Motorsport World News » IRL

Breezemount Motorsport- a new arrival!

admin — Sat, 18 May 2013 10:03:08 +0000

Apologies for some passing of time since my last blog as my proverbial plate just seems to get bigger, however I’m not complaining when on that plate is the finest of Italian cuisine to be washed down by Super Tuscan red, it’s just a matter finding room for the intake of an extra course and hope I can fit it all in. Of course what I’m actually talking about is the new Ferrari 458 Italia Challenge that Philip has acquired for new ventures further afield. Best of all is that its new…..brand spanking out of the box new! Now I’m going to be completely open here, I’ve had a crippling ‘no other road car is better than a Ferrari’ mindset since wearing grey shorts with conkers in my back pocket. This blind loyalty was firmly sealed once contents of an oddly shaped money box was swapped with a Ferrari annual with glossy pictures and exploded views of the then scarlet range of road cars. Fast forward a few hair styles from then and that obsession proved advantageous when I spent time with Pininfarina Study and Research as a development technician on bespoke Ferrari, ahhh great fun. A calling to motorsport took over my career aspirations, but Ferraris have never been far away throughout. Now we come to present day and this absolute drop dead gorgeous Rari has arrived at the Breezemount workshop. A prompt read through the 458 instruction manual has brought me up to speed on this current Challenge edition. It continues with the previous Challenge car ethos, not quite GT race spec but hardened up enough with the right racy bits stuck on for eligible competition. F458 Challenge Shakedown What really impresses me is the filtering down of F1 technology into the powertrain architecture, the current tread of seamless gear shift and active diffs to control whole corner balance is right there with this car. So with no delay, a shakedown with Philip at the helm and Richard Lyons as backup pilot was undertaken. A quick download of captured car data does indeed show the many electronic interventions of diff control thus enabling driver to just press right foot pedal and go. Don’t get me wrong, not even the F1 tech clever electronics can beat the laws of physics so drivers are still on their toes to avoid any pilot error induced pendulum effects; however the car proves to be fairly easy to drive and point through the corners. One thing that did become apparent to both drivers is the effect of some positive lift on the car at various performance points and so upon return to workshop an aero package has been the topic of development discussion. The plan is for Philip to learn the circuits in the UK with the Challenge, so I am pleased to say Breezemount Motorsport has linked up with Ferrari specialists FF Corsa who will take over the running of the car at their base at Silverstone with intentions to support us to UK and European circuits. Stuart checking Ferrari data. In the meantime while an aero upgrade is sourced for the Ferrari we have moved onto the Formula Master and Seat Leon. Our first outing this year with the Master at Mondello has highlighted an issue with setup as we have switched tyre brands and sizes, something which will require additional testing as we assess and learn to understand changes to the dynamics of the car. I fear quite a few changes to suspension components and permutations of setup to achieve balance equilibrium. This takes time which we are short of when that plate is already full and the saloon championship is well underway, so more on Formula Master developments later. Our first race at Kirkistown in the saloons showed Philip has the speed to qualify well but the Seat Supercopa Achilles heel is its DSG gearbox, AKA getting off the line. It’s a rather hit or miss affair as Philip found out on both races, then there was the realization that the saloon boys don’t give a damn if Philip is the outright record holder at Kirko. With a mixture of relatively equal matched machinery here, if you want to be first across the line then you have to learn to squeeze every ounce of horsepower from the engine on corner exit and accept that no one is going to give an inch on corner entry. Good point finishes for both races on our first event this year we are glad off, but much discussion on return to the workshop was had with many cups of coffee. So another test was booked 2 days before the second saloon race meet. I implemented another setup adjustment and Richard Lyons was on hand for the finer points of race craft and that all important lap time, then it was down to the stopwatch to tell the tale of positives or negatives. The times are good, real good, into the mid 61’s for Philip as the Leon is touching the edge of its performance envelope. So with race day on the next sunrise, the Leon is back A job well done! on the flat patch into the dark hours getting a final adjustment to remove a little of the nervousness that has crept in. A little red eye in the morning soon disappears as caffeine is consumed, 2 qualifies and 2 races await the Leon Supercopa as she warms up on air jacks. A quick download then check of engine vitals on the laptop confirms all is go for the morning qualify runs. The hard work Philip has been putting in is starting to pay off, fastest in his class and even out pacing the GT’s for Q1. ‘Car feeling better with that setup tweak Stu’ Philip comments, and indeed the confidence shows on Philips data, ‘just got to get the car cleanly off the line now!’ Well both races went well as it turned out, the DSG gearbox launch control is indeed useless as Philip loses places on both starts, however Philip drove well, exceptionally well, fighting with the mighty Hondas with a few well placed overtaking maneouvers to take class wins in both races. And to top things off a new saloon lap record of 62.2! Well done Philip, you have our attention now! Follow us on Facebook / Breezemount Motorsport

ITCC Champ Bags Stryker Seat at Bishopscourt!

