Reynolds and McGrath Share The Spoils At Season Opener - 2026 Bill Griffin Motors Irish Stryker Championship

Dave Reynolds leads Kevin McGrath and Roger Welaratne during the Bill Griffin Motors Irish Stryker race at Mondello Park. 

Mondello Park hosted the opening rounds of the 2026 Bill Griffin Motors Irish Stryker Championship at the weekend. Last season came right down to the wire with Kevin McGrath taking the title at a dramatic  last race decider. This season's opening round was as equally exciting with McGrath once again in the thick of it. His rival this time was Baltinglass  man Dave Reynolds. Sadly the grid has lost some of the regular drivers due to retirement but nonetheless the series will grow again in the coming rounds again with new drivers due to make their debuts next time out. 

The weather was fine but there were slight showers around which damped the track in places but that only added a challenge for the drivers as the took to qualifying. It was Reynolds who took first blood and an extra point for taking pole position. Qualifying was tight with the first three covered by less than a second. Reynolds lined up on pole with McGrath beside him. Richie Byrne and Roger Welaratne lined up on row two. 

As the lights went out it was the men from row two who got the better starts as Byrne and Welaratne lead the field into turn one. McGrath was third and Reynolds fourth and both were quickly trying to find a way by the men ahead to gap the other. After a hectic opening lap Reynolds had made his way to the front and his car sounded better than last year and it was visably quicker in a straight line too. He had Byrne between him and McGrath for the next couple of laps, giving him a chance to build up a lead. Byrne was in top form however and was not letting McGrath past without a fight. McGrath didn't want to drop time though and once past he began to chase down Reynolds. 

Richie Byrne leads Des Meehan during the Bill Griffin Motors Irish Stryker race at Mondello Park.

Over the next laps the leader had been caught and the front two had a comfortable gap to the battle for third between Welaratne and Byrne. It was a game of cat and mouse as both had better pace than the other in different sectors of the track. As the race drew nearer to the end Reynolds upped his pace and had enough of a gap to take the win by 0.3 of a second. Welaratne cam home in third ahead of Des Meehan who was back out after his big off at the final round last year. After purchasing the ex Jonathan Taylor car which finished runner up in the championship last year. He showed no loss of talent finishing in fourth and promised to be " higher up next time out once he has the car setup the way he likes it and more testing done."

For race two the grid was reversed and again Byrne and Welaratne lead the field into turn one. This time though Reynolds was a bit too eager and a while trying to pass McGrath in turn two he spun and dropped right down to last. Surely McGrath who now had got into the lead would run away with this one. Byrne and Welaratne once again battled  it out with Meehan in the mix too, for the first half of the race. Reynolds now with his car pointing in the right direction set about catching whoever he could. His pace was a lot faster and he began to close in on the field quickly. Luckily for him time was on his side. He picked them off one by one and without getting held up he could possibly catch the leader. He set the fastest lap of the race with a 1.01.1 lap which was six tenths quicker than McGrath in the lead. 

Dave Reynolds leads Kevin McGrath during the Bill Griffin Motors Irish Stryker race at Mondello Park.

Roger Welaratne during the Bill Griffin Motors Irish Stryker race at Mondello Park.

As the laps began to run out he was just on his tail. Welaratne was now comfortable in third ahead of Byrne but the first two positions still were not set in stone. With a lap to go Reynolds made his move into turn one and took the lead in a brilliant drive but the man from Naas was not going to lie down. Last year proved he could fight to the end and by turn three he made his move down the inside of Reynolds to retake the lead. Once he used the defending line on the final corners the win was his. He did and it was and it was fitting both men came away with a win. 

Des Meehan during the Bill Griffin Motors Irish Stryker race at Mondello Park.

Aaron Evans during the Bill Griffin Motors Irish Stryker race at Mondello Park.

Speaking afterwards McGrath was both happy and relived to have won. " Me and Dave a great battle all weekend with Dave getting an extra point for pole and fastest lap to my one fastest lap so it will be all to play for as we go up north next time out. We had two great race and that last one he got me into turn one but I made a move into turn three and thankfully was able to hold it to the line to take the win. Hopefully it will be like that all season long."

