Answer
The driver CANNOT beat the event.
$a_{min}=9.9 m/s^{2}$
Work Step by Step
$v^{2}=u^{2}+2aS$
$v^{2}=0+2\times 9 \times 100=1800$
Now, $v=u+at=0+9t=9t$
Hence, $81t^{2}=1800$
or, $t=4.71s$
But the time to beat the event is 4.5 s. So, the driver CANNOT beat the event.
$v=0+a\times 4.5=4.5a\, m/s$
$(4.5a)^{2}=u^{2}+2aS=0+200a$
$a=9.9 m/s^{2}$
So, minimum acceleration to beat the event is $9.9 m/s^{2}$