Round 8 Mondello National October 10th 2020
Mondello Park was the host of the final round of the Selco.ie Formula Vee Championship this weekend. The county Kildare circuit held the season opener back in July and nobody knew at the time if they would be back there again in these strange times due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Credit must be given to the Mondello Park staff and race officials as their hard work enabled racing to go ahead this year. It was such a shame spectators were not allowed to see the on track action and fantastic races throughout the season of which there were plenty. Hopefully by the time the new season comes round next year things will have improved greatly by then and the public can go back and enjoy the entertainment put on by the Formula Vee drivers.
Going into the final round the championship, two drivers, both Dubliners and both driving Sheane built cars were left to fight it out for glory. One going for his first and the other out to make it three in a row. Current champion Anthony cross had a narrow gap of two points over Gavin Buckley, but with one dropped round to consider he only had to finish in seventh place if Buckley won. This gave Cross the advantage but you never know in motor racing as anything could happen.
That said with two titles in succession under his belt Cross had the experience behind him to remain calm when the situation called for it. Buckley was in new uncharted waters and even though he was his usual laid back self ahead of qualifying there was a slight edge lurking in the background. Why not? It was his first chance to take a championship so it was to be expected. Cross, even with his experience was also a little on edge ahead of qualifying, which is most important on the tight and twisty national layout at Mondello. Then there was also the young guns of Jack Byrne, Jordan Kelly and Philip Sheane who all went well at the previous meeting in Mondello to contend with.
Speaking firstly to Cross I asked him if he had a plan of attack for the race.
” If Gavin wins I have to finish at least 7th to take the championship. I also don’t want to get caught up in the pack and get drawn into a battle and lose concentration and end up going off. So it’s going to be a bit of a balancing act.”
This proved to be the case as Jack Byrne continued his impressive form in the last three race meetings by taking pole position by 0.145 seconds ahead of Buckley who took second but most important for him a position ahead of title rival Cross who lined up in third. In fact the session was so tight the top six were covered by 0.6 seconds!
With Buckley starting ahead of his rival I asked him if he all set after his good qualifying? Laughingly he replied, ” Yeah all set, which is never for me!” ” It’s in Anthony’s hands as he only has to finish behind me to win the championship. I’m just going out to have a good race and let the championship sort itself out.”
As the green lights came on it was Buckley who got the jump over Byrne and took the lead going into turn one. He was under pressure though as Byrne was right on his tail and eager to get by as he had a trail behind him of Jordan Kelly, Anthony Cross, Mark Reade and Philip Sheane. Buckley locking his front wheels going into turn one on lap two was clearly finding it tough under the pressure from Byrne. Byrne made his move and took the lead by the end of the lap with Jordan Kelly following him. Unlike the last meeting, try as he might Byrne was not going to break away from the field. He was joined by Kelly in a one of the best and closest races all year.
Cross however didn’t make a great start and found himself battling with Phillip Sheane and then Mark Reade. The safety car had to be deployed to retrieve the stricken car of Tim Murray who got stuck in the gravel after spinning at the final corner. Byrne made the best of the restart and defended by taking the usual inside lines, but Kelly wasn’t afraid to try it the long way round almost pulling it off at turn one on a couple occasions. He looked to have made a move stick as they came back in from the country and into paddock bend but Byrne held firm on the outside and made a great move holding the lead as they rounded the penultimate right hander to keep his lead.
Behind this battle Mark Reade made a mistake at turn one while lying in fourth and ended up in the gravel but did rejoin dropping to ninth. He made a great recovery though eventually making his way back up to fifth by the end of the race. Philip Sheane also made progress throughout the race as other went off and battling with Cross for half the race and then getting past Buckley with three laps to go. Up front the pressure on the leader did not ease but try as he might Kelly just could not get through and Byrne made it two wins in a row and finishing the season very strongly. The Wicklow man has been strong all year but had some bad luck along the way, but in recent weeks his performances have made him one of the favourites for next season.
In the end though Anthony Cross did what he had to do and stayed out of trouble and claimed his third title in a row. He didn’t have it his own way and didn’t win every race, but when he didn’t win he was on the podium gaining valuable points for the championship. His car preparation is second to none and it shows throughout the year as he never suffered any mechanical failures or problems. The young guns behind him showed great pace and claimed their maiden wins but lacked the consistency over the full season to win the championship. I caught up Cross to congratulate him and see what it meant to him to make it three in a row.
” That was the longest fifthteen minutes of my life! I knew what I had to do before I went out and knew I only had to finish seventh if Gavin won, so I had to just keep him in sight. Then when I was on the line I thought to myself feck it will I just go for it? Then the lights went green so I said I’d go for it, but then it got fairly fraught up front and I had Philip Sheane hassling me from behind. So I decided I didn’t need to be involved in this, so I had a moment to think and let them off and keep out of trouble. It started to rain also which played on my mind but it probably wasn’t as bad as I thought and made me just play it safe and bring it home to the flag.”
So after being the man to beat for the last three seasons and doing the double twice in two years by also winning the Emerson Fittipaldi trophy, is the motivation still there to try and make it four in a row?