Reynolds was as happy to but annoyed with himself after coming all the way back to take the lead and loose it again" The car was flying, we did a lot of work over the winter, a lot of research, time in the gym so I'm delighted how it went today. We are now down to the 1.01's which we weren't at last year so that is a big step forward. Looking forward to Bishopscourt now and see if we can get a win there too and push the class on social media and build it up and get more cars out.

Kevin McGrath, centre, with his son Jack aged 2, and Dave Reynolds, left, and Roger Welaratne after Bill Griffin Motors Irish Stryker race at Mondello Park.

Dave Reynolds, centre, with Kevin McGrath, left, and Roger Welaratne after Bill Griffin Motors Irish Stryker race at Mondello Park.

McCluskey Does the Double - PartsForCars IRX Irish Rallycross Championship

After the long winter break the change of season to spring saw the return of the PartsForCars IRX Irish Rallycross Championship to Mondello Park for rounds 5 and 6 of the series. Rallycross continues to grow especially in the junior classes with a brilliant grid of sixteen cars lining up on the grid at the weekend and with at least two more to join them in the near future it bodes well for the future of the sport. 

The announcement of Mondello Park hosting a round of the FIA European Rallycross Championship on the 19th of July has also boosted the grid in Supercars with Gary Donoghue and John McCluskey arriving to the event with a pair of Honda Civic's. Michael Leonard was back out for some time in a VW Polo. The IRX Modified class was boosted by English visitor Jason Bleasdale in his Vauxhall VX220 as well as the strong Northen Irish contingent. 

In the IRX Juniors Eoin Dooley from Tallaght debued his new mini having outpaced his old ford fiesta in the last few rounds it was time for a change and improve his results. This he did immediately with topping the results in three of his heats over the weekend. He scored a third place in the final on Saturday but his first final win came on Sunday with a brilliant drive. All weekend he pushed champion Logan Hoey and series leader to his limits for the first time this year the talented county Louth man didn't have it all his own way. He took the win in the final on Saturday from Hugo Loonam with Dooley in third. Dooley now more familiar with his new car set about taking his first win of the series. 

Once again it was between him Hoey and Hugo Loonam. Throughout the heats they all battled hard but fair and all lined up on the front row of the grid for the final. Loonam got the best start and lead the field and held Hoey off but a mistake at the final corner meant Hoey got a better run down the straight and took the lead. Dooley took the joker lap early and made up time on those ahead while they battled. Then the red flags came out and it was a re run where once again Dooley took an early joker lap which he again used to his advantage. He held the lead over Hoey on the final lap to take his maiden win. 

" It's been a fantastic weekend. We finally got the mini finished but didn't know where we would be in terms of pace. I got to grips with the car very quick and swapped lap records with Logan Hoey all weekend. I used the early joker in the first run of the final and it worked so I did it again in the re-run and it proved the right thing to do as it gave me the advantage to hold the lead to the line and take my first win."

Hoey was happy with his weekend too, " The weekend went well taking the win on Saturday and a second on Sunday. I had trouble on the grid ahead of the re-ran final as the car cut out and wouldn't start for a few minutes. It did eventually but I didn't make a good start and dropped to second and then third but got back to second in the end. It's more points for the final championship rounds in May."

In the IRX Modified Jason Bleasdale made the trio over the Irish Sea worthwhile as he took the win on Saturday comfortably from Peter McGarry. That said McGarry was battling hard with championship rivals Sam Bovill and Willie Coyne. Bleasdale using this event for the next round of the British series that visits Mondello in May broke clear early and wasn't headed by the time the chequered flag came out. 

In Sunday's final however it was mayhem at the first corner where McGarry and Bleasdale collided causing a lot of damage. Bleasdale kept the shoe in and managed to keep going but McGarry's car was too badly damaged. Afterwards the stewards excluded Bleasdale from the result for dangerous driving. Despite this Sam Bovill drove superbly to stay clear of the Coyne brothers. 

Willie nursing his Opel Corsa all day had said he was "doing enough to make the final and get as many points for the championship as he can" Michael was clearly getting to grips with his Citroen DS3 now which he got for this year. The hard work in between events was paying off and the car looked visibly much more competitive this time out. 

