter engine, TV and more.

Naturally this raised his cocolooks and although the thought of parts availability came to mind; the car was REAL NICE; so a deal was struck for both the Honda & Nissan and it was off to the labs. Keeping it stock with jes some rims, Lester had no intention adding spice; however, a chance encounter with an Audi A4 shook him and his wife turning after to say “ Your car real slow unno.” signaled the plane. Being a platform that nobody knew, Lester did the usual uselessness - cone filter and intake. Lost as to what should be the next move, he made a pass

by Ronald Boodoo and in holding a vibration he said “Ah need to put some pep in this car step.”, to which Ronald replied “Lewwe turbo it.” Now kids, this is 2005 and boost life wasn’t rampant like it is now, but it was an idea worth exploring. He got Joe Khan to bring in a Precision turbo, visited High Speed Imports (Yancy) for an intercooler and poco a poco put dong 330cc injectors, FPR, homemade Schedule 40 manifold by Arnold and a used Apex’i FIC from Ebay. Keeping it hush, the car went in for an “oil change” and 6 exasperating months later the car was out with AC intact, a 2 1⁄2 exhaust

by Imraj Brother’s Muffler and problems. Getting the FIC to work with the 330’s was onerous, so he bought a GReddy E-Manage from Ebay and tried his hand with zero success. Properly frustrated he poured tears on the back of his brethren Nicholas that he going to back stock as all the beans regarding the overfueling down low and under fuelling up high not worth it. Enter Karl Edwards who happened to stop by to vibez Nicholas and was admiring the build while listening to a man in agony. Subsequently, he inquired about the issues and after hearing the scene; asked if Lester wouldn’t mind giving him a chance to sort things out.

Lester was like why not and under direction another E-manage was acquired since he sold the first one outta vexation, as well as 550s and for 2 ½ hours it was nothing but sputtering up and down the strip outside Larry Gomes stadium. Half a tank of gas later, Lester was over the moon at something he had NEVER felt before - 7psi of proper boost. Next day Karl hooked up a HKS FCD and they headed up to Fine Tuned Dyno; where ,while in motion the transmission kept auto upshifting under WOT. Although irritating, Karl was able to endure and the Accord managed 197hp x 189lb*tq on 7psi using premium. The level of niceness had Lester giving fyahz when one day he sink it from Nestle and by the time he reached Valsayn there was a burning smell and smoke coming thru the vents. Instincts said to pull in

by Curepe junction gas station but common sense said that wouldn’t be a good idea, so he stopped further up by a bar; buss the bonnet. only to see the fiberglass shielding on the underside ablaze and the falling bits burning through the aftermarket oil pressure line.

For six months the car remained jacked until he got a replacement harness and it was Karl who; with patience, retraced and replaced the wires to get things werking again. However, another problem surfaced - the added heat brought on by the sting of boost scorched 95% of the transmission clutches. Refusing to go manual because traffic; Lester went out, bought another atx and within a month the car was back on jackstands. Not having it anymore Karl put his foot down - “a next tranny not going in here, go find a gearbox.” Sourcing one from a Honda Prelude the conversion went smooth and as Lester was reversing out the garage to level it, the car went into safe mode. Whyyyyyy? Well; according to the ECU there was an atx transmission before and now there isn’t. Lester bought a full harness from a Type R Honda Prelude including the ECU but that yielded even more headache because the Prelude’s is OBDIIA and the Accord was OBDIIB. Doing a retro-wire,

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LESTER HAD NO INTENTION ADDING SPICE; HOWEVER, A CHANCE ENCOUNTER WITH AN AUDI A4 SHOOK HIM AND HIS WIFE TURNING AFTER TO SAY “ YOUR CAR REAL SLOW UNNO.”

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WOMEN

OF THE

SIXTH

Sherece SOOKRAM

Oye; relax, this is not a police interrogation unno. No need to be so uptight. Give us the rundow, from whence did this thing begin for you? My dad (Doodnath Sookram) used to race up at Wallerfield years ago with a 120Y wagon, so from a young age we (my brother and I) used to go support him and in walking around the pits looking at the builds, everything used to interest me. I was always asking what is this pipe, what does that do, what is that big blue tank?

For a person who looks so quiet and innocent it’s hard to believe you were such a talkative and inquisitive chile? Lol; I wasn’t that talkative; but, honestly everything interested me. Hearing the cars bubble and seeing my Dad on the track was really a rush, never mind I was always scared

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when he was on the line - what if he crash or something else happen? So much things used to be on my mind when he went up but the adrenaline tho. In my mind, despite all the fear I always wanted to experience for myself that yellow, yellow, green and just GO! Outta curiosity what would be the car you would Go with? My Go car is the car that I currently have - an Evo 7, it is also the car i have dream’t about owning since I was young.