” Last year I was thinking that this year would be my last year in Formula Vee and then with the year that’s in it I think we were robbed a bit of a season with having less races so I think I’ll come back next year and have a good crack at it. I have to thank my dad Fred who is the reason the car runs so well and never gives us problems. Also thanks has to go to Selco Hygiene Supplies for sponsoring the class again and providing masks and sanitisers to all the drivers and the committee for getting the championship going as it looked like we wouldn’t have any racing at the start of the year.”
There was another championship decided that of the VW Spares ‘B’ Championship which was wrapped up by Philip Sheane. A deserved title as Sheane has come on strong from last season as a rookie to win his first national race and to run up front several times during the year. Some mechanical problems cost him a chance to run for the overall title but as he moves on to Formula Sheane next year he certainly should be up at the front in that class also.
Hopefully it will back to normal pre Covid-19 by the time the new season kicks off next year. I think everyone has had their fill of it at this stage and hopefully spectators can come back in a get to watch more great battles all year long. It has been a great season even it was shortened to eight rounds. There were five new winners in the class this year, a great increase in numbers taking to the grid and plenty of newcomers with more to come. So here is to the class of 2020 a fantastic season for the lucky few who got to witness it!
Results by class:
Selco.ie Formula Vee National Championship
1st Jack Byrne
2nd Jordan Kelly
3rd Philip Sheane
VW Spares ‘B’ Championship
1st Philip Sheane
2nd Mark Reade
3rd JB Farrell
Motorsport.ie ‘Star of Tomorrow’ Championship
1st Jordan Kelly
2nd Donal Downey
3rd Michael Killian
Round 7 Kirkistown September 27th 2020 - Emerson Fittipaldi Trophy
Last year’s final visit to Kirkistown Racing Circuit saw Anthony Cross claim the the trophy double by winning Selco.ie Formula Vee championship and the Emerson Fittipaldi trophy in what was a very dominanament year. This year there is still a round to go after this visit, so the championship would have to wait but the chance to retain the trophy named after the former Formula 1 champion was up for grabs. He would have to put in another hard shift like the last years race, as the young guns in Jack Byrne and Philip Sheane who pushed him then, had both now got their first wins under their belts. Cross took drew first blood as he lined up on pole position ahead of Byrne.
He also got the better start and lead the field into turn one but it was close as the top three were nose to tail with not an inch given. By lap two Philip Sheane had moved into third pushed Mark Reade down a couple of places in the process. Jordan Kelly moved into fourth under pressure from Gavin Buckley, Mark Reade, JB Farrell and Donal Downey. Once again Kelly made a mistake at the chicane as in the round six earlier in the day and ran onto the grass letting Buckley and Reade through. Reade’s bad luck in Kirkistown continued as yet again his car suffered mechanical problems dropping him down the field until he was forced to retire later in the race.
Up front Byrne made his move into the hairpin and got into the lead determined to make up from his brake problems in round six earlier in the day. It looked like a repeat performance of the Mondello Park meeting two weeks previous as he began to edge out a gap over Cross. Cross had his hands full with Sheane who was setting faster times but could not use it to his advantage as he could not get by the Dubliner. As Byrne reeled off the laps and his advantage grew so did the plume of smoke from his VW engine although it didn’t seem to hamper the Wicklow man. Further down the field Michael O’Callaghan crashed and with his car in a dangerous place the safety car was deployed.
All Byrne’s hard work was undone but it left Cross behind, with a chance to get back into the fight for the win. With the races ran by time, the clearing of O’Callaghan’s car meant on the restart it would only leave race with two laps to the finish. Cross had to time his attack with precision and could not afford to waste any opportunity if it arose. Byrne backed the field up on the the start/finish straight as soon as the safety car pulled in. However it was the experience of the current champion and Fittipaldi Trophy holder Cross, who made the best of the restart. He timed his restart perfectly and got a better drive than Byrne and made a move down the inside into turn one to take the lead. Sheane tried to follow but Byrne held him off. Again there nothing in it between the first three, with Cross soaking up the pressure and using all his skill and knowledge to hold off the young chargers behind.
Byrne tried to get by at turn one as they began the final lap but could not make it stick. This left the final corner to get the lead back and one last to defend for Cross. Byrne did try a maneuver to get by Cross at the final corner but Cross was too wise to let Byrne repeat his earlier successful move and held firm. He got a better drive towards the line and took the chequered flag to retain the Emerson Fittipaldi Trophy. Philip Sheane also got a better run over Byrne due to this and grabbed the runner – up spot.
In the end it was business as usual with a successful defence of the Emerson Fittipaldi trophy for Cross but what shows on the results sheet hides what was yet another action packed race put on by the Formula Vee men. Speaking to the top two after the race it was far from straight forward for either men at any stage of the race.
Cross gave me his reaction first. ” That was a tough race! Jack got passed me at the hairpin and then his car started letting oil out and began to cover the front of my car and front wheels. I had to drop back a bit as I was loosing grip when turning in and had to access the situation. Then the safety car came out so I knew I would have only one chance to get back past Jack so I had to judge the right distance to get the jump which I managed to do and got by at Debtor’s.”