In the IRX Supercar class it was a case of last man standing by the end of Sunday. Everyone seemed to have trouble of some sort over the weekend. Poor Gary Donoghue didn't make the start as his new Honda Civic had mechanical problems in testing that were unable to be fixed for the races over the weekend. 

Current series leader Derek Tohill looked to be continuing from where he left off in November until an engine change caused him to miss the second heat but was back for the final. Michael Leonard was getting used to his rented VW Polo and put in some quick times ahead of Tommy Graham and Barry Morris. However it was McCluskey in his new Japanese Supercar ran by the Murray Motorsport team that was happiest of all. Taking to his new car like a duck to water he drove brilliantly to edge out Tohill for the win in Saturday's final.

Sunday looked like more of the same until the mechanical gremlins came out in force. William Carey's Ford Fiesta devoloped differential problems forcing his retirement and a broken timing belt in Derek Tohill's newly fitted engine in heat 3 saw him sidelined for the day also. Still the final still had plenty to choose from to pick a winner. Leonard was looking more competitive each time out but a front left puncture forced his retirement on lap one. 

McCluskey already in the lead just put in the times and pulled clear of Graham and Morris who were having a good battle themselves. McCluskey having to adapt from driving his Ford Fiesta for so long was putting in some very near record lap pace during the day and the switch to the new machine paid off with a brilliant drive to the chequered flag for the second time of the weekend.

Speaking afterwards the man from Stepaside in Dublin was glad to have made the change " I'm absolutely delighted at winning the two finals this weekend. The car is amazing and we were using it as a shakedown really and we were making little tweaks as we went along but to win to competitive finals like that is brilliant. It suits Mondello as it's a fast track and it seems to suit fast tracks and I'm looking for to going to Lydden Hill in the UK with it shortly. Its much more stable and has more power than the fiesta I had before. We could have turned the power up on it but we didn't to make sure we got through the weekend but the traction is the big thing with this car. Once you keep the wheel straight and not drive it sideways which I like to do, you gain much more time out of it. I am looking forward to having it for the British round in May and the European round in July and hopefully we can get a result then too."

Derek Tohill did have to celebrate something over the weekend by winning the Superfinal on Saturday and put one hand of retaining his IRX Championship crown again. Tommy Graham also had a cause to celebrate after winning the Superfinal on Sunday.

Thomas McManus also did the double by winning the IRX Clubman Modified class over series leader Abbie McGuinnes this weekend. The Rallycar class was won by Stephen Lispsett in his Citroen C2 with Pat Masterson taking the honors in the BMW120d class. Matthew McGaffin and Liam McMullan shared the spoils in the IRX Buggy class.

The last two rounds of the IRX Irish Rallycross Champship will be on May 23rd and 24th. This is also a round of the British Rallycross championship and a different layout will be used for this event which will make things interesting and provide another action packed weekend of rallycross.

Tohill Makes It Four From Four - IRX Rallycross Championship Rounds 3 & 4

Derek Tohill in action during a heat at the IRX Rallycross Championship at Mondello Park.

The third and fourth rounds of the PartsforCars.ie Irish Rallycross Championship took place at Mondello Park last weekend to mark the halfway stage of the series. Current champion Derek Tohill was back out fresh from claiming his second Motorsport UK British Rallycross Championship at Lydden Hill earlier this month. 

The Supercar class is the top tier class in rallycross and Tohill would be joined on the grid by local man Tommy Graham who would taking his first run out in the ex John McCluskey Ford Fiesta. William Carey, Declan Kelly, Darragh Morris and the return of Shane Murphy in his VW Polo. 

The Modified class saw a great entry once again  with round two winner Peter McGarry back out in his Fully rebuilt VW Polo and would be looking to take victory in the modified class once again. He would be up against an in form Sam Bovill in his Ford Fiesta and Willie Coyne in his trusty Opel Corsa. The ever popular IRX Junior class saw a health entry of youngsters take to the grids in the usual mixture of Mini's and fiestas. Add the IRX Clubman, Rallycar, Autocross, Super Buggies, classes it would be another busy and action packed weekend. 

The weather was miserable on Saturday morning with heavy overnight rain leaving large Puddles of water around the county Kildare circuit. Visibility would be bad for the morning but by the afternoon it was to clear up.

