Mondello Easter Sunday
http://blog.askracing.com/?p=138
Mondello’s traditional Easter Sunday meeting provided some great entertainment and close racing in various classes. Formula Vee is incredibly close this year and round three was certainly no exception. The fun started during Saturday testing. Paul Grogan was setting up the timing system for Sunday and so times were available to everyone…..until some of the top guys removed their transponders! One man who left his on though, was Dave Kelly and at the end of the day most agreed that he had set the pace with an incredible 60.4. It looks like it is not beyonds the realms of possibility that a Vee might break the magic minute in the near future! Who would have thought that could ever be a possibility? When I raced Vees (at the risk of sounding like Uncle Albert’s “During the war…” rant!) the top guys were in the mid 62 seconds bracket and rarely did anyone dip into the high 61s. Mind you, that was before the advent of Doherty engines and of course the new for 2010 Avon tyres. Kelly managed to comfortably qualify on pole, even coming into the pits during the session to watch the monitor as he felt there was oil down at the esses and his pole was safe. In the race, Kelly led until Robert Casey outfoxed him on the exit of Dunlop and made it stick going down into turn one. Kelly fought back though and seemed to have plenty of pace, despite looking ragged on occasion. He eventually spun coming into the esses and dropped down the order but I have a feeling his first win might not be too far away. Ian Campbell continued to impress in his debut year, the former model car racer qualifying an astonishing third but unfortunately he came to grief out at Bridgestone early on, bringing out the safety car for a few laps. This allowed Kevin O’Hara, who had bogged down badly at the start but fought back superbly, to close the gap to the leaders. Unfortunately, throttle linkage problems slowed him at the restart (or else he was alseep- you decide!) and despite setting fastest lap in the closing stages, had to settle for fifth. Casey took the win then, from series leader Lee Newsome with his Ray Moore in third, having closed on the leaders in the latter stages.
Title favourite Andy O’Brien took the first Ginetta win, although Sean Doyle shadowed him all the way, whilst poleman Jake Byrne set fastest lap after an early off. A vastly improved Andrew Clarke took the final podium position having fought off the attentions of Andrew Watson for the duration. In race two, Byrne led away but either went a little wide at turn one, or was helped(!) and as Doyle, Byrne and O’Brien swiftly discovered, three into (turn) two won’t go. O’Brien lost out, retiring on the spot whilst Doyle grabbed the lead with Byrne in close attendance. Jake has shown flashes of serious pace since he began racing last year but one felt he lacked the necessary aggression to run consistantly at the front. These myths were dispelled however, as he shadowed his team mate until the last corner when he lunged down the inside and took the lead. he appeared to slow slightly on the exit however with a delighted Doyle winning the drag race to the line for the win. “I hit him mid corner”, Jake explained later,” and I didn’t want to win the race that way so I backed out of it!” I don’t know, he must get his manners from his mother!
A delighted John Cardoo qualified his immaculate Mini on pole for the first Historic race ahead of all the big V8s etc but unfortunately clutch problems put him out early on. Ex FF1600 driver Billy Crosbie led in the early stages in his unusual Lotus Seven Series IV, as Jackie Cochrane’s rumbling V8 Tiger fought its way up through the grid after problems in qualifying. The Tiger soon resumed its normal position at the front of the field, but Crosbie was far from finished, keeping the pressure on and crossing the line just over a second adrift. Race two, however, was far more exciting. With Crosbie being hauled in by the CoC to explain a fuel leak, and Cochrane retiring on lap one, Bernard Foley was left in the lead in his BGT V8 but another ex Formula Fordster, Tommy Doherty was right with him in the ASK Racing Porsche 944 Turbo. Tommy almost overcooked it into the Esses on lap one but recovered and gradually closed the gap, both obviously right on the limit. An elated Foley hung on for his first win with “Tommy Doc” shadowing him over the line after a great battle. It was a hot day, and neither have the proportions of a ballerina so unsurprisingly both were tired but delighted afterwards!
Alan Kessie en route to victory in the GT Endurance race. Image from Chester.ie
The GT series finally kicked off also, with a straightforward sprint race and then a 40 minute endurance run for them later in the afternoon. Connaire Finn’s beautiful OPC Ginetta G50 proved the class of the field in race one, despite the best efforts of Pat McBennett’s tidily driven Honda powered Elise. Ronayne O’Mahony’s lone Dunlop Supercar completed the poduim with ASK boss Alan Kessie coming out tops in a hectic scrap with Philip Jones for the honour of first Porsche home! In race two, with the pitstop times weighted to handicap the cars according to their speed, Kessie, again despatched Jones early, rattling off consistant laps in the low 60 second bracket to draw him well clear of the rest after the pitstops. Pat McBennett closed the gap towards the end but Kessie crossed the line well clear for a popular win with Bob Cameron, making a welcome return to Mondello in the “Pink Pig” in third. The 40 min race was a bit of a snoozefest if I am honest, with it did trigger the quote of the day from Cregor Elliot, guesting in the commentary box for some of the day (and doing a fine job as ever) when he quipped: “I knew it was supposed to be an Endurance race, but not for us!”
Max Drennan won both Global races, swappping places wth Bernie Braden numerous times in what looked like suspiciously heavily scripted race two! Only when Ivor Miller closed in on the battling duo was the script torn up! Derek Hogan was unlucky not to finish race two, coming to grief when he tried to pass Braden on the outside of Bridgestone. He had already claimed his first podium in race one, showing real pace with a fastest lap just a tenth off Drennan.
That’s all for this time guys, It’s the Adelaide Masters Bikes for me this weekend and then the cars are back at Mondello for more fun and games on the 15th of May! See you there!
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