Not one for jumping for joy after a win but you could see Cross was happy after his plan came together to take the win.
Unfortunately for Byrne his plan didn’t come together. If the safety car had not come out he would have took another nice piece of silverware home with him to add to the Holmpatrick trophy from the previous round. ” I got past Anthony and set out to pull a gap which is hard around here, but managed to start make a lead. The car then felt wrong but I didn’t know what was wrong, then the safety car came out and Anthony got by me again.”
One title that has been decided is the Motorsport.ie ‘Star of Tomorrow’ championship which went to Karl O’Sullivan after shaking off his bad luck from last year he was a deserving winner and he did it with a round to spare which was lucky for him as he will miss the final round as he starts his masters in composite materials in the UK next week.
With the final round taking place in two weeks time on October 10th the championship is far from over. Will Cross retain his title to make it three in a row or will Gavin Buckley, Jack Byrne or Philip Sheane take their first title? It will be hard for them but anything can happen in motorsport but it makes for an exciting season finale!
Results by class:
Selco.ie National Championship
1st Anthony Cross
2nd Philip Sheane
3rd Jack Byrne
VW Spares ‘B’ Championship
1st Philip Sheane
2nd JB Farrell
3rd Ger Byrne
Motorsport.ie ‘Star of Tomorrow’ Championship
1st Jordan Kelly
2nd Donal Downey
3rd Karl O’Sullivan
Round 6 Kirkistown September 27th 2020
For the second visit across the border and for the final time this year competitors made their way to Kirkistown Racing Circuit in Co. Down, for rounds 6&7 of the Selco.ie Formula Vee championship.
On the previous visit Philip Sheane bagged his first Formula Vee win to help his championship hopes but a DNF in Mondello Park last time out, put a dent in them so he was hoping for a repeat result at Kirkistown this time out. Speaking to him before qualifying I asked if the engine problems he had at the previous rounds were fixed? ” Yeah we have them sorted now and hope to be up near the front again”.
Title holder Anthony Cross bagged a large haul of points in Mondello Park with a win and a second to make up for his non start in Kirkistown earlier this season. Another non starter on the last visit to Kirkistown was Jack Byrne who dominated the previous round and taking the prestigious Holmpatrick trophy in the process, made the trip up north to see if he could continue his fine form.
First up was qualifying and series organizers were praying for a smooth running and no technical issues like the previous trip to Kirkistown. Thankfully all went well and it was Jack Byrne and Anthony Cross who swapped fastest times for pole position. It went to Byrne to fill the first grid place with Cross lining up second. In fact the top six were covered by half a second!
Speaking to Byrne after qualifying he was happy but cautious being on pole. ” I’m happy to get pole but its hard to pull away from the field here like in Mondello with the tow, but we will see how it goes.”
The weather was dry and sunny for qualifying and looked set to remain the same for race one of the day until just as the cars line up in parc ferme the heavens opened and soaked the track. With no time to make any setup changes the drivers took to the track and get used to the conditions on the out lap. It was Byrne who made the best start and led the field into Debtor’s Dip. Cross bogged down at the start and was swallowed up by several drivers as they left the line. It is always hard to lead the opening lap in conditions like these as the lead driver is the first encounter anything that could cause problems first.
Byrne held his lead over the opening lap but a mistake at the chicane cost him time and let Buckley through. by the time they got to the hairpin. Buckley began to break away from the field opening a gap on the field while the rest battle behind. Donal Downey mad a great overtaking maneuver on Mark Reade by taking him on the outside of turn two to move up to third. Unfortunately for Reade he spun out trying to fend Downey off dropping him right down the field. Also on the move was Cross who now was up to fifth. Joining the battle for second was Donal Downey, Jordan Kelly, Philip Sheane and JB Farrell. A problem going into turn one for Downey on lap three saw him being passed by Cross, Kelly, Sheane and Farrell.
Byrne then looked to struggle under braking and both Kelly and Cross got by at the hairpin on lap four. By lap six he was down to fourth behind Cross and Kelly. Kelly passed Cross into turn two in a great overtake to move up to second. Cross could not respond to the Donegal man who broke clear and began to close in on the leader Buckley. With a three second lead it looked as though Buckley could hold on but the young charger had different ideas and began to take chunks of time out of the leader.
By the start of the penultimate lap he was right on his tail as a backmarker hindered Buckley’s advance. He didn’t waste time in getting by as he made a bold and brave move into turn two on the final lap going down the inside to take the lead. Yet again Kelly found himself close to taking his maiden win in Formula Vee as in Mondello Park two weeks ago if he could hold on for half a lap it was his.
His clear speed through the chicane which helped him all through the race was his undoing when it mattered as he ran wide on to the grass and lost his advantage to Buckley, letting the Dublin man retake the lead going towards the hairpin. Buckley held firm and took the win. Cross remained in third and added another podium and very useful points to his title hopes. It was very unfortunate for Kelly who really drove well and enough to take the win but only for that slip on to the grass he would have taken the flag. His first win will come soon as he has the pace.
