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Kirkistown Circuit
25th July
Historic Championship
By Gary Fox
Jackie Cochrane cemented his grip on the 2009 Historic Championship with two flawless performances at the Northern Ireland circuit.
Cochrane signalled his intent early in the day with a perfect qualifying session which saw him over a second quicker than his nearest challenger.
A new challenger for the Historic class emerged from the blazing sunshine of Kirkistown, the gleaming Crossle 9S BMW of David Kelly.
Despite only having one day to familiarize himself with the new car, Kelly was producing some extremely quick times.
Making its debut on the County Down track the Crossle drew attention from all corners and will undoubtedly be the star attraction in the Historic class for some time to come.
Not to be outdone by the new Crossle, Jackie Cochrane had freshly sprayed his Sunbeam Tiger in an eye catching red.
Despite starting on pole, Cochrane endured a terrible start, slipping back to third spot in the opening stages.
Finding himself in the unusual position of third, Cochrane was soon making progress, slipping past Stephen Doyle on the second lap.
Further back, the distinct Imp of Leo Nulty was again attracting spectator attention. Possessing a mere one litre engine the Imp has been extremely impressive on both its outings so far this season and once the remaining technical problems have been ironed it, it is going to cause a number of headaches for the challengers at the top of the field.
Normal service had resumed by lap three when Cochrane blitzed past David Kelly. Kelly’s impressive early form was halted by a mechanical problem mid race when the engine coil forced early retirement.
Hugh Webb entertained the spectators gathered at the Chicane with a full 360 degree spin before he somehow managed to correct himself before speeding off again.
By mid-race the front pairing of Jackie Cochrane and Stephen Doyle had a comfortable margin to spare from the chasing pack.
A bumper Historic field proved to be the highlight of the meeting for the many spectators gathered at the old RAF base.
Kirkistown offers a fresh challenge to drivers at this stage of the season, the blisteringly fast circuit, dubbed “the fastest circuit in Ireland” was formerly an RAF base before transforming into a race track in 1953.
Located on the Ards Peninsula, one of the most scenic locations in Northern Ireland, it attracts crowds from all over the country.
Measuring just 1.5 miles, the circuit has two trademark long yearning straights; broken only by three turns and a tricky chicane, and if not given enough respect will surprise the less experienced driver.
Despite suffering a spin down on the hairpin corner, Ed Cassidy recovered from well down the field to record a worthy sixth position.
The Doyle brothers of Stephen and Simon were involved at the sharp end of the field, Stephen continuing his excellent run of form, clinching second spot, with Simon just missing out on making it a Doyle double on the podium in fourth spot.
Race two was once again the domain of Jackie Cochrane as he made it two wins from two starts.
With David Kelly ruled out due to mechanical problems, Cochrane was free to clinch his second victory of the day despite a valiant effort from Stephen Doyle.
This time it was a Doyle double with Stephen in second and Simon taking third.
Once again Cochrane suffered a poor start, with both Doyle brothers slip streaming past him down into Colonial.
Sadly for the Doyle brothers race two followed the same pattern of the race earlier in the day with Cochrane once again charging up from third spot to secure top spot within three laps.
The story of the day was the battle between the Doyle brothers as the duelled behind Cochrane for second spot.
Further back in the field, Bernard Foley was using every ounce of his race craft to hold off the charging Leo Nulty, Foley and Nulty coming home in sixth and seventh respectively.
Herbert Hutchinson powered across the finish line in fourth spot to add to his third place finish earlier in the day.
Garth Maxwell, Vincent O’Reilly, Tommy Doherty, Clive Brandon and Pete Murray were all engaged in a frantic clash back in the heart of the pack.
As the Championship enters the closing stages, Jackie Cochrane appears to have an unassailable lead, but Stephen Doyle is still well in the hunt.
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