This year’s Martin Donnelly Trophy promised much in the days leading up to it. But a capacity 26-car grid of Formula Ford 1600 machines at Kirkistown last weekend surpassed most expectations, and that was before all 26 lined up to do battle in bright sunshine. With United Championship points available as well as the local Northern Irish ones, there was potential for plenty of action.
Jason Smyth – back home after his truncated GB4 adventure – picked up where he left off last year and, starting from pole, successfully fended off race-long challenges from Ronan Doherty and Niall Murray in the opener, although his pursuers never stopped trying.
A red-flag stoppage on lap two to tidy things up after Maris Schulte and Ian Campbell left the piste following a territorial dispute gave the challengers another chance, but 2025 Formula Ford Festival and Walter Hayes Trophy conqueror Smyth was equal to it all. Jordan Kelly was next in line at the flag, with less than a second covering them after 12 laps. They were followed home by Anthony Amato and the redoubtable Dave Parks, whose ageing 1989 Reynard proved to be remarkably spry. And that was just the opener.
Most turned out for race two, for the Martin Donnelly Trophy itself. Missing from the line-up, however, was Jordan Dempsey, whose Medina had been damaged during the first bout.
Otherwise it was business as before, with Smyth somehow staying ahead despite the best efforts of Murray and Doherty, along with Kelly, Morgan Quinn, Campbell and Amato – who were all trying very hard to be on the podium. In truth, they all probably deserved to be on the rostrum, but it was Smyth’s day.
Buckley also had to work hard to defend against Formula Vee contenders for Emerson Fittipaldi Trophy victory
Photo by: Jimmy Graham
Not to be outdone, Formula Vee provided another double winner in the shape of Gavin Buckley, who used all his considerable guile to defeat a determined Sean McClements, with Kieran Hannon and Jack Byrne also on his case. Buckley’s reward was the Emerson Fittipaldi Trophy, which he had never won before although he has won almost everything else!
Elsewhere there were double victories for Mike Ward’s dominant Radical PR6 in Roadsports, Craig Ewing in Mazda MX-5s, and Travis Mawhinney headed the pair of Fiesta Zetecs. Taylor Frizzell and James Turkington shared the honours among the concurrent Mini Cooper battles, while Roisin Sweeney and Enda O’Connor took a Formula Sheane win apiece in what was a great finale to the Kirkistown season.
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– The Autosport.com Team
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