Grzegorz  Kalinecki and his Irish based Sportchip.ie team made the trip to Knockhill in Scotland for the second round of the UK Retro Rallycross championship. Extreme weather conditions made it a difficult weekend for all competitors but the trusty Integrale performed admirably all day, evening surviving a clash with a Porsche in the third heat. Conditions were worse than ever for the final but the team were confident of challenging for the win. Unfortuantely, the windscreen fogged up on the Lancia, preventing Grzegorz from challenging for the lead and instead forcing him to defend his second position. This he did perfectly, crossing the line to take runner up spot and with it a healthy dose of championship points. All this would not be possible without their sponsors and Grzegorz Kalinecki and his Sportchip Team would like to thank them for their support: – Polish food shops in Ireland “MROZ” (www.mrozdublin.ie) – www.Turbo-Tech.ie – www.TKCCC.ie – www.Mactronic.ie – www.MBCProject.co.uk

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Runner up spot for Kalinecki on first visit to Knockhill!

Finally starting to make progress on my new Suzuki after many weekends struggling to even break that magic minute! After many a sleepless nite and head melting weeks of doing laps of Mondello Park in my head trying to find out where I was going so wrong. I’d be the first person to put up my hand and say I was riding crap but I knew I wasn’t going that bad as I was literally near killing myself to do even a minute flat. I had kind of nearly accepted the fact that maybe I had lost my mojo as the past few months have been tough on my wallet but even more so my mind!! It’s very frustrating after spending heaps of dosh to have actually thundered backwards, I was expecting to be a bit slower at the start but not as bad as this! But happily after a quick map from Jog Tuning on the Saturday test day, I knocked 2 seconds off my lap straight away in my first session out!! Now I know I still got it!! Wahoooo!! Confidence in myself restored! But it wasn’t all rosy on Sunday, as in race 1 I only managed 3 laps as I got tangled up with Mr Madden on the exit of Dunlop corner which spelled the end of my weekend as the bike took some small damage and we couldn’t have it ready for Race 2.. Nevertheless we drove away a bit battered and bruised and with my pride and joy of a race bike in the back in pieces but yet still smiling and saying how good of a weekend it was!! Just chuffed we’re back on the pipe and back enjoying racing at top level! Can’t wait till the next Adelaide Mondello Masters in June. Thanks to all my followers and supporters- especially during my tough times!! Over and out from a chuffed flash!! #flashisback Till next month. Jamie#22

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Return of the Mojo- with Jamie Masterson

Rounds 2 and 3 of the MicksGarage.com Formula Sheane championship took place at the recently rejuvenated Bishopscourt Race Track near Downpatrick in Co Down. With car racing only returning to the circuit in 2012 I was yet to sample the delights of this fast flowing track which was held in such high regard by all those who sampled it last year. After round 1 at Kirkistown I took the GoldenPages.ie car to Fahys Garage in Oranmore, Galway for a comprehensive alignment check up. Many things were put right and we headed towards Bishopscourt with a sense of optimism, however I was keenly aware that the combination of a wet weather forecast, my lack of track knowledge and only two ten minute test sessions were going to make it a difficult weekend. By the time qualifying came around on Saturday evening I had yet to complete a dry lap of the circuit. The timetable for the event was very tight so our class was mixed with the Formula Vees for testing which impeded both classes terribly. Conditions for qualifying were damp but drying and I made sure to be on circuit at the end when the track was at its best. My second last lap was good enough for P3 but the data on the car showed that on my last lap I was on for a lap some 6 tenths quicker but I lost time overtaking a car. In the end I would line up P3 for race 1 and pole position for race 2 as my second fastest lap was the quickest of all drivers. Carnage on the way to turn one! Race one was a thoroughly wet affair, my first ever wet single seater race! I made a reasonable start but on the run to turn one I was tagged by the rear wheel of another car which spun me at 90 degrees to the oncoming traffic. A few swirls of the wheel and luckily I could point the car back towards turn one but I was down to almost last position. I put my head down and worked my way back through the field to P3. At turn two on lap 8 as I slowed for a yellow flag zone I was unceremoniously punted out of the race and into retirement on the grass. Race two was a much drier affair and I lined the FCR Media Racing car on pole position. I got a reasonable start but Kevin Sheane made a better one from the row behind and took the lead on the run to turn one. The balance in my car was very good and I had the confidence to push hard on the cold tyres and retook the position around the outside of the 4th gear left hander. Unfortunately it wasn’t to be for long as on turn 3 I made a driving error and ran wide, demoting myself to 7th position and in the process thumping the steering wheel in frustration! Again I had to work myself back up the order and once again got as far as 3rd place. By now the rain had returned and the safety car was deployed to collect a stranded car. Now right on the gearbox of the leading two cars I was ready for a win or bin final lap or two but twice the safety car turned its lights off only to turn them back on and in the end we never got a dash to the flag, much to my frustration. All told it was not a positive weekend, we had the pace but not the luck. I’m looking forward to returning to Mondello Park for the 45 year anniversary meeting in June where hopefully we can get our championship aspirations back on track!