You have an Evo - interesting - where that come out because you look fresh outta primary school? When I turned 16 my Dad got his hands on a GTA so that became my christmas gift and I got my DP at 17, the week right after my birthday. Best year ever and with the Evo it proves that dreams do come true - lol.

Wait - is a GTA you have, oye just to let you know that we don’t really consider a GTA a proper Evo eh. Only cuz you representing speed, have the heritage in you and you about that life we entertaining this thing any further eh? Lol; say what you all want GTA or not I love my Evos. It’s everybody’s ultimate dream car. If growing up you never had thoughts about an Evo your dreams were empty.

WHAT DE….we would rather have empty dreams oui, the mere though about having only 4G63T and Mitshubish on the mind making us cringe. So where did the inspiration to involve yourself in the life arise. Hmmmmm; well my Dad has a business in Aranguez doing auto electrical, so being there and having people come in with all kinds of cars with different engines and parts played a huge part in me being interested. Also my Dad, brother Vidal and seeing other women like Allison Gadahar, Jenelle Albarado & Sarah Paratapsingh at the track. They made me believe I could be involved in speed even more and prove that if boys can do it, girls can as well.

Putting in that last part how you were not far off their bumpers doesn’t change the fact that yuh get eat, this is racing and there is no consolation or participation prize in speed. Give us your worst car story? Aye I was right there and yes it counts. Worst car story would have to be after I left the movies going home. A Honda decided to run up on my bumper, pass me and gone. So i was like no way - slip across into tiptronic, pressed out and gone behind him. While we going at it, somebody pulled out on me suddenly. INSTANTLY I get frightened but had to think quick, so I geared down and while that happening the steering wheel start SHAKING, which NEVER happened before. First time I ever experienced that and it was scary but for the record I am a responsible driver eh - at times. I know when to play de fool and when not to.

We never said aything, babrgreen make to melt and yes there is a time and place for everything. However yuh see that gear dong, woman izza automatic car yuh have don’t make it sound like yuh had to push a third pedal - speaking of which can you drive manual - what does your DP say?

My driver’s permit says manual and yes I can drive it but for some strange reason my Dad and brother don’t trust me driving stickshift - they always assume that I am going to race. Not only do I have experience but I was driving lonnnnggggggg before going for my license.

That last part, come again? Sooooooo at the garage we tend to have a lot of cars and when leaving; sometimes there were more cars than drivers.

The business is located in Aranguez - home is in Central and alot of times the cars can’t stay up the road. So see me 13/ 14 in my school uniform

SEEING OTHER WOMEN LIKE ALLISON GADAHAR, JENELLE ALBARADO & SARAH PARATAPSINGH AT THE TRACK MADE ME BELIEVE I COULD BE INVOLVED IN SPEED

Coming up around so much car, you ever had girl days - unno - tea parties, hop scotch, patty cake, that game with the clapping of the hands with 5 of allyuh inna circle? I NEVER had girl days; for me it was always fun karts, atv’s, motorbikes and engine parts. You would never have seen me playing football or cricket; those things weren’t for me.

Unno we could more than respect that we never played football or cricket either but neither did we have ATV’s - it was just box carts, a steep - long hill, gravity and prayers. You have been in this things for a lil while not, what are some of the things you learned? I learn’t alot about speed, about control, about building things, how to handle situations, the rush of the excitement and being able to jump out and hearing people say “Aye, daiz the girl - DAIZ the girl.”

As yuh mention jump out, tell us about your first race? I never had any experience officially at the track BUT on the street that would HAVE to be coming from Wallerfield heading home in Central. Stopped by Mausica traffic lights minding my own business when an Evo & B14 with a SR pull up…….

Why it always hadda be a B14 - whey dem is come out - blasted SR men allway want to be in everything like salt and nobody invite them? Ent lol. I don’t know but all I was studying is that they were manual and I was automatic so they going to eat me going up the road. Then everybody start revving - I start to tremble, lights change, they take off before me so see me playing catchup. In the end I get lix but at the next light it was a mutual respect because I wasn’t far off their bumpers.

driving down the Solomon Hochoy to Chaguanas normal - not all the time tho. And Dad was like if police stop you, your father not in the country, go brave, take your time and go straight to the house.

We would have LOVED to see that, especially considering that you done so short already - the car might look like it driving itself. What is important when building a car to you? You should know your build and really be able to explain why you did what you did. Also, plenty people don’t know that there is a cost to everything; speed can get expensive. You are going to be brokes throughout the entire thing; but after, you should be satisfied with what you put together and how you spent your money.

