‘Cutta Hype’ Ottey is national drift king

Cleve 'Cutta Hype' emerged as national drift king after capturing the second staging of the Red Bull Car Park Drift competition at the Montego Bay Sports Complex in Catherine Hall, St James on the weekend.

The panel of judges, comprising one of Jamaica's renowned rally drivers Richard Rerrie, motorsport stalwart Kingsley Scott and international guest Yusif Basil ruled in favour of Ottey, who has earned the opportunity to represent Jamaica on the global stage at the upcoming Red Bull Car Park Drift World Final in Qatar.

Local talents got the opportunity to showcase their drift skills on the nine-obstacle-filled course in a competition that was making a return to the western hemisphere. They engaged in intense battles on the track, demonstrating their precision, skill, and captivating displays of car sounds and smoke.

The four finalists of last year, Nicholas 'Tazz' Barnes, Cleve 'Cutta Hype' Ottey, Sheldon 'Z Boss' Johnson and Chris 'CJ' Addison, were joined by 24 other participants, aiming to reach 300 points by navigating the course, set by Abdo Feghali, three-time rally champion and Guinness world record holder for longest drift.

Obstacles included box runs, pendulums and spirals and points were lost when contestants spun the car, hit obstacles or drifted in the wrong direction. In the three rounds, Ottey scored 269, 278 and 270, Richard Ryan scored 247, 259 and 265, and Addison scored 249, 267 and 258 to emerge as the top three contestants.

"It feels great being the drift king, especially coming second place last year. There was a lot of effort and work going into this win. Also knowing Nick won last year and I won this year is really special. If Nick wins, I win and if I win, Nick wins.

"I'm so excited to represent Jamaica at Qatar in the world final. We will bring the winning formula to the Middle East, and the plan is to bring the trophy home," Ottey said.

One of the largest drifting competitions, now in its 15th year, Red Bull Car Park Drift was first conceptualised in 2005 following a Red Bull manager's discovery of drifting fever in a car park in Hong Kong, China.

Elias Hountondji, Red Bull Car Park Drift representative, an international athlete, member of the Red Bull Drift brothers team and one of the best known drifters in Europe, was in attendance to oversee the competition. Visiting the island for the first time, Hountondji, on Saturday, showcased his drifting skills.

"It's been an amazing honour being here and experiencing the Jamaican culture, the talent and passion. I heard the stories about the motorsports talent here from my brother Joe who came in 2022, and I definitely witnessed that and more this year.

"I offered my tips and views to the drivers who didn't hesitate to apply that to their drifting. You can see the passion through the drifting though the track layout was really tricky, and the rainy weather conditions made it a bit challenging," Hountondji said.