Doug Gore with the Audi TTR-DTM. - file

Doug Gore's Audi TTR-DTM could be out of action for the remainder of the circuit racing season at Dover.

The car, which was imported from Europe last year and was key in helping Gore to break David Summerbell's stranglehold in circuit racing locally, was involved in a nasty crash at the start of the first race of the Caribbean Motor Racing Championship Series at Dover on Sunday that saw the car suffering extensive damage.

Gore explained that his car was clipped by the RX7 driven by Peter Rae shortly after getting the green flag. The Audi spun out of control on to the infield before slamming into a tyre wall at the Total corner mere moments after the race began. The Montego-Bay based driver was taken to hospital while the car was wrecked away from the site and taken to the pit where the initial damage was assessed.

badly damaged

Speaking to STAR Sports yesterday, Gore said he was still a bit sore but the car was even more badly damaged than initially thought.

"It looks like we could be out for the rest of the year," he said. "A large rock on the in-field ripped right through the chassis." He revealed that the floor of the car is made of two-inch thick carbon fibre but the rock sliced through it like butter. The technology to repair that is not available here in Jamaica.

"We don't have that here," he said. "We might have to send it back to Germany for them to fix it there."

In addition to the damage to the chassis, the left rear tyre that made contact with Rae's car was completely ripped off and there was other structural damage as well. The extent of that damage is yet to be determined.

"Until we take the car apart piece by piece we won't know the full extent of the damage," a forlorn Gore said.

The ATL Racing team confirmed that damage to the car is extensive, adding that it was still too early to say what remedial action, if any, would be taken.

"We can confirm that there is extensive damage to the race car after the accident at Dover yesterday (Sunday) and it is being currently being fully assessed before any decision are made regarding the undertaking of repairs locally and overseas," said David Bell, crew chief of the ATL Racing Team.

"Naturally we were very disappointed not to have been able to compete in the third race, especially after winning the second but are extremely thankful that our lead driver Doug 'Hollywood' Gore has emerged from the incident unharmed and is safe, and we are looking forward to seeing him back in action as soon as possible."