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Bishopscourt Blog- with Barry Rabbitt

Sunday 12th May saw my return to the stages, on the Carlow Stages Rally, on the back roads around Tullow. Myself and Dan arrived at the rally hoping for a good result, following all the work that had been put into improving the car over the course of the last few months. The morning saw us greeted by rain as we prepared to head out onto the first loop of three stages, and this coupled with new tyres led to an interesting outlook for the day! We headed onto stage one, Sherwood, feeling confident, where we were met by extremely greasy and slippery conditions, on what was already a tough stage. This was further proven by the amount of casualties that were taken on the stage, and although fortunate enough to get to the end, we still had a small amount of drama of our own. We lost a lot of time on the stage, with hitting a bank on a square left, and then a further overshoot on a square right about mid way around the stage. We did however exit the stage happy to be lying 5th overall in the Junior section, and 1st in class 16. Following the cancellation of stage two, it was on to the much faster stage three, Bohermore. After the near misses on the first stage, I was possibly a little too cautious in places, but exited the stage holding onto 5th, and 1st in class. As we headed to service we were feeling optimistic about the loop of stages to follow, especially as the rain had eased, and the roads were beginning to somewhat dry up. Unfortunately on reaching the service area in Tullow, our hopes were put to a swift end, when we spotted a problem with the car that was set to end our rally. We opened the bonnet to find the fan belt sitting neatly in the engine bay, after the pulley had apparently sheared off. With no hope of being able to fix the problem, we were forced to call it a day. To say I was disappointed would be an understatement, but such is rallying, and these things will happen! So while it wasn’t a great start to our South East Stages campaign, if nothing else it was a great experience to get the two stages, as they gave me a few miles to get used to the new setup in the car. So to round off, I’d like to start by saying thanks to Terence and all the crew in Carlow Car Club, for a great, well run event. To my sponsors Somers garage for the pre event prep, and finally to our latest addition to the car, Joe Leslie Rally videos for all their support! So for now its time to get back to work on repairing the car, and the next event on the cards will be the Ravens Rock Rally on the 30th June. Until next time! Tonya

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Disappointing return to the stages- with Tonya Fortune

Ah isn’t it just great that racing is back. This year saw a later start in the year than most recent times this is probably a good thing given the weather in Ireland the past few weeks. Con Connolly picked me up at 6am (I’d say bright and early but it was still dark) for the drive to Kirkistown that went through frost glistening fields and a fiery sunrise over the snow capped Mourne Mountains, it was the sort of morning poets dream about. I was surprised to see snow still piled on the roadside when we reached Hillsborough and it lasted until we reached the coastline of Strangford Lough. We arrived at the track and our first stop was the cantina for a breakfast, after which I wandered around the paddock for a while chatting to a few people, and having a few cups of tea. Feeling jetlagged from my recent holiday I went for a nap in the back of the Leastone truck emerging for the start of racing. John Murphy and Colm Blackburn won the Formula Ford, and Formula Vee qualifying races before lunch. Discussing ice cream with JayTee Jay Tee alerted me onto the ice cream stand in the paddock so I tried some at lunchtime. A local farm makes it and it was out of this world. Rhubarb and custard was the top flavour if you’re heading that way during the season. The wind picked up over lunch making for a cold afternoon. I stayed at the chicane and Fishermans for most of the afternoon and watched some close racing. There were wins for Ivor McCoullough, Dylan Curley, David Beatty, and Stephen Davidson. Kevin Seane won a thrilling Sheane race that produced controversy when Robbie Allen was excluded post race, while Ray Moore ran away with the Vee race. A few incidents led to delays as the afternoon wore on and as 5pm approached there were still a few races to run. The Fomula Ford race was stopped several times for incidents, but the racing was brilliant at the front. McCoullough took his second win of the day, as the young guns of Stephen Doyle and Niall Murray gave a good account of themselves. The final races were cut short but it was still nearly 7pm by the time it was all over which was a bit late to be leaving for the drive back to Dublin.

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Kirkistown Blog- with Cregor Elliott