Sheane Makes It A Double - Airportcars.ie Formula Sheane Championship

09-04-2022:Philip Sheane, Sheane, holds up his Championship trophy for winning the 2021 Formula Sheane Championship. Mondello Park, Donore, Co. Kildare. Photo: Barry Cregg.

For race two the grid was again in reverse order and Richie Adams once more lead the field into turn one. Mike Dermody initially made a good start but slotted in behind Adams. The two quick men at the back in Sheane and Adams made light work of the field this time and sliced through the field in the opening laps. Sheane made a much better start in this one and by the end of lap one was up to second place. 

09-04-2022: Richie Adams, Sheane, leads Philip Sheane, Sheane, into turn one during the Formula Sheane race. Mondello Park, Donore, Co. Kildare. Photo: Barry Cregg.

Chris Dunne made a rare mistake and spun at the first corner dropping to last and gave himself a lot of work to do for the remainder of the race. The experience of leading in the early part of race on, helped Adams enormously in this one. He wasn't going to give up the lead easy and fought off Sheane over the next number of laps.

09-04-2022: Philip Sheane, Sheane, leads Richard Kearney, Sheane, into turn one during the Formula Sheane race. Mondello Park, Donore, Co. Kildare. Photo: Barry Cregg.

Then disaster struck the third place man Kearney, a broken throttle cable sidelining the Carlow man just as he was closing in on the front two. This elevated Mike Dermody back up to third, but he was coming under increasing pressure from Garrett McKenna in fourth and by lap four he was past. On the same lap Sheane made his move for the lead and got through. 

09-04-2022: Brendan Carr, Sheane, leads Garrett McKenna, Sheane, into turn one during the Formula Sheane race. Mondello Park, Donore, Co. Kildare. Photo: Barry Cregg.

09-04-2022: Mark Keenan, Sheane, leads Brendan Carr, Sheane, into turn one during the Formula Sheane race. Mondello Park, Donore, Co. Kildare. Photo: Barry Cregg.

Anyone who thought he was going clear off from here was wrong as he was repassed by Adams a lap later. The Dublin musician was playing the gig of his life in this one and again held his lead for the next couple of laps. Sheane again got by but his lead only lasted a lap. Adams found another way by if the first was good this was up there with it. Brendan Carr and Mark Keenan were also having a good scrap of there own, but the clutch issue was still hampering Keenan as he didn't have the pace he had at the start of race one. 

09-04-2022:Garrett McKenna, Sheane, in action during the Formula Sheane race. Mondello Park, Donore, Co. Kildare. Photo: Barry Cregg.

09-04-2022:Chris Dunne, Sheane, in action during the Formula Sheane race. Mondello Park, Donore, Co. Kildare. Photo: Barry Cregg.

Chris Dunne however, was flying back up through the pack and by lap twelve was back up to fifth. Carr sadly again was forced out with mechanical issues. McKenna was safe in third. By lap eight Sheane was into the lead again and this time he got his head down a pulled out a gap and a pace Adams could not match. He set the fastest lap of the race with a 58.355 seconds. 

09-04-2022: Richard Kearney, Sheane, retired due to a broken throttle cable from the Formula Sheane race. Mondello Park, Donore, Co. Kildare. Photo: Barry Cregg.

He cruised home to take the chequered flag to make it two from two and it was a fitting and deserved double to bring some joy to the Sheane family this week. It was great to see new faces on the podium with Adams and McKenna taking second and third. 

09-04-2022: Mike Dermody, Sheane, in action during the Formula Sheane race. Mondello Park, Donore, Co. Kildare. Photo: Barry Cregg.

Next race in in Bishopscourt in county Down in four weeks time. With Sheane not down to race there could be a new name on the winners trophy at the fast flowing northern circuit.

09-04-2022:Philip Sheane, Sheane, centre, Richie Adams, left, and Garrett McKenna, right, after the Formula Sheane race. Mondello Park, Donore, Co. Kildare. Photo: Barry Cregg.

Results:

1st Philip SHeane

2nd Richie Adams

3rd Garrett McKenna

4th Mark Keenan

5th Chris Dunne

6th Mike Dermody

Double Tops For Cross At Mondello Park - Selco.ie Formula Vee Championship

09-04-2022: Anthony Cross, Sheane, leads Jordan Kelly on his way to winning the Formula Vee Race. Selco.ie Formula Vee race. Mondello Park, Donore, Co. Kildare. Photo: Barry Cregg.

For the second Selco.ie Formula Vee race of the weekend at Mondello Park the top two from race one lined up together on the front row. Anthony Cross lined up on pole position but a poor start saw him drop behind Jordan Kelly but managed to keep both Lee and Sean Newsome at bay. An incident at the final corner involving four cars brought out the red flags, thankfully nobody was hurt but it meant a full restart. 