Bradley Turner in action during the Buggie race at Mondello Park

In the supercars the Tohill Dominated the heats with three wins on the bounce to lead overall on times.That said WIlliam Carey kept him honest in heat two and three and Murphy was looing the rustiness and was getting quicker as the day wore on. The conditions for the early heats were wet but it was drying as the day went on but it still left drivers fighting to keep their powerful machines on track as they tried to find grip. As the day wore on the weather improved and the track dried but it also got colder too still leaving grip levels low.  

For the final it was Tohill on pole from Carey and Graham, with Murphy and Morris at the back with all the work to do. It would not be easy but if he wanted a chance of a win Murphy would have to get past Carey and Graham early on. As the lights went out it was Tohill who got the best start and lead into turn one followed by Carey, Graham, Murphy and Morris. Murphy wasted no time in getting past Graham and Carey and was on the same pace as Tohill. Tohill however was that fraction quicker each lap but by no means was he pulling away. As the others completed their joker laps ( an added section of track to be completed once during a race) the front two still raced away waiting to see who would joker first.  Murphy did and hoped to gain enough for  final lap and try and take the lead. He was close but the few tenths Tohill had on him proved enough to stay in the lead on the final lap to take the win. Tohill spoke afterwards " I'm delighted to get the win it was close between me and Shane but its also good for the championship and to get the hard work done now and use the other rounds to test the Hoosier tyres for the European rounds next year. It means we have room if they don't work as well and we drop points in those rounds."

William Carey, Ford Fiesta, leads Derek Tohill, Peugeot 208, and Tommy Graham, Ford Fiesta, during the Supercar race at Mondello Park. 

Derek Tohill, Peugeot 208, leads Shane Murphy, VW Polo, Tommy Graham, Ford Fiesta, and William Carey, Ford Fiesta, during the Supercar Final at Mondello Park.

Derek Tohill, Peugeot 208, on his way to winning the Supercar Final at Mondello Park.

In the modified class for two wheel drive cars,  it was battles between Peter McGarry, Sam Bovill and Willie Coyne to decide victory that entertained the crowd all day long. Wet weather conditions made it twice as hard as they have only two wheel drive unlike the 4wd Supercars. The heats saw wins for all three men but it was Peter McGarry who headed the field overall after the three heats . The early heats saw the slippiest conditions after the rainfall leaving the drivers fighting to keep their pocket rockets on track as they tried to find grip. The weather improved and the track dried but the temperatures dropped. As semi final one got under way in was McGarry on pole from Bovill with the hard charging Niall Carey in third. As the lights went out it was McGarry who got the better start and lead the field into turn one and lead the whole race long to take the win. It was Carey in second leaving Bovill in third. 

In the second semi final Coyne was on pole from very quick Pete Dornan in his Peugeot 206 and Kieran Curran in third in another Corsa. It was Curran who got the better start and lead into turn one from Coyne with English visitor Liam Doran in third. Curran another man not out for a while had pace early on but dropped off as the race wore on to let Coyne in to the lead which he held to the chequered flag. Dornan came home second after another almighty flat out drive which is great to watch as he flings the little French car around in efforts to stay with the quick men ahead.

For the final it was McGarry on pole from Coyne and Dornan. It would not be easy to pick a winner as all had similar pace. It was Coyne however who got . As the lights went out it was McGarry who got the best start and lead into turn one followed by Coyne and Bovill.  From the off it was a close affair between the top four all nose to tail providing great viewing for the hardy souls braving the cold and now near dark evening. It already a race where it was going to be who jokered first. Coyne went for it on lap two leaving McGarry off to put in a quick lap in hope to have an advantage over Coyne come his turn to joker. He made his move a lap later but was slower and Coyne got back into the lead and has to be said really driving the little Opel Corsa on the absolute limit in efforts to keep the modern Polo behind. No matter how hard McGarry tried he just couldn't get past and Coyne took the win. Coyne spoke afterwards " I'm thrilled to get that win, I drove as hard as I could to stay ahead of Peter, the car was on two wheels in a few place. It was great fun and I enjoyed it."

Sam Bovill, Ford Fiesta, in action during the Modified race at Mondello Park.