“I was gaining most of the time through the chicane during the race but then I made mistake there and Gavin got by, I tried to get him back at the hairpin but he had the power down the straight.”
It was Buckley who won though and speaking after the race he seemed as much relieved as happy to take the win. ” I lost 1.5 seconds behind a backmarker on the second last lap and then Jordan came by but he made a mistake at the chicane which allowed me get back past. I was very lucky to be on the grid at all as my throttle cable frayed and was about to break just before qualifying but thanks to Ivan and Adam we got it fixed just before we could get out. So all’s well the ends well.”
It was yet another action packed race that almost brought another maiden victor in very tricky conditions. It also added to the title fight ensuring that it would most likely go down to the final round in Mondello. Before that though was round seven and also the Emerson Fittipaldi Trophy to win!
Results by class:
Selco.ie National Championship
1st Gavin Buckley
2nd Jordan Kelly
3rd Anthony Cross
VW Spares ‘B’ Championship
1st Philip Sheane
2nd Ger Byrne
Motorsport.ie ‘Star of Tomorrow’ Championship
1st Jordan Kelly
2nd Karl O’Sullivan
3rd Donal Downey
Rounds 4 &5 Mondello International September 13th 2020
The month of September usually sees the curtain fall on the motor racing year with the highlight meeting of the season, the Leinster Trophy Races, bringing to an end each championships campaign. This year however, sees it being right in the middle of this strange season. For Formula Vee, it attracted their biggest grid to date with 22 cars lining up for qualifying. It’s the one meeting where all the classes share the paddock over the race weekend. While the Emerson Fittipaldi trophy is the Formula Vee drivers big class trophy the chance to claim the prestigious Holmpatrick trophy is one not to be turned down.
Weather was on the competitors side as while a bit cool, the sun came out and track conditions were perfect ahead of qualifying. Mondello Park expert Anthony Cross was favourite to grab pole as he had done at the previous meeting at the county Kildare track. However it was rookie Jordan Kelly who surprised all by taking pole and by 0.345 seconds ahead of Cross with Philip Sheane in third and Jack Byrne in fourth to lock out the front two rows of the grid. It wasn’t all good for Kelly however, as his front right steering arm broke and forced him into the bank on the outside of the penultimate corner. It also broke the front beam but thankfully for Kelly, his mechanics were able to fix the problems for the first race.
” There was oil down in a lot of areas and then I had an off when the steering arm broke but will we will have it ready for the race so all is good” said the young Donegal man.
The same could not be said for Conor Molloy when his rear track rod arm snapped and caused further damage to the rocker cover of the engine forcing him to withdraw from the event.
Cross got the whole shot and lead the field into turn one with Kelly tucked in behind in second with Sheane in third. Mark Reade made a great start and moved up ahead of Jack Byrne to move into fourth from seventh on the grid. Cross lead didn’t last long as he ran wide on the exit of turn five and lead Kelly get a better run down to turn 7a. It didn’t last long as Cross got back past Kelly to regain his lead by the end of the lap. This was shaping up to be a thriller, as not only did the lead change but also behind the following trio of Sheane, Byrne and Reade. Kelly dropped back behind the trio as Reade managed to get past Sheane for a brief moment until Sheane retook him while allowing Jack Byrne up to second.
The leader however could now put his head down and try and gap the rest, but before he could put a string of quick laps together the red flags came out as Donal Downey put his car into the gravel trap at turn four and with time running out the race was called at the end of lap three as his car was in an unsafe place. What a shame, as it was easily shaping up to be the best race of the year. In the end it was Cross who took another win from Reade with Philip Sheane in third.
For race two Cross got the best start and got into the lead by taking Kelly around the outside of turn one. It got worse for Kelly as Byrne, Reade, Sheane and Buckley got past through turns two and three. Cross aimed to make a break but Byrne wasn’t letting him go and got by on lap two leaving Cross to deal with Mark Reade. Byrne got the head down and start setting some quick times and broke clear of the field. Cross remained in second but Reade pushed him hard throughout the race and got by on lap three and but lost it a couple of laps later only to regain it before they crossed the line. Karl O’Sullivan drove brilliantly to get up to fourth place and was right behind the battling two of Reade and Cross.
Cross got by on the last lap to take another first and second place, a repeat of the previous visit to Mondello. Reade had to settle for third but it was a close run thing and O’Sullivan was right there in fourth. It was a commanding performance from Jack Byrne however, to take the race win by seven seconds and also take his first ever national victory and along with it he took the prestigious Holmpatrick trophy.
Another two rounds down and both hotly contested for the most part in each, but it also marked another new winner in the series and the second maiden victor in as many races. The series moves back up north of the border for the next two rounds in Kirkistown on September 26th. Will Cross continue his defence or will the new winners of Sheane and Byrne prevent him doing it again? It is still all to play for in the Selco.ie Formula Vee Championship.