Susan — Fri, 10 May 2013 12:15:32 +0000

For the last few months the Irish Strykers Racing Championship has been pushing itself as an affordable racing series. This started towards the end of last year when there was a number of cars rented in Mondello Park and also for the weekend at The Park. This prompted the lads to get a new look website and dedicate a few hours a week to their Facebook and Twitter accounts. The Strykers started in 1998 and have gone from large grids to regular grids of 10-15 cars. Like a lot of race classes they have lost numbers over the last 5 years or so but in their 15 th season they have managed to continue to maintain a healthy and competitive grid. The lads chased down a number of former drivers and current owners and compiled a list of cars that are available for sale. With this list they have made great use of the motorsport.ie classifieds with number of cars added to date. Since they have a regular presence online, there are regular tweets and Facebook posts promoting cars for sale amongst their and most importantly they fly the motorsport.ie flag with the #msirl hashtag. At the moment there are cars advertised from “offers welcome” to around €7000. All of these are ready to race and some come with trailers and extensive spares packages. Rumours around the paddock on Brennan will swap his title winning M3 for a far lighter machine at Bishopscourt. Image from Keith Drofla race weekends are that one of the cars on the grid this year was bought for less than €3000, cars at this price would need some work for sure but that’s a great price tag to get into a car that you can see the wheels react to every little input you fed through the wheel. Rentals can be had from €750 and this is normally from lads who are racing themselves but have a second car also. Always great piece of mind knowing the lads who are looking to rent their cars are trying to encourage other drivers into the class. Anyway, to cut a long story short the hard work seems to be working. No doubt countless calls were made, emails exchanged and a deal hammered out but last weekend in Mondello Park the current ITCC Super Touring Champion Philip Brennan sat into an Irish Stryker for a test day ahead of Round 3 and 4 of the championship in Bishopscourt this weekend. The car is owned by Andrew D’Alton who is also making a return to the class following an absence for Rounds 1 and 2. Philip Brennan will be joining the grid for the next two rounds and is looking forward to getting back to Bishopscourt where, after last year’s performance in ITCC, he is bound to be fighting for a podium position. It’s great for any race class in Ireland to get any new drivers but to have one come from another popular and competitive class is great. It’s especially great when it is a driver with Philip’s experience. Philip cut his teeth on track driving at track days before going on to race an ex-Mondello race school Rover 25 in ITCC’s infancy. More recently he has been busy pushing for poles and podiums and ultimately winning the top tier ITCC championship last year in his M3. All of these cars have been prepared by Phil and his friends, so for a guy who has no problem getting his hands dirty, there must be an appreciation of how easy the Strykers are to run and maintain. Entry fees are on a par with other grids but running costs and maintaining one of these cars for a season is almost less than keeping a lot of modern family cars on the road. From speaking to one of this year’s drivers, there was definitely change from €1500 over the entire 2012 season for all of his prep and maintenance costs which included a full set of brand new Yokohama A048’s. Nobody could argue that this is anything but craicin’ value. For any motorsport fan it’s great to see established drivers looking to different classes for a challenge, good racing and for good people to race with but it’s nearly better to see the bargain’s that are sitting in garages around the country waiting to get back on track. Rounds 3 and 4 for the Irish Strykers is in Bishopscourt this weekend. Take the trip up and speak to the lads around the paddock. Ask them who has cars to rent, or even cars to sell, and then look at the racing and see why this class is attracting top class drivers. For more information check out www.irishstrykers.ie

A Trip to Mondello- with Patrick Cummins

Susan — Sat, 04 May 2013 19:43:13 +0000

Ireland’s motorsport pedigree has been a wave of inconsistency over the past century. From early days, high calibre events such as the Gordon Bennett race and the Circuit of Ireland have attracted an international crowd and aesthetically, Ireland has proved to be a majestic location for the setting of road rallies. The major drawback that the industry here faces, however, is the lack of development programmes for younger drivers. Irish names gracing the world stage kicked off with rally aces like Paddy Hopkirk and Billy Coleman, motorbike legends such as Joey Dunlop and, more recently, circuit racers Eddie Irvine (Formula 1) and Colin Turkington (British Touring Car Championship). Despite these “flashes in the pan”, many Irish drivers have competed (and continue to compete) at national level with the younger crowd generally aspiring to move onto an international level. During the 1990s and early 2000s, the economic boom led to a healthy sum of entrants on the Irish rally calendar, including an array of WRC machinery and promising young drivers who constantly struggled to match their budget with their talent. Kris Meeke and Niall McShea are prime examples of this but it was not alone the rally drivers. The predicament stretched to circuit racers, most notably Adam Carroll (who raced for the Irish A1 GP team in their winning year) and Michael Devaney (A1 GP and Formula 3). A few weeks ago, I took a trip to Mondello Park with members of UL’s Racing & Motorsport society to spend a day as spectator of our very own national racing championships. It turned out to be a very enjoyable day and showcased the wealth of entertainment from our minnows very well. When we arrived in the morning, the HRCA historic class were racing and some beautiful machinery was on display including a Lotus Europa and Crossle 9S. This was only a taster though, as the Formula Libre championship was underway soon after and this surely was a treat. Formula Libre is an interesting class which is open to all single-seater models from any class. In that respect, cars from Formula 3, Formula Nippon, ex- F1 cars and even a Mission T5 took part in the event. Although performance parity may not have been a top priority for the championship organisers, watching them scream past while sitting at the pit wall was truly astounding. The noise was enough to excite any petrol-head and all of this was right on our doorstep. Granted, so far the driving talent was made up of amateur drivers with a bit of money out for their weekend of fun, away from the day-job. But such was not the case when the Formula Vee cars left parc-ferme and lined up on the grid. In the field of Vee machinery was promising teenager Jack Byrne. At just 16 years of age, Byrne was the most infantile entrant and is currently battling with Justin Costello for the lead of the VW Spares Rookie Championship. Although works outfits possessed an advantage, the racing 16 Year old Jack Byrne impressed in Vees. Image from JayTee Photographic remained very close and the competition was fairly even at the front providing tight racing and great entertainment for the fans. Ballyfermot man, Colm Blackburn, took the overall win in race 1 and won Class B in race 2. Ray Moore reaped the rewards for top honours in the main national championship in both races. Without a structure in place to nurture these aspiring racers, the very self-contained and weak Irish motorsport industry will probably push these drivers abroad to greener pastures in the not-too-distant future. Entry into motorsport, even at base level, is usually too expensive for working-class people but our new tin-top feeder series, the Ford Fiesta Championship, couldn’t be more affordable. The Battles raged all the way down the grid in the new Fiesta Series. Image from Con Connolly. Fiestas used are mostly stock cars, save for a few safety measures installed and other minor adjustments and can be built to race-standard for about 2000 euro. A field of almost thirty Fiestas took to the grid in the afternoon to battle it out in the spec-series and the race provided great side- by-side action and plenty of paintwork swapping. To demonstrate the closeness of the action, the top 3 in both races were covered by a second! Natural progression from the Fiesta championship leads into the Irish Touring Car Championship (ITCC) and here, an interesting mix of touring cars exist in three different classes. At the bottom is the stock-hatch class and it’s filled by hot hatchbacks like Andrew Twomey’s Citroen Saxo. Step up then to the Production class where you’ll find a collection of Honda Integras and Civics. Mark Keane, winner of the Race2Race competition last year, was present in his Integra. At the top is the Touring class where we find higher-spec Integras of Erick Carroll and Rob Savage as well as the beautiful BMW M3 piloted by Erik Holstein. Holstein’s M3 was dominant in ITCC. Image from Con Conolly. At Mondello, Holstein was the class of the field and was untouchable but Savage and Carroll had a very good tussle in their identical Hondas. The Production class was a lot tighter at the top with Mark Keane proving to be wise beyond his years, taking a maximum points haul from the weekend and in stockhatch, Twomey swept to honours after class rivals fell into various difficulties. All in all a good days enterainment, and all on our own doorstep. Check out www.mondello.ie for more dates and events! Patrick

