Autumn Race Meeting Report

25 September 2010

Jonny Crowned Champion

 

The 2010 racing season ended on a high note as expected, a 12 race programme with a double header to round off a brilliant Formula Ford season at the County Down venue.

 

Reigning champion John Ferguson, teenager Jonny McMullen and Mike Edgar all were in contention to become the 2010 champion.

 

However it was Raymond Lusty who gained pole with Morgan Dempsey alongside for the first race. Lusty returned from the USA to drive a Swift run by AMG Motorsport.

 

Dempsey just got the nose of his Van Diemen ahead and at the second corner with cars flying off, Lusty and Edgar were briefly off the circuit. This left Dempsey and Ivor McCullough to battle it out for the top spot, lap after lap and at the flag it was McCullough by a very slender margin.

 

Lusty was on pole for the second race from McCullough, Ferguson was on his own on row three, Edgar on row four and McMullen back on the fifth row. Just like the Martin Donnelly Trophy Neville Smyth made the break and gradually he pulled away from the battle.

 

Lusty pursued to loose second to McCullough, meanwhile Ferguson was in the heat of the battle. McMullen ever careful of a finish came under the close attention of McGarrity and on the last corner of the final lap, a parked Formula Ford close to the track, Ferguson made contact, loosing a place, still he finished fifth with McMullen on his tail, enough to give the teenager the title and hardly anyone noticed Smyth's immaculate drive to victory.

 

The Formula Vee was also decided and after the Leinster Trophy meeting two drivers were in contention. The two contenders occupied the front row with Ray Moore on pole from Dan Polley. The latter after his resounding victory in the Leinster Trophy was more than keen to take the title.

 

It all went wrong for the pair as they collided at Fisherman's to visit the local scenery, the title going to Moore as Robert Casey took the flag.

 

Ginetta Juniors made their first visit to the County Down circuit, two races with championship leader Niall Murray finishing third in the first and winning the second. Andrew O'Brien who started from pole in race one went on to win.

 

Jackie Cochrane won both the Historic races with his Sunbeam Tiger and in the Touring Car/GT races, the double for Robin Titterington in his Porsche GT3, best of the tin tops Stephen Traub in race one and Ralph Jess in race two.

 

A small entry in the Formula Libre races and once again the double for Dan Daly with his Holden powered Reynard. Mark Campbell was the pacesetter in Roadsports in the absence of Stephen Donnelly with Mark Crawford winning the N.I. Sevens championship.

 

Ginetta Junior: Race 1.

  1. Andrew O'Brien 14 laps in 17m 13.43s (73.74mph)
  2. Jake Byrne +4.16s
  3. Niall Murray
  4. Andrew Watson
  5. Joel Richardson
  6. Sean Doyle
  7. Andrew Clarke
  8. James Fleming
  9. Megan Kessie
  10. Sophie Byrne

Race 2:

  1. Murray 11 laps in 13m 36.37s (73.34mph)
  2. Byrne +4.70s
  3. Doyle
  4. Watson
  5. Fleming
  6. Eamon Horan
  7. Byrne
  8. Kessie

Touring Cars/GTs: Race 1

  1. Robin Titterington (Porsche GT3) 13 laps in 14m 07.55s (83.49mph)
  2. Stephen Traub (Honda Integra) +12.55s
  3. Ralph Jess (BMW M3)
  4. Greg Simpson (Porsche 911)
  5. Tony Traub (Honda Integra)
  6. Greer Wray (Vauxhall Vectra)
  7. Peter Carvill (SEAT Cupra)
  8. Richard O'Mahoney (Porsche 993)
  9. Donal O'Neill (SEAT Cupra)
  10. Sam Lyle (Ford Escort)

Race 2

  1. Titterington 12 laps in 13m 10.18s (82.66mph)
  2. Jess +8.83s
  3. Stephen Traub
  4. Tony Traub
  5. Simpson
  6. Carvill
  7. O'Neill
  8. O'Mahoney
  9. Wray
  10. Lyle

Roadsports:

  1. Mark Campbell (Radical Clubsport) 16 laps in 16m 43.95s (86.75mph)
  2. Ian Trevor (Westfield) + 9.81s
  3. John Benson (Sylva)
  4. Mark Crawford (Stryker)
  5. Ryan Magennis (Locost)
  6. Colin Reid (Locost)
  7. Jimmy Dougan (Locost)
  8. Andrew Parkinson (Indy)
  9. Johnny Armstrong (Westfield)
  10. Davis Buick (Indy)

Historics: Race 1

  1. Jackie Cochrane (Sunbeam Tiger) 12 laps in 13m 15.39s (82.12mph)
  2. Bernard Foley (MGB GTV8) +45.14s;
  3. John McCandless (Ginetta)
  4. Pete Murray (BMW 535)
  5. Leo Nulty (Hillman Imp)
  6. Mark Kelly (MG Midget)
  7. Martin O'Sullivan (Porsche 924)
  8. Noel Kavanagh (MGB)

Race 2

  1. Cochrane 12 laps in 13m 40.67s (79.59mph)
  2. McCandless +19.15s
  3. Foley
  4. Murray
  5. Nulty
  6. O'Sullivan
  7. Barry Smith (MG Midget)
  8. Kavanagh

Formula Libre: Race 1.

  1. Dan Daly (Reynard 92D) 16 laps in 16m 22.48s (88.64mph)
  2. Ivor Greenwood (Radical Prosport) + 2.28s
  3. Peter Dwyer (Dallara)
  4. Jim Larkham (Radical Pro6)
  5. Geoffrey Moffett (Van Diemen)
  6. Philip Shields (Tatus Honda)

Race 2

  1. Daly 9 laps in 9m 29.01s (86.09mph)
  2. Eugene Heary (Reynard) + 7.23s
  3. Dwyer
  4. Larkham

Formula Vee:

  1. Robert Casey (Sheane FV98) 15 laps in 16m 58.90s (80.13mph)
  2. Robbie Allen (Sheane FV03) + 3.76s
  3. David Heavey (Leastone JH004)
  4. Lloyd Murphy (Sheane FV95)
  5. Adam MaCauley (Sheane FV01)
  6. Morgan McCourt (Leastone JH004)
  7. Damien Murphy (Sheane FV01)
  8. Ger Byrne (Sheane FV01)
  9. Jimmy Furlong (Sheane FV88)
  10. Gavin Barr (Leastone JH002)

Formula Ford 1600: Race 1

  1. Ivor McCullough (Van Diemen RF00) 16 laps in 16m 40.17s (87.07mph)
  2. Morgan Dempsey (Van Diemen LA10) +0.06s
  3. John Ferguson (Ray GR07)
  4. Scott McGarrity (Van Diemen RF08)
  5. Jonathan McMullen (Van Diemen RF92)
  6. Neville Smyth (Ray GR07)
  7. Raymond Lusty (Swift SC96)
  8. Michael Edgar (Van Diemen RF90)
  9. Stephen Daly (Ray GR05)
  10. Adrian Pollock (Van Diemen RF92)

Race 2.

  1. Smyth 15 laps in 16m 46.86s (81.09mph)
  2. McCullough +1.30s
  3. Dempsey
  4. Daly
  5. Ferguson
  6. McMullen
  7. Pollock
  8. Edgar
  9. Andrew Ritchie (Mondiale M89S)
  10. Ryan Templeton (Crossle 32F)
Posted by PMcCollum on 27/9/2010; Last updated by PMcCollum on 27/9/2010