09-04-2022: Sean Newsome, Sheane, leads leads the field into turn 1 during the Formula Vee Race. Selco.ie Formula Vee race. Mondello Park, Donore, Co. Kildare. Photo: Barry Cregg.

Again a poor start from Cross left him trailer heading into turn one but an even poorer start from Kelly allowed Sean Newsome through to lead the field round turn one. It got worse for Kelly who by turn two was down to fourth place. What a difference in two starts from a comfortable lead to a close fought battle for third place. A better exit from the final corner saw cross get alongside Newsome down the main straight and by the first corner he was through to the lead. Kelly too was on the move making his way up to third place. A lap later Kelly was up to second and chasing down Cross who had opened up a gap of half a second. It wasn't long before he was right on the back of him.

09-04-2022: Anthony Cross, Sheane, leads Jordan Kelly during the Formula Vee Race. Selco.ie Formula Vee race. Mondello Park, Donore, Co. Kildare. Photo: Barry Cregg

A brave move on the outside at turn three was tried but the wise Bohernabreena man knew how to cover his line perfectly. That said, it was going to be hard work in defending a lead around Mondello for a whole race. Behind the leaders a similar battle for third was heating up with Lee Newsome and Jack Byrne locked in battle. For the next few laps the first four positions stayed the same but with both defence and attack modes used to full. The leaders again broke away such was their pace, Kelly was trying everything he could think of but Cross did what he is best at, sticking to his lines and reel off the laps. 

09-04-2022: Trevor Delaney, Sheane, leads Sean McCallion, Sheane, during the Formula Vee Race. Selco.ie Formula Vee race. Mondello Park, Donore, Co. Kildare. Photo: Barry Cregg

Kelly's last chance would be the final corner. while Cross went to the inside to defend Kelly used the room on the outside to get a better run off the corner to try and get past on the straight. It would be a bold move and it very nearly worked. Cross kept enough in hand to give himself enough drive to hold out and take the win. A titanic battle throughout the race was a fitting end to a hard week for the Formula Vee paddock. I'm sure David Sheane was looking down with pride as the podium was locked out by Sheane cars. 

09-04-2022: Kieran Hannon Leastone, leads Jonathan Manix, Sheane, land Andy Keogh, Leastone, during the Formula Vee Race. Selco.ie Formula Vee race. Mondello Park, Donore, Co. Kildare. Photo: Barry Cregg.

In the VW Spares championship race maximum points went to Kelly with Donal Downey in second who set some very strong times and at one point held the fastest lap at one point. Robert Fleming came home in third, In the LOH Motorsport Rookie Championship Kieran Hannan came home just ahead of Aaron Murray but sadly Shane O'Neill did not finish. It was a great end to a sad week but yet again the racing in Formula Vee put smiles back on peoples faces. A brilliant entry of 27 cars put on another excellent display of hard but fair racing.

Jordan Kelly, Sheane, on his way to Maximum points in the VW Spare 'B' Championship. Photo: Barry Cregg.

Results:

elco.ie National Championship

1st Anthony Cross

2nd Jordan Kelly 

3rd Lee Newsome

VW Spares 'B' Champiomship

1st Jordan Kelly

2nd Donal Downey

3rd Robert Fleming

LOH Motorsport Rookie Championship

1st Kieran Hannan

2nd Aaron Murray

Sheane Wins Season Opener - Airportcars.ie Formula Sheane Championship

The first car race meeting of the year usually fills competitors and fans with a sense of joy and relief that the long winter break is over. They can get back to getting the fix of adrenaline and catch up with friends in the paddock they have not seen since the last race meeting of 2021.

Members of the Sheane Family with Formula Sheane and Formula Vee drivers on the grid ahead of the opening race. Photo: Barry Cregg

One friend that sadly will not be in the paddock anymore is David Sheane. The man who epitomized sport in motorsport. The Blainroe man who brought Formula Vee to Ireland and help so many people because of this race at an affordable cost compared to other classes by designing and building his own cars for over 40 years. In the year 2000 he once again helped the the clubman by introducing a new class that were more powerful than a vee but cheaper to run that a Formula Ford. Now in its twenty second year Formula Sheane is still going strong. As a mark of respect driver from both Formula Vee and Formula Sheane gathered on the grid and gave a minutes round of applause in memory of David. 