Willie Coyne, Opel Corsa, in action during the Modified race at Mondello Park.

Peter McGarry, VW Polo, leads Sam Bovill, Ford Fiesta, and Michael Coyne, Citroen DS3, during the Modified race at Mondello Park.

In the Junior Rallycross class for the stars of the future the current champion Logan Hoey like Tohill in the Supercars dominated the heats winning all three of his to finish first overall on times. As semi final one got under way in was Logan Hoey on pole from Hugo Loonan with Eoin Dooley in third. As the lights went out it was Hoey who got the better start and once again lead the way. As always he put in strong laps and wasn't challenged. They finished the same a the starting order although Ailish Sexton wasn't far off third.

In the second semi final it was Cody Mahon on pole from David McAdams and Sean Savage. It was Mahon lead into turn one and like Hoey put in the laps and pulled away easily. The battle behind though was close with Savage moving into second which he held by just two tenths of a second at the end.

For the final it was which had to be run on Sunday morning as daylight was too poor on Saturday evening, Hoey on pole from Mahon and Loonam. As the lights went out Hoey got to much wheel spin and dropped to third behind Mahon who got the best start and lead into turn one. Hoey's circuit racing experience showing through at turn two as he was up to second and then began to put in the times following Mahon and before taking the lead. He reeled off the laps to take another win and increase his championship lead. The rest will have to find something before he builds up a too big a lead to catch. Loonam got the better of Mahon to take second  with McAdams and Sexton rounding out the top five. In the Super Buggies Chris Kelly took the win from Ben Walsh and Paul Brogan. In the FIA Cross Car class Jack Newman took the win from Liam McMullan and Teddie MacPherson who battled all day. In the IRX Rallycar class the two citroen men Stephen Lipsett and Ken McGrath battled all day with Lipsett taking the win. UK visitor Abbie McGuinness again showed a clean pair of heals to the men in the IRX Clubman class to take the win from Thomas McManus and John Shaw. It would be great to see her move up to the modified class next season as I am sure she would be very capable in a good car to take victory there also.

Hugo Loonam, Mini, leads Cody Mahon, Mini, durng the IRX Junior race at Mondello Park

Sean Savage, Mini, in action during the IRX Juniors race at Mondello Park

Logan Hoey, Mini, leads Cody Mahon, Mini, during the IRX Juniors race at Mondello Park

Eoin Dooley, Ford Fiesta, Hugo Loonam, Mini, and David McAdams, Mini, during the IRX Juniors

race at Mondello Park

For Sunday the weather was dry and overcast but no rain in sight although it was again very cold. In the supercars the heats saw wins for Tohill and Carey overall on times While on paper it looked as Tohill was again in dominant form. In reality he was being pushed all the way in the heats from both Carey and Murphy. Tommy Graham was also getting quicker as he was getting more used to his new car. It was great to see Declan Kelly back out after three years rebuilding his beautiful Ford Fiesta. Barry Morris was also out in his Hyundai. Murphy had a mechanical problem in heat two costing him time overall while Carey won heat 3 to give him a front row start for the final. 

For the final it was Tohill on pole from Carey and Graham. As the lights went out it was Tohill who got the best start and lead into turn one followed by Carey and Graham. There was nothing in it in the opening laps Carey hounding him and looked quicker on the loose sections. Tohill jokered first with a lap of 44.492 seconds, Carey did the same a lap later but had a lap of 444.667 seconds, it was enough to just hold the lead when rejoining the track. Carey tried hard in the remaining two laps but just couldn't find enough of a gap to try a move. It was a thrilling race and Tohill worked for the win and deserved it. Tohill spoke afterwards " That was a hard one, fair play to William he drove superb and pushed me all the way. We had another great weekend four wins on the bounce leaves us in a good place at the halfway point of the season."

Derek Tohill, Peugeot 208, leads William Carey, Ford Fiesta, Tommy Graham, Ford Fiesta, and Shane Murphy, VW Polo, during the Supercar Final at Mondello Park.

Derek Tohill, Peugeot 208, leads William Carey, Ford Fiesta, during the Supercar Final at Mondello Park.