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A Trip to Mondello- with Patrick Cummins

BTCC Donington- with Marc Quinlivan

Susan — Sat, 04 May 2013 12:26:22 +0000

The British Touring Car Championship has been running, in one form or another, since 1958 and is now the UK’s biggest motor racing championship. Those of us old enough to remember the series when it was in its heyday in the late 1980s and early 1990s will remember names like John Cleland, Will Hoy, Frank Biela, Rickard Rydell, Alain Menu, Tim Harvey and Joachim Winkelhok. Back then the grid was full of works teams from the likes of BMW, Ford, Vauxhall, Nissan and Renault, however by the late 2000s the only works team left on the grid was Vauxhall with the rest of the teams being independently run. The series has undergone somewhat of a revival in recent years and with the introduction of the Next Generation Touring Car (NGTC) specifications it has become cheaper for both manufacturers and privateers to run a competitive car, resulting in one of the largest grids ever at 29 cars for the 2013 season. Long gone too are the days when the grid was full of international drivers. With the exception of Aron Smith, the entire grid is made up of British drivers. MG and Honda are the only works teams left in the championship, while there are 15 teams competing for the independent teams’ championship. 6 drivers are also contesting the newly introduced Jack Sears Trophy for drivers of Super 2000 cars. The leading Super 2000 driver in each race receives a cup and at the end of the season the driver with the most cups will we awarded the Jack Sears Trophy by Jack Sears himself. Jack was the winner of the inaugural British Saloon Car Championship in 1958. The 2013 season got under way on Easter Sunday at Brands Hatch with Jason Plato winning races one and two and Matt Neal picking up the win in the final race. I have been following the BTCC for as long as I can remember and have always wanted to attend a race weekend. I finally got around to it last weekend when I went along to watch the second round at Donington as a guest of the AmDTuning.com team who run a Super 2000 spec Golf GTI. The first thing that struck me after arriving at the track on Saturday morning as I was ferried into the paddock on the AmD team’s golf cart was how open everything was. The support paddock was in the middle of what would normally be the car park and the public were milling around watching the teams put up their tents and unpack their cars while in the touring car paddock the drivers were wandering around happy to stop to chat to fans, pose for photos and sign autographs. There were no F1 style barriers and drivers hiding away in air conditioned motor homes. Fans were free to walk up to the back of the garages and peer inside. The drivers even use the same public toilets as everybody else – at one point both Mat Jackson and Sam Tordoff were in the queue behind me! After being shown around the AmD garage and chatting to the team I went for a walk down the pit lane. As one of the smaller teams AmD are at the top end of the pit lane, near the pit entrance and as I walked down the pit lane towards the MG and Honda teams, who occupied the first two garages, the thing that was most obvious was that the further I walked along the busier the garages became. AmD and the other Super 2000 teams had perhaps 6-8 people on the team while the likes of MG and Honda have maybe 20-30. The larger teams also have large hospitality tents that hold around 100 people while the smaller teams have a table and chairs at the back of the garage with a box of tea bags, paper cups and a tin of biscuits! Saturday morning consisted of free practice for BTCC and the support series and then the afternoon was taken up by qualification and ended with the first race in the Clio Cup series. I was in the pit lane for most of the day on Saturday and got to walk in and out of the garages watching the teams tweak their cars between sessions. I also got to stand on the pit wall for the BTCC sessions. The noise of the cars as they drive by is amazing and like nothing I have heard before – I could feel the sound wave from the exhaust as the cars backfired when changing gear on the straight. The sound is something that simply does not come across on TV. As the drivers sat in their cars preparing for the first free practice session thinking, some took the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the circuit! Sunday morning got off to a hilarious start as we made our way from the main gate to the AmD garage – four of us and a box full of sponsor goodie bags on a two seater, underpowered golf cart with James, the driver, unable to use the brakes as we would not have got going again if we slowed down. People were jumping for cover, although I’m sure that while it seemed like we were doing 100 miles per hour from the inside, it had all the speed (and danger) of Fr. Dougal on his milk float from the outside! As we made our way out to the infield to watch the first couple of support races the BTCC teams were busy with final preparations for their first race of the day. First up on Sunday were the Formula Fords followed by race 1 of the Porsche Carrera Cup championship with Irish interests represented by brothers Karl and Michael Leonard driving for Team Parker Racing in the Pro-Am1 category. Karl and Michael had a close battle with Victor Jiminez with Karl taking the category win in the motorsport.ie liveried car and Michael finishing third following a spin that allowed Jiminez to get by. Karl made it a clean sweep by picking up the category win in race 2. In addition to the two race wins, Karl was also awarded the driver of the weekend trophy. The BTCC cars took to the track at 1125 and we got to go onto the grid as the cars formed up. While the pit crews swarmed around the cars carrying out last minute jobs the photographers swarmed around the grid girls – no prizes for guessing where I ended up! We watched the first race on TV from the AmD garage. It was a different experience watching a race on TV with no commentary. The hard work was done at this stage and all the team could do was watch. One