Members of the Sheane Family with Formula Sheane and Formula Vee drivers on the grid ahead of the opening race. Photo: Barry Cregg

Richie Adams leads the field into turn one during the Formula Sheane race.
Photo: Barry Cregg 

Richie Adams leads Richard Kearney during the Formula Sheane race.
Photo: Barry Cregg 

When the cars lined up for the first Formula Sheane race of the day it would be a reversed grid to that of the qualifying results. The class wanted to make it a bit more interesting for the spectators and drivers alike. Richie Adams and newcomer Mike Dermody found themselves lining up on the front row with favourites Philip Sheane and Richard Kearney starting on the back row. As the lights went out it was Adams who raced ahead and lead the field into turn one followed by Brendan Carr. Mark Keenan was in third but mad short work of Carr to get up to second place. Starting from the back is always hard but can also be easy to get caught up in another person accident. So care has to be taken in the opening laps until the races settles down. Kearney and Sheane knew this and both kept out of trouble although Sheane got the worst start over Kearney and made a bit more work for himself than he had to. 

Mark Keenan lead the opening laps until his clutch began to slip during the Formula Sheane race. Photo: Barry Cregg 

Keenan was on a flyer and by lap two he was in the lead. Adams though was not for letting him get away and hung on closely behind. Behind these two Brendan Carr after a good start had mechanical issues and dropped to the back of the grid and eventually retired. Garrett McKenna and Chris Dunne settled into a battle of their own. By now Kearney and Sheane were moving up the field rapidly and were closing in on the first three. 

Philip Sheane, rubs wheels with Mark Keenan during the Formula Sheane race. Photo: Barry Cregg 

By lap 5 Sheane had moved into second with Kearney right behind in third but a lap later the roles reversed allowing Keenan another lap in the lead. By lap 8 he was back to third but could not hold the pace of the two men ahead although a slipping clutch did not help matters.   

Richie Adams leads Garrett McKenna during the Formula Sheane race.
Photo: Barry Cregg 

Garrett McKenna leads Richie Adams during the Formula Sheane race.
Photo: Barry Cregg

         

Now the two fastest men were out on their own. The more cars on the grid the better it is for the class but sometimes it only takes two to make a race. In typical Formula Sheane style this was turning into another thriller. Both Kearney and Sheane pushed each other as hard as they could. Kearney sliding his car on the exit of turns one and two as he tried to put the power down as early as he could. Sheane hounded the Carlow man in what had to be a race he wanted to win so badly for his late cousin David and as he is not contesting a full year this year it made it all the more important. 

Richard Kearney, leads Philip Sheane, and Mark Keenan during the Formula Sheane race. Photo: Barry Cregg 

Richard Kearney, during the Formula Sheane race. Photo: Barry Cregg 

With time running out he made his move with three laps to go and pushed ahead on the last lap to take the chequered flag. Behind the top three Garrett McKenna and Richie Adams had a ding-dong battle of their own swapping places three times with McKenna coming out on top this time.

A fitting winner for the first of the two scheduled for the day in what was a difficult week. It was nice to see new men up the front for a while which gave them experience that will stand to them as the season goes on. 

Results:

1st Philip Sheane

2nd Richard Kearney

3rd Mark Keenan

4th Garrett McKenna

5th Richie Adams

6th Chris Dunne

7th Mike Dermody

Cross Wins Thrilling Opener At Mondello Park. - Selco.ie Formula Vee Championship

After the titanic battle in the opening round in Kirkistown two weeks previous, the second round of the Selco.ie Formula Vee championship brought the drivers to Mondello Park. Many were looking for the same again this weekend. 

09-04-2022: Members of Sheane Family together with Formula Vee and Formula Sheane drivers take part in a minutes round of applause in memory of the late David Sheane who was laid to rest on Wednesday. Mondello Park, Donore, Co. Kildare. Photo: Barry Cregg.

Sadly the Formula Vee and Irish motorsport community lost one of its most loved stalwarts and characters of the sport in David Sheane. The man who brought circuit car racing to the ordinary man by bringing Formula Vee to Ireland and building his own chassis for the class. In the following 40 years his designs have enabled hundreds of drivers both in Ireland and the UK race cars at a very much reduced cost and also brought a one make class to Ireland twenty years ago in Formula Sheane. 

09-04-2022: Members of Sheane Family together with Formula Vee and Formula Sheane drivers take part in a minutes round of applause in memory of the late David Sheane who was laid to rest on Wednesday. Mondello Park, Donore, Co. Kildare. Photo: Barry Cregg.

While hearts were heavy, everyone in Formula Vee were determind to put on a good show and pay tribute to David Sheane. Drivers from both Formula Vee and Formula Sheane gathered together on the grid for a minutes applause ahead of the opening race. It was a touching moment for the Sheane family who were present, to see how much people thought of the David.

09-04-2022: Anthony Cross, Sheane, leads Sean Newsome, Sheane, on his way to taking pole position for the Formula Vee Race. Selco.ie Formula Vee race. Mondello Park, Donore, Co. Kildare. Photo: Barry Cregg.