In the modified class the saw heat wins for Peter McGarry, Sam Bovill and Willie Coyne. Both McGarry and Coyne both had wins in their semi-finals. If the day before was anything to go by it should be another brilliant battle. Coyne lined up on pole from McGarry with Sam Bovill in third. As the lights went out it was Bovill who got the better start but as he exited turn one the car spun round and he could not get going and he was out. A shame as he could have taken it to Coyne and McGarry.  on the restart it was McGarry who got the best start to lead into turn one.  Again not much between the two men who were quick to pull away from Niall Carey in third. As with the final the day before it was about who would joker first and could they do enough to hold or take the lead when the time came. Coyne went first on lap 4. He was 2 seconds quicker on that lap than McGarry was on his which helped him make the overtake and move into the lead. Try as he might McGarry couldn't close in and it was Coyne who took the win and make it two wins this weekend. Niall Carey came home in third.

Coyne speaking afterwards ." It's been a great weekend to take two wins. I am just concentrating on the modified class championship and this year and this weekend will help that". 

Willie Coyne, Opel Corsa, on his way to winning the Modified final at Mondello Park

Sam Bovill, Ford Fiesta, leads the field into turn one during the Modified final at Mondello Park

John Rock lifts Sam Bovill's Ford Fiesta, after it broke down during the Modified final at Mondello Park

Peter McGarry, VW Polo, leads Willie Coyne, Opel Corsa, into turn one during the Modified final at Mondello Park

In the Junior Rallycross class saw Logan Hoey once again come out on top after the heats when he won his three. Cody Mahon and David McAdams were not far behind though and out to stop Hoey's good run of form. The Junior grid had an extra car as Luke O'Connell was out for the first time in the academy car. As semi final one got under way in was Hoey on pole from McAdams with Keenan Murphy rounding out the front row. As the lights went out it was Hoey who got the better start but McAdams was right alongside as the exited turn one.  Once out in front after the opening lap Hoey began to put in quicker times and pulled away and took the win.

In the second semi final Cody Mahon was on pole from Hugo Loonam and Sean Savage. It was Mahon who lead into turn one from Loonam with Savage in. A slow first lap from Mahon kept Loonam in touch but Mahon was just a few tenths quicker on the rest to take the win. Savage ran his own race to finish third. 

For the final it was Hoey on pole from Mahon and McAdams.Loonam was in fourth on row two but had the pace to get on the poidium. Again it was Hoey who got the best start and lead into turn one followed by Mahon, McAdams and Lonam.  AS with the heat Hoey just got into his rhythm straight away and began to put in the times. Behind the chasing three battled it out for the poidum spots and with a quicker joker lap Loonam moved up to third but there was no catching Hoey who once again took the win making it four in a row. Hoey spoke afterwards " The weekend went well apart from a wheel bearing issue in one heat. The competition is fierce and I just had to put my head down and do my job. Winning eight races out of eight was amazing for me and the team. I'm excited for next year and hopefully 2026 brings the same results to finish the seaon. Thanks to Dad for making it happen along with Fire Protection Specialists, Dynamite Fireworks, Swan Rock Quarries, Napa Racing UK and Duprint."

Luke O'Connell, Mini, during the IRX Juniors race at Mondello Park

Logan Hoey, Mini, during the IRX Juniors race at Mondello Park

Dean Deasy, Mini, leads Luke O'Connell, Mini, during the IRX Juniors race at Mondello Park

Cody Mahon, Mini, leads Hugo Loonam, Mini, during the IRX Juniors race at Mondello Park

In the Super Buggies Paul Brogan won from Ben Walsh and Ciaran Greenan. The IRX Clubman class final was won of the best races of the weekend with a grid packed with mini's It was Abbie McGuinness who took the win by a whisker from Thomas McManus. McManus tried everything to get by and looked to have the lead got as McGuinness was taking her joker lap but as they both headed for rallycross three McGuinnes just nosed herself in front and held it to the line and won by .348 of a second. Stephen Lipsett took the win from Pat Masterson and Glenn Montgomery in the rallycar class.

Abbie McGuinness, Mini, leads Tom McManus, Mini, during the IRX CLubmans Race at Mondello Park

  The next round of the championship takes place on November the 7th and 8th of March 2026.