team member had a notebook where he logged each of driver James Kaye’s lap times with a comment next to it – either a time difference to the car behind or a note about something the driver did or didn’t do – while team manager Shaun was on the radio to James updating him on events on track that he had gleaned from watching the TV. It’s not like F1 where there is car to pit telemetry and GPS driver tracking, if the team don’t see it on the ITV4 live feed they don’t know about it. Race 1 was won by Gordon Sheddon, ahead of Andrew Jordan and team-mate Matt Neal. The holding area for the winning cars was right next to the AmD garage so at the end of the race we made our way over and were right in front of Gordon Sheddon’s car as he pulled in and got out of the car. It was really interesting to see the reactions and hear the comments between the drivers as they chatted about the race. ITV’s Steve Rider and Louise Goodman were on hand to carry out the post-race interviews. I’ve not watched the races back yet, but I’m sure we managed to get into the background. Following the interviews the drivers were taken out into the paddock where the podium presentation was carried out on the back of a truck for all the fans to see. AmD’s James Kaye came home in first place in the Jack Sears Trophy – here’s a shot of his empty champagne bottle. I don’t think they’re supposed to drink between races! During the lunch break there was a thirty minute slot where the pit lane was opened for the public to walk about and get photos and autographs. About 20 minutes before the gates opened the queue was easily four or five hundred people deep. Luckily, we had access through the AmD garage so we were able to bypass the queue and line up at the Honda garage to wait for Flash and Matt Neal to emerge. When the public were allowed in the biggest draws seemed to be the MG and Honda teams followed by the Airwaves team and BMW with the crowds dwindling the further down the pit lane you went. I know the drivers are probably contractually obliged to sit outside their garage and sign autographs, but it is a great idea and gives the fans an opportunity to get up close to the drivers. I suspect the drivers don’t get hassled as much over the weekend if the fans know they’ll have an opportunity for an autograph at this session. For race 2 we ventured out of the pitlane and took up a spot near the Craner Curves. I was amazed at the number of families that were sitting around the banks – it really is a family day out. There were first timers who arrived in t-shirts and shorts along with people who appeared to be regulars who brought picnics and tents to shield themselves from the wind. This was Matt Neal’s 500th race start and it was fitting that he reached that milestone at Donington, scene of his first ever win in 1999 when he picked up a cheque for £250,000 as the first independent driver to win a race outright. He ran with the number 500 on his car for race 2 to commemorate the occasion, while Jason Plato ran number 400 as this was his 400th race. Unfortunately for the AmD team, a start line collision between James Kaye and David Nye saw both men pile into the pit wall and retire from the race resulting in the safety car being deployed. Following the restart, Andrew Jordan pulled out a big lead after lunging down the inside of Shedden at the start of lap 7. Behind Jordan was a close battle between Plato, Shedden, Neal and Morgan with Plato eventually passing Shedden for second place and Shedden finishing in third. Matt Neal finished his 500th race in 4th place. We made it back to the AmD garage just as they were finishing patching up the Golf – a new front end, wings, doors and lots of red tape and the car was ready for race 3. Not a bad effort for a team of 8! We took to the grid for the final race of the day and as James had not finished the second race he was last on the grid, just behind Warren Scott who had put his car into the gravel trap at the Old Hairpin in race two. Due to the size of the field, the back of the grid is almost at the exit of the final chicane so this allowed us a great opportunity to get a close up look at the cars as they exited the chicane and did a quick burnout to warm the tyres. Then it was time to take another walk along the grid to check out the cars and the grid girls! As we were getting booted off the grid I managed to get a quick photo of Gordon Shedden as he prepared for the start. Again, we watched race 3 from the AmD garage. It didn’t go too well for the AmD team. Unfortunately, despite the sterling job by the team to get the car ready, an electrical failure caused James to stop out on track. Dave Newsham had a major wobble on the way through Craners on the opening lap that almost took out several of the top drivers, but luckily everybody managed to avoid him. Former WTCC champion Colin Turkington shot into the lead from second on the grid in his eBay BMW and remained there to the end, finishing four seconds clear of Gordon Shedden with Matt Neal coming home in third. At the end of the race we made our way again to the holding area to watch the cars come in and had the opportunity to eavesdrop on the drivers as they congratulated each other and chatted about the race, including asking each other how they managed to avoid the spinning Dave Newsham at Craners. We said our goodbyes to the AmD team and walked along the pit lane inspecting the cars and emerged into the paddock just in time to catch the end of the podium presentation with Colin Turkington taking his young son onto the top step with him – something you won’t see on your average podium. Now that I’ve experienced a BTCC weekend, I definitely plan to go back. I would recommend it to anybody. Donington is a great track as there are plenty viewing spots and no matter where you stand you have a view of three or four corners. It is also very easy to get to as it is practically at the end of the runway at East Midlands Airport and if you book early enough you’ll get return flights with Ryanair for less than forty quid. I’ve included a selection of photos below. For me the first image captures the spirit of British Motorsport perfectly.