Results by class:
Selco.ie National Championship Race 1
1st Anthony Cross
2nd Mark Reade
3rd Philip Sheane
VW Spares ‘B’ Championship Race 1
1st Mark Reade
2nd Philip Sheane
3rd JB Farrell
Motorsport.ie ‘Star of Tomorrow’ Championship Race 1
1st Jordan Kelly
2nd Karl O’ Sullivan
3rd James Kent
Selco.ie National Championship Race 2
1st Jack Byrne
2nd Anthony Cross
3rd Mark Reade
VW Spares ‘B’ Championship Race 1
1st Mark Reade
2nd JB Farrell
3rd Ger Byrne
Motorsport.ie ‘Star of Tomorrow’ Championship Race 1
1st Karl O’ Sullivan
2nd Jordan Kelly
3rd Donal Downey
Round 3 Kirkistown August 29th 2020
Kirkistown Racing Circuit located in the beautiful Ards Peninsula hosted round three of the Selco.ie Formula Vee championship. Usually by this time of the year the competitors have already made several trips north of the border in their quests for championship glory, but as we all know this is no ordinary year. With it being the first trip to the county Down circuit for this season and for some, the first time ever. It proposed a more level playing field than the previous round at Mondello Park.
Another strong grid of twenty-three cars entered for this round but not without some notable absences. Current champion and series leader Anthony Cross could not make this round due to work commitments along with main title contenders Dan Polley and Jack Byrne were also non starters. Without the three front runners, it opened up the field to earn some valuable points for their championship hopes.
It is not an easy year for anyone during the ever changing climate of Covid-19 restrictions, lockdowns, guideline changes they each have to decide if they can make each round or not. That said however, credit has to go to the Formula Vee committee to keep the championship going albeit a shortened one. Their efforts weren’t helped during qualifying though when technical issues with the circuit timing system left several drivers without a lap time. This left everyone in a mess with a grid not properly formed and with quicker drivers due to start behind rookie drivers, it led to safety concerns. With all avenues looked at the best option was agreed in a vote to re-run qualifying. When the flag came out to end the session it was Philip Sheane who topped the timesheets by only a meer four thousands of a second ahead of Mark Reade who had got pole in the original qualifying. Gavin Buckley and Tim Murray locked out row two. With qualifying re-run, it left only one race as opposed to two for the B and C championship drivers.
When the lights went out it was Sheane who lead the field out of turn one, the very fast Debtor’s Dip. Mark Reade though was not going anywhere and stuck right with him on the approach to to turn two, where he outbraked him and took the lead. This was only the beginning of closely fought battle for the lead. Gavin Buckley got the better start over Tim Murray to move up to third. With the front two busy battling it out the third and fourth place men of Buckley and Murray caught up after slightly dropping back on the opening lap to make it a four car battle for the lead.
From watching from the inside as the cars make their fast approach to turn two Coloniel, it always leaves you with a heart in the mouth feeling as they thread the fine line of success and disaster as they try an overtaking maneuver. Thankfully no disasters happened this time, but on the opening laps Sheane and Reade certainly pushed that fine line touching wheels on lap four as Sheane retook the lead. It was short lived however, as a lap later Reade was back in front.
The race was turning into a Formula Vee classic as the lead changed hands again on lap six but then on lap ten mechanical trouble hit Reade’s car as it dropped to three cylinders dropping him out of contention for the win and back to sixth place. This left Sheane to hold on to his lead in more comfort now that Reade had dropped back but he still had Gavin Buckley not too far behind to relax entirely. Buckley held third from the opening lap but had to fend off Murray in the opening laps, until he and JB Farrell began their battle for fourth swapping places several times. Then sadly for Murray he had to retire with mechanical problems on lap ten. It would have been interesting to see if Farrell had got clear of Murray earlier in the race and how close he could have got to the first three. He had the pace by setting fastest lap on lap four with a 1.05.505 lap, eight tenths quicker than Buckley and 1.1 seconds quicker than what Buckley and Reade were doing.
Another impressive display was shown by newcomer Michael Killian who had ran in a creditable sixth place for the majority of the race but as Murray and Reade had their problems, it elevated him to fourth by the finish. In the end Philip Sheane reeled off the final laps to take his maiden win in Formula Vee. A fantastic result for the Wicklow man and one that had been coming for a while.
Kirkistown is a fast track and hard on cars but it can provide some great racing. This round provided some drama before the race began and during it. It provided a new race winner, elevated newcomers to positions earlier than expected in the season and left some with a lot of repair work to do before rounds five and six at Mondello Park on September 12th and 13th.
Results by class:
Selco.ie National Championship
1st Philip Sheane
2nd Gavin Buckley
3rd John-Benedict Farrell
VW Spares B Championship
1st Philip Sheane
2nd John-Benedict Farrell
3rd Mark Reade
Motorsport.ie Star of Tomorrow C Championship
1st Michael Killian
2nd Karl O’Sullivan
3rd Michael O’Callaghan
Round 1 & 2 Mondello National July 26th 2020
At long last the tedious wait was finally over for competitors as the 2020 Selco.ie Formula Vee championships got underway at Mondello Park yesterday. A very healthy grid of 24 cars lined up for the season opener, a much needed boost to the class which saw numbers begin to dwindle last season. Ten newcomers to the grid would make the ‘Star of Tomorrow’ championship one of the most openly contested classes on the tracks this year.
