|
Historic Series
Phoenix Park Races
August 8th/9th 2009
By Gary Fox
Visitors to the Phoenix Park could have been forgiven for thinking they had stumbled across the filming of a classic car chase scene from an upcoming Hollywood movie, as Sunbeam Tigers zipped between the trees pursued relentlessly by MG Midgets.
A bumper field of pristine Historic racing cars took to the Phoenix Park race track much to the pleasure of the gathered spectators.
Making its Phoenix Park debut was the new Crossle 9S BMW of David Kelly.
Built by Crossle in Northern Ireland, Kelly gave the Crossle its debut at Kirkistown in late July before taking it to the Phoenix Park.
Kelly is delighted with the performance of his new car, he said “It handles like a dream and there’s a hell of a lot more to come from it.”
Judging by the performance of Kelly and his Crossle at the Phoenix Park the Historic class could have a new star performer. All weekend Kelly was dazzling the crowd with some blistering lap times before taking a well earned victory on Sunday to crown a remarkable weekend.
The pace of David Kelly and his closest challenger Stephen Doyle was evident for all to see when they lapped the entire field up the third place during the first race of the day on Sunday.
Another man on form was the veteran Ed Cassidy, who despite an early set back fought his way up from the back of the field.
Tommy Doherty in the distinctive Capri kept the crowds entertained with his unique racing style.
It was role reversal in race two on Sunday when Stephen Doyle managed to hold off the flying David Kelly, to grab what was a much deserved victory. Doyle and Kelly had treated spectators to a titanic battle over the course of the weekend and a victory for each racer was a fair result.
The always entertaining Alan Kessie in the striking Gryphone C73 came home in third spot after scorching through the field.
Taking place over two days in the landmark Dublin venue, the Phoenix Park races are one of the main events of the racing calendar.
For many motorsport fans, it was a unique occasion to see the Historic class away from the race track and back on the normal roads where they had traditionally raced for many years.
This year saw the 80th anniversary of the Irish Grand Prix and the Historic class didn’t disappoint in terms of action or incident.
The undeniable attraction of the Phoenix Park brought out a large field and the racing undoubtedly benefitted.
According to the Office of Public Works estimates, over 35k spectators visited the park over the course of the weekend.
This massive turnout was a validation of all the hard work undertaken by the many organisers and also each individual class including the Historics who have to work hard to make events like this a success. Without the classes there would be no events.
Many of the 35k spectators gathered around turn one and were rewarded with some of the most dramatic action on both days.
Neimh, who was attending the races for the first time said, “I had never heard about the races until a friend of mine suggested we go, it has been a brilliant day out, it’s something different to go to and it’s free.”
Another first time attendee was Luis from Barcelona, who was in Dublin on holidays with his family, he said “I have never seen anything like this, in Spain they never race on normal roads, with the park and all the scenery, its crazy, I love it.”
For the first time the paddock was based at Farmleigh House. Formerly owned by the famous Guinness family, Farmleigh is now owned by the Irish Government, hosting visiting dignitaries and other functions.
Ann Stevens from Motorsport Ireland highlighted the success of the event and the new venue for the paddock, she said “Running from Farmleigh was a new venue for us and obviously there were some logistical issues which we need to review for 2010 but overall we were very happy and delighted with the support we received from the Office of Public Works (OPW) both in Farmleigh and in the Park itself, the Gardai, HSE, Motorsport Ireland, the sponsors and the competitors.”
What many spectators are not aware of is the fact that the marshals and a vast majority of the organisers are all unpaid volunteers who give so much of their time for the love of motorsport.
A vast array of issues and challenges face the organising team before they can even get the first race underway. Ann Stevens explains, “Sponsorship in current economic environment – (is) practically impossible to get. It was a real struggle to get sponsorship even from sponsors who have supported the Park for many years.
The event only ran due to massive budget reductions, revamping the circuit build to reduce transportation, labour and other costs, and examining in minute detail every expense item on the budget in order to achieve the budget reduction. We now have a 'lean' template to bring the event forward with even in hard times.”
John Whitley has been involved in the Phoenix Park races for over the last 12 years, having started as a marshal before becoming the one of the driving forces behind the staging of racing in the Park.
He outlined the logistical issues involved in staging such an event on such a large scale, he said “The park has to be built from scratch; everything from crash barriers to chicanes must be built.
This requires a huge amount of man hours, coupled with meticulous planning.
It takes the guts of ten days to build it, but it will come down a lot quicker.”
John outlined the challenges faced by the organisers each year, “The ground is so soft there, if it’s wet at all, it becomes very difficult to get stuff such as teleporters in and out of the park.
Four forty foot (trucks) must come up from Mondello with gear. Round straw bales also have to come in from a local farmer, so getting all that in and put out is tough.
Concrete dividers also have to come in and be put up, but they can only be put up on Thursday and Friday or they would be blocking footpaths.”
The layout of the course remains roughly unchanged from year to year and has been that way for the last ten years.
The almost magical attraction of the Phoenix Park races is a recurring theme when speaking to those involved, John summed it up, “It’s something completely different; you are racing in between the trees and on roads everyone else is driving on all year.”
As with all motorsport events in Ireland, safety is the number one concern. Each year the park construction team work to a safety plan that has been drawn up with intricate detail by Motorsport Ireland.
This plan ensures not just the safety of the drivers but the thousands of spectators who turn up each year. It covers details such as where barriers must be set and where trees must be covered with protective wrapping.
|