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BTCC Donington- with Marc Quinlivan

Consistent Craig completes hat trick of Podium finishes on ERC Rally Azores

admin — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 08:36:29 +0000

Consistency has defined the start of Craig Breen’s 2013 European Rally Championship campaign. At the beginning of February the Irish driver began his new job as Peugeot Rally Academy number one driver by claiming 2 nd overall on Rally Liepāja-Ventspils, a month later he repeated that performance on Rally Islas Canarias El Corte Inglés. This weekend in 23 year old has completed the hat trick by again taking 2 nd overall on round four of the season on Sata Rally Azores. On some of the most demanding stages that the Irish driver has ever had to contend with the Peugeot ace showed maturity under pressure and scored yet another major points haul. At the finish ramp Craig said, “I’m very happy with this 2nd place. The team did a fantastic job. The weather was unbelievable but we go here in the end! This was my first time to compete here and I’m very pleased to be in the fight for the victory. I tried to push more this morning to win but Jan (Jopecky) was faster. He has more experience of this rally and experience is very important here. It was an incredible rally and I’m delighted we carried on our consistent start to the season. I’m now looking forward to the Tour de Corse.” During the post event press conference Craig was asked; Has this weekend been one huge learning experience? “It’s been big long week. From when we arrived it’s been a very long week but it’s been a very good experience for me and Paul and also for the team because it was the first time for them here. For sure we gained a lot of experience and we showed some good speed also so we’re very happy.” Did you think you could push Jan on the final day? “I thought I could for this morning and for sure we pushed quite hard for the first two stages but we couldn’t make any advantage on Jan and then we just had to drive a bit more with our heads and be a bit clever. Without the puncture yesterday perhaps we would have been a bit closer and I would have been more in touch. We were on the edge of our comfort zone this morning so we were trying to be clever.” Question to Paul Nagle You won this rally in 2009 with Kris Meeke, how useful was that experience? “It was but I don’t think anyone expected the conditions to be as bad as they were. All the experience you can have counted for nothing yesterday morning and this morning. It does help to have knowledge of the area and the stages and the terrain here but it was a very difficult weekend. There was a lot of frustration but there needs to be great credit given to the organisers. They worked night and day and all hours. There’s one thing you can’t control and that’s the weather. The teams were frustrated and the crews were frustrated but luckily they did a fantastic job at the end of the day.” Sata Rally Azores round four of the 2013 ERC was based on the on the Atlantic archipelago’s largest island of São Miguel. The event is famous for its stunning countryside and changeable weather conditions and over the three days the competing crews sampled all that the Azores climate could through at them. Nineteen competitive gravel stages were scheduled but from the outset the organisers had to adjust the event itinerary. Before the start SS1 Coroa da Mata 1 had to be cancelled due to heavy rain resulting in significant damage to the roads and through the rally two stages being cancelled due to fog for safety reasons. When the action did start Peugeot Rally Academy number one crew of Craig Breen and Paul Nagle completed the first stage in second overall, 2.2s down on Robert Kubica. Unwittingly Breen knocked the right-rear tyre off the rim two kilometres from the stage end and with only one spare on board his Peugeot 207 S2000 the Irish driver opted for a cautious run through the next two stages. Overnight the 23 year old was fourth, 11.7s behind Kubica. At the end of the opening day Craig said, “This is my first time here and you definitely need some knowledge of the stages and the weather. I’m feeling very confident; we had a puncture on the first stage. We drove very carefully through the second as I only had the one spare. I’m quietly confident we can put a big push on tomorrow.” There was drama from the beginning as the rally resumed on Friday morning for day two. A double loop of four stages set the scene and Breen was immediately on the move claiming third position as the action resumed on stage five. Craig’s Peugeot 207 S2000 suffered its second puncture of the event on SS7 dropping 16 seconds to stage winner and championship leader Jan Kopecky but the Irishman stayed in third 27.1 sec in arrears. Then on the final test in the morning loop the rally changed yet again as fog descended and driving rain cut visibility to a bare minimum. Rally leader Robert Kubica conceded 1 min 46 sec through the 23.9 km test dropping from to 6th overall. Kopecky took over the rally lead and Breen moved to second and by virtue of a better stage time than his Czech Republic rival cut the gap to 16.4 sec. At the stage finish Breen said, “I’m happy to be moving in the right direction. Robert, Jan and I were neck and neck on stage six; it’s nice to be in the fight. It was a pity that we picked up a puncture on SS7 but we didn’t lose too much time. I had zero visibility in places on that last one (stage) and it was difficult to drive flat out, my confidence is coming step by step,” The afternoon loop began with ‘Coroa da Mata 2’ which was to be the opening test on day one but was cancelled. The organisers worked very hard overnight to make it possible to run today and Breen narrowed the gap to Kopecky by taking a single second from the Skoda driver, leaving the deficit now at 15.4sec. Kopecky hit back on SS10 by eking .5 of a sec on Breen over the 7.86 km ‘Batalha Golfe 2’ stage. On what turned out to be the final stage of day two (SS11) Craig took his first fastest stage time of the event beating Kopecky by 2.8 sec and heading into the final day the gap between the top two was 13.1 seconds. Podium hat trick for Consistent Craig Looking ahead to the final day fight Breen said, “We’ll be flat out….for sure we have a little bit left in the tank. The only disadvantage for me tomorrow is that it’s the first time on the stages and Jan has done the rally a few times before. But we’ll give it a good shot.” Consistency has been the hallmark of Breen’s ERC campaign to date but the current SWRC champion really wanted his maiden win, “Getting podiums is nice but I don’t want to be second place any more. I need to finish the rally but I’d really like to get a win.” The erratic weather conditions did not abate as the crews took to the final day. Kopecky went 2.6seconds faster than Breen on the Saturday opener (SS13) widening the gap to 15.7sec but more worrying for the Peugeot crew was that Craig reported smoke coming into the cockpit as they negotiated the stage. The fight continued on SS14 with Breen going .5 of a second better than is Czech Republic rival but at the end of the stage Craig again stated smoke coming into the car, “We’ve got smoke still coming into the car for the majority of the stage and we lost a bit of time. It’s something in the central column that’s throwing a lot of smoke into our face, its difficult.” said Craig. SS15 the penultimate before midday service and Kopecky pulled another 3.4 sec as Breen clips a rock. Breen said in his end of stage interview, “I hit a big rock and thought I had a puncture but we were lucky, it’s becoming a tougher challenge. We think we’ve now found a solution to the problem of the smoke coming into the car.” The morning loop was completed with the Grupo Marques – Super Special Kopecky pulled two more seconds from the Irish driver to reach the midday service halt with an advantage of 20.8 seconds. On to the final loop and stage 17 Lomba da Maia, Kopecky set the fastest time taking 2.2 from Craig. At the end of the 8.27 km test Breen said, “I went into the stage with mixed feelings and took two spares. I felt I was losing time on the tarmac section, but it was okay at the end.” Stage 18 the penultimate test, Craig takes a cautious approach and Kopecky extended his advantage to 26.7sec. Craig at stage Craig Breen (IRL) Paul Nagle (GBR), Peugeot 207 S2000 the end, “We just got through that one. We need to be clever again. Of course I tried to push very hard this morning. Nothing stupid, but for sure we were pushing. It’s all very well racking up these 2nd places, 2nd is getting monotonous. I want to win.” At the finish the Craig said, “We decided to get through there. For sure to come to the finish and get a podium is great; for sure it would have been nice to get a win. The win will come, we are on top form.” Mk11 Magic Next: Next weekend Craig and Paul take a break from the ERC and to the delight of their home fans the pair compete in the Rally of the Lakes. Craig also takes a break from his Peugeot 207 Super 2000 as next Saturday morning the SWRC champion will steer a Mk11 Escort up the famous Molls Gap special stage. The drive comes by way of a two event deal with long-time friend and sponsor of Craig, James Coleman/Suirway Forklifts & Suirway Farm Machinery. Craig and Paul will also take on the Donegal International Rally in June. With ERC Rally Azores out of the way Craig said, “I’m so delighted this opportunity has come up. This is a huge year for me competing in the FIAERC as a Peugeot Rally Academy works driver. But as a consequence I had not scheduled a home event for 2013. Now with this two rally deal from James, it gives Paul and me the ideal chance to compete in two of the most famous Irish tarmac events. After four years competing as a privateer 2013 is my first as a works driver. I still rely on sponsorship and and some great partners on-board. For Sure I know without the like of Kel-Tech Engineering and Suirway I wouldn’t have reached the level I find myself now at. Taking part in the two upcoming home events gives me the changes to repay the likes of Suirway and have some fun as well”