If qualifying was anything to go by the race looked like it was going to be another hell for leather battle. the top 7 were covered by the same second. Anthony Cross lapped the quickest to take pole position by 0.199 of a second over Sean Newsome with Jordan Kelly in third. With the race being held on the tight national layout qualifying well would be key to a good result. 

09-04-2022: Sean Newsome, Sheane, leads Lee Newsome, Sheane, during the Formula Vee race. Photo: Barry Cregg.

It was Newsome however to go the jump at the start. He led the field round turn one with Cross and Kelly close behind. His lead only lasted a further corner though, as he became the filling in the sandwich  of Kelly and Cross going into the esses, where one tried to get by on the outside and the other on the inside. The inside line which Kelly took was the correct line and gave him the lead. Cross also made ground taking second only for a late lunge by Newsome into the final corner to take it back. All this and only one lap completed! With the cars so evenly matched the field held together in one big train as they began lap two. 

The battle for fourth heated up as Jack Byrne and Lee Newsome swapped places behind the front three. by lap five the first three began to gap each other with Kelly settling into a rythm and begin to control the pace. However by mid distance Cross had began his own charge, dropping Newsome and closed in on Kelly. Newsome found himself on his own clear of Byrne in fourth who had now to deal with Gavin Buckley after Leee Newsome retired. 

09-04-2022: Lee Newsome, Sheane, leads Jack Bynre, Sheane, during the Formula Vee Race. Selco.ie Formula Vee race. Mondello Park, Donore, Co. Kildare. Photo: Barry Cregg.

Cross made his first move by trying to take the lead on the outside of turn three, a move that nearly came off but Kelly held firm and still lead. Again Cross attacked at turn three a lap later and a better drive out of the final corner gave him more speed down the straight and into turn one. Kelly though knew what he had to do and just held his line and forced Cross to keep on the outside. A lap later, again a better exit out of the final corner gave Cross more speed down the main straight but this time he cut across the front of Kelly to take the lead going into turn one.

09-04-2022: Jordan Kelly, Sheane, leads Anthony Cross, Sheane, on his way to winning the Formula Vee Race. Selco.ie Formula Vee race. Mondello Park, Donore, Co. Kildare. Photo: Barry Cregg.

09-04-2022: Jordan Kelly, Sheane, leads Anthony Cross, Sheane, on his way to winning the Formula Vee Race. Selco.ie Formula Vee race. Mondello Park, Donore, Co. Kildare. Photo: Barry Cregg.

Try as he might Kelly just could not find away by Cross. He was glued to the back of the Tallaght mans car. Cross hasn't won four straight titles in a row for nothing though and he was in this position many times before and knew what to do. Once the attack from Kelly eased off after the Donegal man ran wide at turn three due to his rear suspension becoming loose and allowing Newsome to get by. He had enough of an advantage to stay in third. Cross reeled off the final lap to win round two. Jack Byrne held of the attack from Buckley but on by a tenth of a second! 

09-04-2022: Anthony Cross, Sheane, leads Jordan Kelly, Sheane, on his way to winning the Formula Vee Race. Selco.ie Formula Vee race. Mondello Park, Donore, Co. Kildare. Photo: Barry Cregg.

09-04-2022: Anthony Cross, Sheane, leads Jordan Kelly, Sheane, on his way to winning the Formula Vee Race. Selco.ie Formula Vee race. Mondello Park, Donore, Co. Kildare. Photo: Barry Cregg.

In the VW Spares 'B' championship Sean Newsome took maximum points ahead of Kelly with Sean McCallion taking third having started from P12. In the LOH Motorsport 'Rookie' Championship Daniel Coyne took the win with a very impressive drive with times not that far off the top six! In doing some beating much more experienced men, Kieran Hannan came home in second with Aaron Murray  in third. 27 cars entered this weekend another great lineup in these times of ever increasing price hikes. 

09-04-2022: Sean Newsome, Sheane, on his way to taking maximum points in the VW Spares 'B' Championship race, during the Formula Vee Race. Selco.ie Formula Vee race. Mondello Park, Donore, Co. Kildare. Photo: Barry Cregg.

09-04-2022: Daniel Coyne, Sheane, on his way to taking maximum points in the LOH Motorsport 'C' Championship race, during the Formula Vee Race. Selco.ie Formula Vee race. Mondello Park, Donore, Co. Kildare. Photo: Barry Cregg.

Speaking with race winner Cross afterwards he admitted "It was nice to get the win for the week that was in it."

09-04-2022: Anthony Cross, Sheane, holds up his trophy after winning the Formula Vee Race. Selco.ie Formula Vee race. Mondello Park, Donore, Co. Kildare. Photo: Barry Cregg.

It was fitting that the first three cars home were Sheane chassis. I'm sure David would have been pleased.