TRELAWNY, Jamaica — Jamaica’s motorsport community is gearing up for one of its most anticipated showdowns of the year, as the Skate Revenge sprint event prepares to kick off on June 14 at the iconic Trelawny Multi-purpose Stadium. At the heart of the day’s excitement lies a growing grudge match between two of the country’s top drivers: Doug Gore and Raynor King, whose last clash has left motorsport fans hungry for a rematch.
The event, organized by the Montego Bay Racing Association (MRA), opens its gates to spectators at 6 a.m. with the first on-track action starting at 10 a.m. Beyond the headline rivalry, the event will bring together a stacked lineup of nearly 40 of Jamaica’s most talented drivers across rally, circuit, drift and drag racing disciplines, promising nonstop thrills for casual fans and diehard motorsport enthusiasts alike.
The event’s iconic name “Skate Revenge” did not come by chance. It traces directly back to the season’s opening sprint event held this past March, where Raynor King claimed a narrow, last-minute victory over Gore in what quickly became the most talked-about race of the early season. With Gore now fully focused on evening the score, MRA officials say expectations for a dramatic, edge-of-your-seat rematch are at an all-time high. “Doug was his number one rival, so that’s why we got the name Skate Revenge because they said Doug is coming back for revenge,” explained Brandon King, a senior member of the organizing team.
While the Gore-King rivalry serves as the event’s main marketing draw, the competition will feature far more than a single two-driver battle. The official entry list includes some of the biggest names in Jamaican motorsport, from rising young talents like Sebastian Rae and Zidan Madden to veteran competitors including Alan Chen, Chippy Addison, and Leslie Madden — with Chen only set to compete if final mechanical tweaks to his car are completed ahead of race weekend.
One of the most inspiring storylines heading into the event is the comeback of Jason King, who is set to make his return to competitive motorsport just months after a freak accident in late 2025 cost him his leg. Fitted with a custom prosthetic, King has spent months training to get back up to racing speed, and says he has no intention of holding back when he hits the tarmac on Sunday.
Organizers project that the overall entry field will surpass the 30-competitive turnout that made the March opening event such a success, with drivers traveling from across Jamaica to take part. “We’re hoping to have everybody out and have a very, very productive and exciting day when it comes down to racing,” Jason King noted.
Unlike traditional wheel-to-wheel racing formats that often end in collisions and mechanical retirements, Skate Revenge uses a timed time-attack format that prioritizes individual driver skill, precision and consistent lap performance over aggressive overtakes. “It is a tarmac sprint event that will have drift cars, rally cars and circuit cars all going heads-up for the top spot and to determine who has the fastest time,” King explained.
During the competition, each driver will tackle the purpose-built course one at a time, with vehicles departing the starting line roughly 60 seconds apart. Every competitor will get two timed flying laps, with their single fastest lap time determining final rankings and winners.
In a break from standard Jamaican motorsport structure that divides competitors by their racing discipline, Skate Revenge groups entries by vehicle technical specifications, including engine size, forced induction systems like turbochargers, and aftermarket performance modifications. This unique format creates unprecedented cross-discipline matchups that fans rarely get to see on local tracks. “It is quite a very interesting match-up. You have different cars from different areas of racing actually racing in one class against each other,” King added.
To meet the safety standards set by the Jamaica Motor Sports Commission (JMMC), the national governing body for motorsport, all competitors must complete rigorous safety checks before being allowed on course. Required safety equipment includes reinforced roll cages, fire-resistant racing suits, certified racing seats, impact-rated helmets, and six-point safety harnesses.
For spectators, ticket pricing is set at J$2,000 for adult entry and J$1,000 for children, making the event accessible for families and large groups looking for a full day of entertainment.
Skate Revenge is not just a standalone event: it marks the second stop on the MRA’s ambitious 2026 national motorsport calendar, a multi-event schedule designed to revive the country’s once-thriving rally scene and lay the groundwork for a return to top-tier international competition. After the June 14 event, the calendar continues with a two-day motorsport and camping festival in St Elizabeth on July 11-12, combining sprint racing, off-roading and outdoor leisure activities.
Later in the year, organizers will host a retro-inspired navigation rally that harkens back to the golden age of Jamaican rallying, where competitors must follow pre-plotted routes and collect checkpoints across the countryside before reaching the finish venue. September 20 will see the MRA host its first full tarmac rally in more than a decade, with route assessments currently underway across Trelawny and St Elizabeth to find the best course. The season wraps up with the Great Spot Valley Gravel Sprint on November 8, before a three-season-closing rally from December 11-13 that organizers hope will be a defining step forward for the sport.
Organizers have made no secret of their long-term goal: restoring Jamaica’s reputation as one of the premier motorsport destinations in the Caribbean, a status the country held during the heyday of the iconic Rally Jamaica event. “We want to take this thing back to the days of Rally Jamaica when we had proper international rallies and everything. That’s where we’re pushing to head back to,” King said.