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Consistent Craig completes hat trick of Podium finishes on ERC Rally Azores

Tough Weekend for Tohill.

Dave — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 21:33:33 +0000

FIA European Rallycross Championship 2013 – Round 2 – Montalegre, Portugal – April 27-28 (Montalegre) – TouringCar driver Derek Tohill finished fifth during the second round of the 2013 FIA European Rallycross Championship at Montalegre, Portugal. The Irishman previously won the opening round (in England) of the 2013 RallycrossRX series in the TouringCar category at the wheel of his Ford Fiesta Mk7 RWD. This weekend’s event on the Pista Automovel de Montalegre didn’t start that well for Tohill on Saturday. After he wasn’t able to finish his first heat due to an issue related to the fuel injection system he afterwards had to deal with a misfire in the second heat leading to a classification of sixth by the end of the first day. On Sunday morning things improved and resulted in a fourth and second fastest time in the remaining heats. For the final race of the day the Ford Fiesta was placed on the third row of the grid. A brilliant start of Tohill made him challenging pole-sitter Robin Larsson for first place in the first corner. Eventually he came out of the corner in second behind Larsson. Unfortunately for Tohill the Fiesta was halted during the third lap because of fuel problems. The next race for the team is the third round of the 2013 RallycrossRX series at Nyirad in Hungary on May 25-26. Result: TouringCar – 6 laps: 1. Robin Larsson (S), Skoda Fabia Mk1 RWD; 2. Koen Pauwels (B), Ford Fiesta Mk7 RWD; 3. Roman Castoral (CZ), Opel Astra G RWD; 4. David Nordgaard (N), Ford Focus Mk2 RWD; 5. Derek Tohill (IRL), Ford Fiesta Mk7 RWD; 6. Torleif Lona (N), Ford Fiesta Mk7 RWD. Championship (2/9): 1. Robin Larsson (S) 43; 2. Roman Castoral (CZ) 42; 3. Koen Pauwels (B) 40; 4. Derek Tohill (IRL) 39; …

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Tough Weekend for Tohill.