That is true - speed can be expensive and unforgiving if you don’t get it right. What would you say are some of the mistakes you see people making? Listening to the WRONG people. Alot of times there are people I see who have their head on in the beginning, then someone will come around with their negative spirit; have something to say and jesso the person would switch lanes and end up down another road. Listen to yourself - it’s is your car.

And those are the things that happen when people don’t read SixthSpeed, they end up in all kinda monkey pants - SixthSpeed saves you stress. So what mods do you have on the GTA? For now it is stock but I can’t wait to put my touch on it and really make it my car. Right now it is too high needs more low. Also I want to raise boost, add a water-meth kit and tune it a little OR sell and by an Evo XI MR.

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RALLY PASSION &

SEQUENTIAL INCLINATION

The love of

car is a funny thing. Some people have it like a doubles with slight - then there are those who have the whole box laced with scorpion pepper. Bob Bilstein or if you want to be constitutionally correct Wayne Persad is the latter. As one of those buy - restore - drive - race - might sell - collect - hoard - repeat type persons when it comes to car, the man not normal and this all stemed from being around his dad and hanging out at his workplace where there was ALWAYS something of mechanical standing to fool around with.

As time passes; the path of progression dictates you get involved in some form of motorsport and for Bob; after following Rally Barbados and Group B internationally, he was convinced that rally was for him. Diving in the navigator seat for anyone who would give him ah bligh, he called pace notes for the likes of Peter Morris, John Powell and Erica Jobity-Dinoo. To him it was all about learning and the experience helped him to develop to the point where; in the year when all computers in the world were predicted to shut down (Y2K), he was able to jump out on his own in a Group N Evo 4 done by Krazy Kustoms. For the next 4 years he was in the zone with the Evo doing both circuit and rally until he destroyed the car on a dirt stage in Caroni. Walking away intact; that incident was the blanket that properly covered any inclination of him being a full fledged WRC rally driver for a factory backed team in Europe. Switching across to motorsport administration in the rally club for a while, Bob decided to touch something different and jumped into drags with a 2nd gen Mazda RX7 doing a best of 12.3. When that project couldn’t go faster it was an all out 2nd Gen with a 13B built by his go to shop Krazy Kustoms from the ground up.

We sensed that 1/4 mile mayhem wasn’t for him because the stint on the 1320 was short and after selling the Gen. (who say Puff n’ Stuff) he took another break and returned to rally x circuit using a well put together Honda Civic. Being the ruthless iron termite that he is Bob thảlāy components at will to the point where it was better for everyone he sold that car and returned to administration. Back to pushing paper, he still needed an outlet and it’s here he fully embraced the streets building ting after ting to attack the government road and puree Maracas on the nightly. We talking a setta Evo’s (3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10 - to be specific) to a widebody 350Z to A31 Cefiro with a RB26DETT to more; Wayne was about that life focused on learning the dynamics of handling and tuning a car suspension to PERFORM. While beating the black carpet was fulljoyment, in his heart Bob there was a void left by the need to build - he needed a project but the question is always WHAT? Back in the day, while looking at Group B rally one thing that ALWAYS stood out was the MK2 Ford Escorts. There is something wondrous and magical about seeing a MK2 rip hard into a corner; gracefully have the bamsee slide with flair like an overzealous battimamzelle and stylishly hold angle at RPM to make men breakfast. Since Bob never pass thru any; not checking the one owned by his sister’s boyfriend that he used to take a tush on, this was his moment. Knowing the journey to manifest this wasn’t going to be easy Bilstein began buying and stocking old Mark 2’s like it going out of style and amidst the spree for donors, he managed to unsuspectingly buy X00347F (chassis # BB48GP18167).

Properly confused by the chassis code alone; Bob had a keen eye, noticed that there were different things about this piece of perceived junk and it wasn’t until doing research that he discovered the car was an ORIGINAL MK1 Works racecar supplied by Ford and driven by Alan Mann of Alan Mann Racing. Commissioned in 1968 there were only 6 of these ever built in the WERLD to do battle in the highly tuned BTCC Group 5. This particular chassis went from Guyana > Barbados > roam Trinbago and years later here it is. Now; the British take their motorsport history and racing heritage SERIOUS - they preserve theirs. Unbeknownst to him;

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SixthSpeed24 | We bring the healing |

OPZ - WE DON’T CARE WHAT ELSE IT HAVING OUT IN THE WORLD, THERE IS NOTHING ON THIS EARTH THAT DOES TO THE SIDE SLIDE LIKE AN OLD SCHOOL ESCORT

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