Another two of the newcomers were Colm O’Loughlen and Michael O’Callaghan. Both natives of Kerry it was a life’s ambition for the two to go motor racing and now the opportunity was there to do it said Colm. ” I never raced anything before but I have always been into cars and only now have I had a chance to get into doing it. I’m looking forward to it and it will be fun.” Michael agreed, ” I’m the same the chance came up to do it and I said I might aswell. Although after the first test session I was getting dizzy” he laughed.
With the weather forecast not looking great for the afternoon, qualifying would be crucial in the morning. Thankfully the rain stayed away for qualifying and just like last season Anthony Cross in his Sheane began to top the timesheets. He would stay there until the end as for most of the session he was four tenths up on the field. Then in the dying moments Gavin Buckley got to within a tenth of second to Cross. Time ran out to go better but it was a good showing from Buckley who put in some good drives last year. Phillip Sheane also had a good qualifying and was up to second at one point but dropped to third. Apart from Cross the main favourites in Jack Byrne and Dan Polley who usually qualify in the top four had a bad session ending up in eighth and eleventh respectively. In fact it ended up a very close session with the first three cover by 0.135 of a second.The fastest newcomer was Michael O’Callaghan in a very good 13th place.
Thankfully the weather gods looked down on Mondello Park and kept the rain away for the afternoon. Where the two metre distance rule applied everywhere else in the county Kildare venue, it certainly did not once the lights went out to start race one. Buckley got the jump over Cross off the line but Cross held the inside line to lead him and the field around turn one. It didn’t take Cross long to get into his stride and began to open a gap over Buckley who held his own over Tim Murray who made a great start to get himself into third. Cross started to open a gap on the field putting in consistent times to build his lead over the following three cars who now were firmly in the grips of a hard battle. Sheane overtook Murray going into the final corner and then lost his nose cone trying to get it back going into turn one. This gave Buckley room to breath for a while and also Trevor Delaney, Mark Reade and Dan Polley to get closer and join in the battle. Polley got ahead of Reade and started to show his form moving on to the back of Delaney. As this was going on the leader lost the gap he had built up and it became an eight car train for the lead. Coming out of turn three Murray and Sheane collided with murray coming off worse dropping down to 17th and Sheane down to 8th. This of course let the front two clear but also allowed Polley to get a move of Delaney to put him into third place. As the race began to come to a close Cross upped his pace to open up his lead again over Buckley as Polley chased in third. The race for fourth was between the three cars of Delaney, Reade and Byrne. It was Reade who won this battle to finish in fourth ahead of Byrne and Delaney. Up front it was Cross who continued from where he left off last year by taking the win from Buckley and Polley.
Speaking with the winner after the race he was glad to bag his first win ” I missed a gear at paddock bend and dropped back towards Gavin but no real problems other than that. The track was very slick but im happy to get my first win of the year.”
For race two it was Cross on pole with Philip Sheane lined up beside him this time. Sheane made the much better start off the line and headed the field into turn one. his lead was short lived as a number of cars came together in turn one which brought out the red flags. On the restart it was again Sheane who got the better start and lead going towards turn one but an accident just after the bridge between Robert Fleming, Dan Polley and Trevor Delaney brought out the red flags again. Thankfully nobody was hurt and the rescue services and marshals were on the scene instantly.
So an action packed weekend in Formula Vee has drawn to a close and after such a long wait for it to come round it certainly flew by. Sadly not all would be going home happy with the way their races went but some certainly will least of all Gavin Buckley who took his maiden win. Anthony Cross still remains the man to beat though but the pack are catching up. It was great to see a grid in a healthy state again and hopefully it continues for the rest of the year. Spare a thought for David Sheane the man who brought Formula Vee to Ireland and has made so many cars for drivers down through the years at this time and hopefully he makes a recovery soon and we will see him in the paddock again.
Results by class:
Race 1
Selco.ie A Championship Race
1st Anthony Cross
2nd Gavin Buckley
3rd Dan Polley
VW Spares B Championship Race
1st Mark Reade
2nd Philip Sheane
3rd Ger Byrne
Motorsport.ie Star of Tomorrow Championship Race
1st Ronan Waters
2nd Michael Killian
3rd James Sheppard
Race 2
Selco.ie A Championship Race
1st Gavin Buckley
2nd Anthony Cross
3rd Tim Murray
VW Spares B Championship Race
1st Tim Murray
2nd Mark Reade
3rd Philip Sheane
Motorsport.ie Star of Tomorrow Championship Race
1st Jordan Kelly
2nd Karl O’Sullivan
3rd Michael Killian
Round 11 Kirkistown September 28th 2019
With the autumn days getting into their stride and the long evenings now a distant memory, it also meant that the 2019 Selco.ie Formula Vee championship was drawing to a close. Not before one last outing though, and another trip up north to the popular Kirkistown racing circuit in county Down.