2013 Patch Tyre Equipment Fiesta Series Launched!

Susan — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 17:25:35 +0000

The first ever Patch Tyre Equipment Fiesta Championship got under way this week with a busy opening test day on Wednesday and the Championships’ official launch at the Naas Court Hotel on Friday night. The new series is already proving popular, with a number of new drivers on track for the test day and many more prospective competitors present at the launch. Orla Miller, and Jennifer Kellett at the launch of The Patch Zetec Fiesta Championship in The Naas Court Hotel The series, for lightly modified Ford Fiestas built between 1996 and 2001, is already looking like a winner with a mixed field of new and experienced drivers set to hit the track for their first race in April. Drivers have been attracted to the series by its low cost and the promotional package put in place by Patch Tyre Equipment and Mondello Park. The huge interest in the championship is proof that a well organised championship with a low cost of entry can attract full grids even in a tough economic climate. The official championship launch was an opportunity for drivers to find out more about plans for the season ahead and to get a look at the cars, three of which were on hand for the launch. One driver who was very keen to get a closer view was former five time Tarmac Rally Champion Austin McHale who will be one of the first drivers to race the Mondello Park Celebrity Car. Having already provided Registered competitors with one free test day, the organisers announced plans to cut costs in other areas such as future test days, entry fees and running costs through further trade and sponsor partnerships some of which will be announced over the next few weeks. Speaking at the launch Patch Tyre Equipment MD Brian Matthews said “We are delighted to be involved in this series from the start. Everybody is talking about it and like our company, it offers unrivalled value. It is also great to see so many young drivers and first time racers getting involved.” On behalf of Mondello Park, Leo Nulty explained some of the thinking behind the series, saying “In the current economic climate, cost is everything, and the interest in this class thus far has borne that out. The idea of being on the grid in a car for under €2k was previously unheard of. Our association with Patch Tyre Equipment allows us to offer even better value to the competitors, such as the recent free test day for registered drivers. We will continue these type of incentives as the season progresses. The fact that the majority of the drivers are complete novices can only benefit the sport as a whole and who knows, this class may even produce the next Aron Smith!”. Once the speeches and formalities were over, Cregor Elliot took over and the filmig began, as Mondello Park Grid Girls Orla Miller and Jennifer Kellett starred in the “Patch Fiesta Harlem Shake” If you look carefully, you may spot some drivers and even a few members of Mondello Park Track Team in the clip too! The Patch Tyre Equipment Fiesta Championship gets under way with the first of five double headers on April 14th. The ten round championship will run through until September with all races taking place at Mondello Park and further information can be found on www.mondellopark.ie/fiesta .

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2013 Patch Tyre Equipment Fiesta Series Launched!

2013 Adelaide Masters Series Launched at Adelaide Motorcycle Festival

Susan — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 13:01:31 +0000

The 2013 Adelaide Masters Series was launched today, February 9th, at the Adelaide Motorcycle Festival in the Kings Hall Belfast. On hand to announce details of the championship were John Morris, MD of Mondello Park, Nichola Pearce, representing motorcycle insurance specialists Adelaide Insurance Services, and some of the main contenders for the 2013 titles. The Adelaide Masters Series is entering its third season as Ireland’s biggest Motorcycle Racing Championship and continues to attract the best of Ireland’s Short Circuit Racers along with guest appearances from Road Racing and International stars. The 2013 series will continue as a five event, fourteen race, championship, for both the Superbike and Supersport Classes which will include a ‘Cup’ division for newcomers and less experienced riders. Speaking prior to the announcement of their continued support of the Adelaide Masters Series Adelaide Insurance Services founder Sam Geddis said,“This event has gone from strength to strength, gaining huge popularity in 2012 as already Ireland’s most successful motorcycle racing championship with record crowds and more riders committed. The 2013 series is set to be another thrilling season“. Mondello Park MD John Morris said, “The Adelaide Masters Series has been an unqualified success to date and we will further build on that success again this year. It’s really encouraging to see the younger talent rising through the ranks over the last two years and I’ve no doubt some of these riders will be challenging for top honours in 2013” The popular championship format will remain unchanged apart from the removal from the race day programme of the Grand Final. This move is designed to cut costs for riders who will now compete for the biggest cash prize of the weekend in their final championship race of each event. Moving away from running a non-championship Grand Final will mean that Supersport and Superbike competitors will both have a chance to race for prize money, without the expense of an additional race. The change will also mean that the event timetable can be altered to bring more of the feature Superbike and Supersport races into Sunday afternoon time slots, which will make the events even more attractive to spectators. TV coverage of the series will continue into 2013, on UTV as well as satellite channels. Other aspects of the series which will be retained include the pre race build up and podium presentations and the Adelaide Grid Girl competition. The championship will continue to be supported not only by Adelaide but also Dunlop Tyres, Safety Direct, Motorcycling Ireland and Failte Ireland. Further information on the series will be released over the coming weeks and the championship can be followed on mondellopark.ie/adelaidemasters or on the Adelaide Masters Series facebook page.

Low Cost Motorsport in Mullingar!

Susan — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 11:41:53 +0000

Have you ever dreamed of racing a car and presumed its a sport too expensive for you? Well, according to the Westmeath and District Motor Club, motorsport can be enjoyed by everyone regardless of budget. This Mullingar based club are running a non championship Autotest competition on Sunday the 3 rd of March in the Forest Park Industrial Estate, Mullingar. This ultra-competitive form of motorsport delivers fun racing at a very low cost. The rules of Autotesting are fairly simple, competitors must drive through a series of short tight courses, know as tests, in the shortest possible time. There are time penalties added for mistakes such as hitting the course markers or taking the wrong route through the test. The Westmeath Autotest will consist of five tests on tarmac, which the competitors will have to do three times. This event is suitable for all two wheel drive, non turbo road cars. The cars do not have to be road legal so many competitors buy and race very cheap older cars. These cars can be bought for as little as €100 and the costs can be further lowered as the Westmeath club allows up to two drivers share each car. Other competitors use their everyday road cars for Autotesting with the Toyota Starlets being quite popular. The cars must have effective exhaust pipes in order to reduce noise and they require very little modification’s, with most competitors fitting a steering knob to aid quick direction changes. This Autotest is open to anyone 17 years of age or older, with a Motorsport Ireland Competition Licence. The Westmeath and District Motor Club can arrange a licence which costs €25 for one day or a yearly licence for €40, which would allow entry to other events (The club would need at least 2 weeks notice to help arrange an annual competition licence) . There will be trophy’s for the top overall winner, Top Overall Beginner the top three in each of the six classes, top novice in each class, best lady and best Westmeath club member. The entry for this extremely fun event is €40 for beginners. So it is possible to share the purchase of a car, use a one day licence and enter for €115 and still have a car to either sell or use at other events. The Westmeath and District Motor Club organise are organsing two Motorsport competitions this year and help at many rally events across the country. For those interested in Motorsport spectating or marshaling at events is great fun and an ideal first step towards racing. The club can be contacted by “ secretary@westmeathmotorclub.ie ” or see our facebook page “westmeathand.districtmotorclub”.

