The Scottish Mini Coopers were the headline attraction at Kirkistown on Saturday and they certainly lived up to expectations, producing a series of entertaining races throughout the day.
Carrickfergus driver Jack Irvine arrived at the meeting leading the championship, but Scottish rivals Chad Little and Michael Williams were determined to challenge him on home ground. Both outqualified Irvine during the morning session, with Little securing pole position for all three races.
Little converted that advantage into victory in the opening two races without ever surrendering the lead, while in the third race he needed four laps to move into a winning position before going on to complete a clean sweep. Irvine had to settle for three runner-up finishes, with Williams taking third place in each contest.
The other local representative in the class, Lisburn driver Presley Barratt, endured a frustrating afternoon. He finished seventh in race one before retiring from the second race with mechanical problems and was unable to take the start for race three.
The Modi-5 Cup races also provided plenty of entertainment. In the opening encounter, Dundonald’s Craig Ewing produced a remarkable opening lap, sweeping around the outside of rivals at Debtor’s Dip to surge from the back of the grid into second place.
Two laps later he had taken the lead from Donacloney’s Chris Radcliffe, who found himself battling with Greenisland’s Peter Gilchrist, Loughinisland’s Paul McAlinden and Holywood’s Stuart Annesley. At the chequered flag, Ewing emerged victorious ahead of Gilchrist, while Annesley completed the podium.
Ewing repeated the feat in race two, charging from last to first in just three laps. This time Annesley finished second, with McAlinden claiming third place.
New commentator David Evans faced a challenging task throughout the combined Kirkistown Mini Coopers and Kirkistown Fiestas races, with intense battles taking place simultaneously in both classes.
At the front of the Coopers field, Ballyclare’s Taylor Frizzell and Portadown’s James Turkington were engaged in a thrilling and respectful duel, exchanging positions repeatedly throughout the race. Newtownards driver Ryan Hogg remained close behind, waiting to capitalise on any mistake.
That opportunity came when Frizzell received a five-second penalty for track limits infringements. Although he crossed the line level with Turkington, the penalty dropped him to third place behind Hogg in the final classification.
The Fiestas delivered equally dramatic action. Richhill’s Travis Mawhinney, Whitewood’s Lorcan McGivney and Banbridge’s Neville Anderson traded positions throughout a fiercely contested race that included plenty of close contact. Mawhinney eventually broke clear on lap 10 to secure victory by 3.5 seconds, while Anderson edged McGivney by just 0.12 seconds in the battle for second.
The second combined race proved only marginally easier to follow. Once again, Frizzell and Turkington fought for victory in the Coopers class, while Hogg remained in contention despite developing gearbox problems.
Frizzell held the lead for eight laps before Turkington finally found a way through, eventually taking victory by just 0.3 seconds. Hogg’s gearbox issues worsened as the race progressed, opening the door for Newtownabbey’s John Williamson to claim the first podium finish of his career.
The Fiesta race was more straightforward, with Anderson taking a comfortable victory. He crossed the line eight seconds clear of Mawhinney, who in turn finished seven seconds ahead of McGivney.
Although the Roadsports category attracted relatively small entries, it featured the fastest machinery of the day. Newtownabbey’s Jim Larkham claimed victory in race one aboard his Radical PR6, finishing ahead of Youghal driver Mike Ward and Holywood’s Hal Catherwood in a Crosslé 9S.
Ward’s challenge ended before race two even began when his car failed on the starting grid. Larkham duly completed a double victory, again finishing ahead of Catherwood.
The Formula Ford 1600 races also produced plenty of drama. Ballymena’s Ben Smith looked set to secure victory in the opening race after crossing the line two seconds ahead of Dundalk’s Ian Campbell. However, a five-second penalty for exceeding track limits dropped Smith to second place.
That promoted Campbell to victory, while Carrickmacross driver Trevor Delaney finished third after a gripping battle with Ballina’s Dave Parks. Just 0.2 seconds separated the pair at the finish.
Smith made amends in race two, securing the first car-racing victory of his career with a convincing drive that saw him finish two seconds clear of Campbell. Behind them, the battle between Parks and Delaney continued, with Parks taking third place by just 0.3 seconds.
The race was brought to an early conclusion when a serious accident involving Armagh’s David Nicholl and Belfast’s Allan McBurney resulted in a red flag with only 38 seconds remaining. The incident was caused by a mechanical component failure, but fortunately both drivers escaped injury.
Attention now turns to the next race meeting at Kirkistown on Saturday, June 27. The event will feature pre-1955 racing cars, Austin Sevens, HRCA machinery and the usual domestic championship classes.
Spectators will also be treated to demonstration laps from a stunning Lola T70, a car whose iconic sound alone is expected to be one of the highlights of the day.