While the championships were all decided at the previous round at Mondello Park two weeks ago, it didn’t mean that this last round would be of little significance. This would be the last chance for some to grab their first win of the year or even their first ever win! Anthony Cross who successfully retained his title this season, would be out to finish the year with another victory and the rest would be out to stop him doing just that! Not only was it the final championship meeting, but also a separate race for the all important Emerson Fittipaldi trophy, won last year by Dan Polley.
A grid of fifthteen cars lined up on the grid headed by Philip Sheane who impressed at this track in August. He was the man who dominated qualifying and took his maiden pole position by 0.787of a second from Anthony Cross. Joining the grid for the first time this year was UK Formula Vee champion Ben Miloudi. When the lights went out it was Cross who lead the field towards turn one, the infamous Debtors Dip. Cross held his lead as they exited turn two, followed by Philip Sheane, David O’Loughlin, Dan Polley, and Jack Byrne. His lead was short lived as by the second lap it was Sheane who now lead. Building on from his qualifying, Sheane was showing he wasn’t going to let Cross have it all his own way. Cross retook the lead on lap five dropping Sheane back towards Dan Polley who by now was up to third.
The race was shaping up to be the one of the closest all year as the lead battle grew into a five car train. Once again Sheane on lap seven took the lead from Cross determined to grab his maiden win. The front began to slightly gap Polley and Byrne in third and fourth, Jimmy Furlong was also putting the pressure on in fifth. It looked like anybody’s race and a small mistake could see you drop back down the order in a split second.
Then with only a couple of laps to go Cross made his move on Sheane to retake the lead which he held onto to the chequered flag but by only 0.2 of a second. Polley came home third but by only 0.001 of a second from Byrne. Again it was this years champion who took the win but he was made work hard for it and it shows that next year’s championship looks set to be a closely fought one.
Now that the championship was over, it was time for the Emerson Fittipaldi Trophy race. Cross was out to take his second win of the meeting boosted in confidence after winning the season finale race earlier in the day. The Fittipaldi Trophy is a trophy all formula vee drivers want their name on. All that has gone on during the season prior to it, be it good or bad goes out the window. The old saying of ‘Saving the best for last’ certainly couldn’t have been more apt for the race to bring the curtain down on the 2019 season. At one point there were six cars battling for the lead with nothing bar a cigarette paper between each of them.
It began with Philip Sheane taking the lead from Anthony Cross around the outside going through ‘Debtors Dip’ followed by David O’Loughlin who was having his best showing of the year in second place with Jack Byrne in third and Cross forced back to fourth place. Going into the chicane on lap two Byrne forced his LOH Motorsport car up the inside of Sheane to briefly lead, but with Sheane having the line for the second part he couldn’t make his move stick.
In doing so Sheane got out of shape and ended up having a bad run on the exit, giving the rest behind, lead by Cross a better run down the back straight. By turn one on lap four cross was now in the lead taking Sheane on the inside. Setting out to build a lead, proved unsuccessful as he simply could not shake off the pack behind, now lead by Byrne who was determined get by as soon as possible. He did so within a couple of laps and it looked like the front two would have the race to themselves, especially after Sheane got his car very out of shape on the exit of the chicane with only a handful of laps to go.
On lap eleven Cross got back in front and slowed the pace to bring the pack behind back into play again in efforts to prevent Byrne getting passed. It worked but just, as Sheanes last corner efforts nearly came off but Cross held it to the line to win by 0.021 of a second with Byrne back in third and Jimmy Furlong in fourth. The top four all crossed the finish line within the same second. Furlong grabbed the fastest lap in another strong performance. A second win for Anthony Cross made it a championship and Fittipaldi trophy double and deservedly so. As he was the man to beat all year and won at times by digging deep when other really should have won.
Results by class:
A Championship Race
1st Anthony Cross
2nd Philip Sheane
3rd Dan Polley
B Championship Race
1st Jack Byrne
2nd David O’Loughlin
3rd Nick Mulhall
Star of Tomorrow Championship Race
1st Philip Seane
2nd Justin Gray
3rd Sean McCallion
Emerson Fittipaldi Trophy Race
1st Anthony Cross
2nd Philip Sheane
3rd Jack Byrne
Round 7 Mondello July 14th 2019
Round seven of the Selco Hygiene Supplies Formula Vee championship brought the drivers to Mondello Park for the second time this year. This round saw a welcome boost to grid numbers with twenty-one cars lining up for qualifying, all vying for the important two front row spots at the tight and twisty county Kildare circuit.
At the previous Mondello Park round series leader and current champion Anthony Cross won from Dan Polley by 0.209 of a second and as both won a race at the last time out at Anglesea in Wales, both were favourites to lock out the front row. After a good test on Friday Cross was confident of qualifying well. “I had a good day testing and was quickest overall but Dan wasn’t here and he always goes well here, so it’s hard to tell if it will be good enough today but we will see how it goes.” Indeed Polley did go well by topping the time-sheets but only by a meer 0.45 of a second.
