A welcome cooling breeze visited Kirkistown last Saturday after a week of torrid temperatures, but happily it failed to dispel the distinct whiff of nostalgia that permeated the 500 Motor Racing Club of Ireland’s June event.
With races for Pre-55 sportscars, Mondello-based Historic Racing Car Association competitors and even Austin Sevens, not to mention pre-’90 Formula Fords, there was plenty to spark memories. And the on-track action didn’t disappoint.
Simon Brien’s immaculate C-type Jaguar was the class of the Pre-55 field on both its outings, booming round well ahead of an interesting array of mature machinery. Brien won from Austin Baird’s lovely Talbot 95/105 and the unique MG-based Iona Special of Edmund Cassidy on both occasions. Behind them, Luke Bailey’s 4.4-litre Bentley gave spirited chase to keep Dermot Johnson’s magnificent Alfa 1750 at bay, pursued by the ever-enthusiastic Ali Carver’ s 30/98 Vauxhall.
The top trio did it again in the second race, which was red flagged after just four laps when Andrew Bailey’s three-litre Bentley decided to become a firework on the front straight, happily without serious damage to either itself or its intrepid pilot.
Carver then reappeared for both of the Austin Seven races, and promptly won both from David Wylie.
A small HRCA grid was dominated by the might of Jackie Cochrane and his Sunbeam Tiger who took race one ahead of Stephen Kelly’s fleet Mallock after Mark Russell’s Morgan retired. The Morgan remained in the paddock for the sequel and, when the Tiger went back to its lair after eight laps, Kelly took the victory.
Parks was among the frontrunners as FF1600 drivers put on a show
Photo by: Jimmy Graham
It was left to FF1600 to provide the nail-biting action, and it certainly delivered. Two races for the Northern Irish championship concluded with victories for Dave Parks in his 1989 Reynard in race one and Ian Campbell’s more modern Ray in race two, both of them challenged from start to finish by Alan Davidson’s 1989 Mondiale. All three managed to lead at some point, and the results were in doubt all the way.
The third race – for pre-’90 machinery only – again featured a Parks and Davidson fight, with Davidson emerging triumphant this time, albeit by just 0.110 seconds after 15 hectic laps.
Elsewhere in a busy programme, Jim Larkham took a brace of Roadsports wins with the supporting Global GT brigade headed by Cameron Fenton and Peter Drennan next in line.
A brace of split grid affairs for Mini Coopers and Ford Fiestas ended with James Turkington winning one Mini race and Taylor Frizzell the other, while two very close-fought Fiesta battles were resolved with Travis Mawhinney declared the winner in both after Neville Anderson was penalised post-flag in a percussive race two after finishing ahead on the road.
The Mazda MX-5 field was dominated (again) by Craig Ewing who, having won the opener at a canter, swapped cars with ‘team-mate’ Alan Wallace for the second encounter, started from the back row, and won again! For the record, placemen in race one were Chris Radcliffe and Pete Gilchrist, while Paul McAlinden pipped Gilchrist for second in race two.
Ewing swapped cars, started from the back and still won in Modi-5-Cup
Photo by: Jimmy Graham
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– The Autosport.com Team
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