Barry Rabbitt: Flying solo!

Susan — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 10:48:30 +0000

My first visit to Mondello Park of the year was in an official capacity, that of commentator in fact. Regular announcer Matt Feeney was busy celebrating his birthday and had asked me to cover for him. Over the years I have helped Matt and Motorsport.ie boss, Leo Nulty, out behind the mic but this was to be my first proper solo attempt. I was hoping for some close and exciting race action to make my job as easy as possible and despite the relatively small entry list the rallycross guys (and girl) didn’t disappoint A wet and oil covered track made for tricky conditions in the morning’s opening heats with no shortage of sideways action in all classes. In fact it was the front wheel drive cars that were most drift like in their attitude with plenty of bury it and pray saves that Yvan Muller would be proud of! As usual the 8v Stockhatch class drew the biggest grids and from the get-go it was obvious that perennial pace setter Noel O’Brien was going to be the man to beat as he romped away in the heats despite the best efforts of Fergal ‘Figgy’ Bowes and Peter McGarry to hold him off. In the final O’Brien got a tardy start which allowed fellow front row starter Bowes to jump into an early lead, meanwhile O’Brien began his comeback and used the ‘Joker Lap’ to his advantage to avoid slower traffic and in the end performed an F1 style leapfrog of Bowes when the erstwhile leader had to take his own Joker Lap towards the end of the run. In the 16v StockHatch class it was a very similar story to that of their 8v counterparts with Eoin Murray leading the charge through the heats. His closest challenger came in the shape of Aaron Dalton and Eddie Peterson. In the final Murray got beaten off the line by Peterson who was alongside him on the front row, Peterson was not fully passed the pole man when he started moving over to defend the first corner, this resulted in contact with his rear drivers side on the front left of Murrays machine and a big sideways moment for Peterson who did well to not only avoid a spin but somehow managed to still lead through turn one. The coming together slowed Murray who was then demoted to 4th place as Dalton from the outside of the front row moved into second position. Murray opted to take his joker lap early while Peterson set about building his lead. When all but the leader4 Peterson had completed their joker lap Murray was now up to second and closing in fast. An early joker lap from Peterson could have thwarted Murrays ‘pitstop style’ overtake and ensured that Murray would have had to pass for the lead the old fashioned way, however in the end with Peterson taking his joker lap on the last circulation Murray had enough pace in hand to move ahead and cruise to the flag from Peterson and a smokey Aaron Dalton. The exciting Kart Cross buggies had a relatively tame days racing but the sights and sounds of these little machines more than made up for any lack of door to door action. The motorbike engined machines screamed their way around Mondello Park, exploring parts of the circuit never previously visited with the drivers arms a blur trying to point their machines in roughly a straight trajectory. In the final it was Ian Barret who took the top step from William Bolster and Ronan Mackle. Tomorrows race and rallycross stars in the Junior series undoubtedly put in some of the best races on the program, with the only female driver of the day, Sophie Byrne, winning 3 of her 4 heats to line up on pole from Dylan Curley, James Huddleston and Jake Dooley. As the youngsters all headed for the very same piece of tarmac at turn one mirrors were quickly sacrificed and paint swapped. Through the melee it was Byrne who emerged first with the Starlet of Curley right in her wheel tracks. The race quickly became a fierce battle of two parts with the race for 3rd between Huddleston and Dooley getting very heated. On the 3rd lap as Huddleston performed the perfect switchback move to get alongside Dooley he was edged unceremoniously into the pitwall and forced to wait until later in the race to demote Dooley to 4th. Meanwhile upfront Byrne was under incredible pressure from Curley, exchanging fastest laps between them the pair circled as one for the entire encounter. Championship leader Byrne withstood immense pressure and drove to a fine victory. With 5 supercars on the entry list most races were a battle between Subaru and Mitsubishi as these fire spitting monsters put in a great display of racing throughout the day. In the final no one had an answer for Andrew Morris who streaked into the distance from pole position and was never threatened all the way to the flag. Behind him the Evos of John Kelly and Derrick Jobb along with the Impreza of Paul Pascoe raced each other so hard that they lost sight of the task at hand and ended up finishing right towards the back. Thomas O’Rafferty in his Fiesta took a fantastic second place finish holding off the newer Fiesta of Declan Kelly who crossed the line in third. In the Modified B final Philip Lawless took an unexpected victory when both of his competitors ran into mechanical difficulties. The Tigra of Dessie Tierney failed to get off the line which left just Lawless and Colm Mullins to fight it out. Mullins led most of the way until a mechanical issue slowed him to almost walking pace which allowed Lawless to cruise by to take the win and with it promotion to the A final. Ian O’Connell in his Lotus Exige competed in just 2 of the 4 heats but such was his pace and confidence that he knew those two results would be enough to see him get pole for the Modified A final. Obviously with an eye firmly on the championship O’Connell chose to try get maximum points with minimal risk and his strategy paid off as he took pole position and a comfortable win in the final from Pearse Browne’s M3 and Willie Coyne’s Corsa. The next round of the Irish Rallycross championship takes place on March 3rd at Mondello Park

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Barry Rabbitt: Flying solo!