It was first blood to Polley and by his own admission he needs to finish ahead of Cross to keep himself in this years championship hunt. The biggest surprise though in qualifying was the man heading the second row. Gavin Buckley making his first appearance this year after recovering from a broken pelvis in a skiing accident earlier this year put in a great time finishing only 0.4 seconds off Polley’s pole time.
Polley made the most from his pole position by leading the field into turn one, although cross himself made a good start but had to slot in behind Polley on the exit to protect his second position from Trevor Delaney who moved into up third. A mistake under braking into turn four by Robert Fleming caused him to spin his Sheane and in the process got collected the luckless Karl O’Sullivan who had nowhere to go with both cars ending up in the gravel. Unable to move both cars, race organizers had no option but to bring out the red flags.
Cross then set upon building a lead which steadily grew each lap. Behind the front two Trevor Delaney and Gavin Buckley had a race long battle for the final podium spot. Delaney got the jump on Buckley off the line and moved up one place from his qualifying position. At one point Delaney began to close in on Polley but after getting got caught up with backmarkers it left him too far behind to challenge for second. John Farrell had to pull his Sheane over to the pitwall after suffering fuel issues with two laps to go, with the car deemed to be at risk to others once again organizers had to put out the red flags. As the race was past three quarter distance a result was declared, which left Cross as the winner from Polley with Trevor Delaney in third. In the “B” championship Paul Heavey took the win from Jack Byrne with Tim Murray in third. Heavey a winner at the Bishopscourt round back in May, was somewhat off the pace and never looked like moving up towards the front of the field. Justin Gray took the “C” championship win from Sean McCallion with MIchael Killian in third.On the restart Polley again was better of the line and lead the opening lap but only just from Cross who got better drive out of turn one and by the exit of turn two he was passed and into the lead. A well worked move but respect shown by Polley who could have easily squeezed him on to the grass.
Another good show put on by the Formula Vee drivers and great to see the numbers coming back up again which bodes well for the rest of the year. The next round brings the drivers back up north to Kirkistown in county Down on the 24th of August.
Results by class:
A Championship Race
1st Anthony Cross
2nd Dan Polley
3rd Paul Heavey
B Championship Race
1st Paul Heavey
2nd Jack Byrne
3rd Tim Murray
Star of Tomorrow Championship Race
1st Justin Gray
2nd Sean McCallion
3rd Michael Killian
Rounds 3 & 4 Bishopscourt May 12th 2019
The third round of the Selco.ie Formula Vee championship brought the drivers to the beautiful Bishopscourt race circuit in County Down, Northern Ireland.
Bishopscourt specialist Dan Polley who has won the last six races at the track, was out to not only out to keep his winning streak going but also to get his first win of 2019. The Dubliner has had to watch rivals Jack Byrne and Anthony Cross take the chequered flag at the Kirkistown and Mondello rounds of the championship so far this year.
Anthony Cross drew first blood as he grabbed pole from Polley by 0.100 seconds. Unfortunately Polley was a non-starter and as the lights went out it was Cross, who made the most of the free space vacated by Polley at the start and lead the field into first corner. Right from the first corner Cross had his mirrors full of Jack Bryne and veteran Formula Vee driver Paul Heavey. Heavey then made a move on Byrne going into the chicane on the back straight to move into second. This trio quickly pulled clear of the field but on lap three Byrne while attempting to pass Cross got caught out on dropped oil and spun off at the hairpin.
This left Heavey and Cross to battle it out and both drivers put on a great display swapping the lead several times over the course of the race. By crossing the line with three seconds to spare, they got one final lap in the 15 minute timed race. It was Heavey who drew on all his Formula Vee race experience who came out on top as he took the chequered flag by 0.161 seconds ahead of Cross. Jack Byrne recovered to finish in third.
For the second race it was Anthony Cross starting from pole. He made best use of it as he lead off the line to head the field into turn one.
It looked to be shaping into a copy of race one as Cross, Byrne and Heavey began to battle it out in the opening laps. Until a mistake by Heavey ended in an off-course excursion, dropping him down the field. That left both Sheane car drivers Cross and Byrne to battle it out for the win. Byrne passed at half distance but it was a short lived as Cross was ahead again by the end of the lap. Once Cross regained the lead he never let it go and started to open a small gap on Byrne but the red flags came out on the final lap ending the race somewhat prematurely.
Another two close races at the sharp end of the field that kept the onlookers on their toes. The championship is still wide open and im sure it will be just as close at the next round.
Results by class:
A Championship Race 1
1st Paul Heavey
2nd Anthony Cross
3rd Jack Byrne
B Championship Race 1
1st Paul Heavey
2nd Jack Byrne
3rd Matt Bodden
Star of Tomorrow Championship Race 1
1st Philip Seane
2nd JB Farrell
3rd Sean McCallion
A Championship Race 2
1st Anthony Cross
2nd Jack Byrne
3rd Philip Sheane
B Championship Race 2
1st Jack Byrne
2nd Robert Fleming
3rd Colin Lewis
Star of Tomorrow Championship Race 2
1st Philip Sheane
2nd Justin Gray
3rd JB Farrell
