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| 07-May-2023: Ronan Doherty with his first ever Selco.ie Formula Vee National trophy after taking his maiden win. Picture: Barry Cregg. |
The old saying “you wait ages for a bus and two come along
at once” in terms of race wins for Ronan Doherty cannot be applied for the
young Dunloy man. In Mondello Park last time out he scored his second LOH
Motorsport Rookie Formula Vee Championship win. At Bishopscourt Racing Circuit
in county Down on Sunday, he went one better and not only took another two wins in his
class but also his first ever Selco.ie National Championship race win.
What makes it even more impressive and a new record for the class in its 47th year, is that a rookie has never won a national race so early in their first season of racing. Sean Newsome from county Wicklow has been the only other rookie to win in their first year but it was at a later stage of the season.
To add to that statistic, he has done all
this by his third ever car race and at a track which he never drove before
until the second practice session the day before (he missed the first one due
to mechanical problems)! It is an extraordinary achievement by the very humble
and down to earth Antrim man. He gave himself an early birthday present to
remember as the now twenty-year-old, has gave himself a good haul of points in
both his class and overall championships.
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| 07-May-2023: Dan Polley, Sheane, leads Lee Newsome, Sheane, Ronan Doherty and Anthony Cross, Sheane, during the Selco.ie Formula Vee National trophy after taking his maiden win. Picture: Barry Cregg. |
The pace in Formula Vee is very quick and in qualifying for
the days races the top six were covered by the same second. Bishopscourt is a
very fast track with two quick chicanes and a technical loop at the end of the lap,
so setup is quite vital, and a balance needs to be made to be quick around the
1.8 mile track. Dubliner Dan Polley lined up on pole position with current champion
Anthony Cross beside him with Lee Newsome in third and Doherty in fourth.
It is a long run down to the first bend and if a bad start
is made you can get passed by several cars on the run down the straight. This
is what happened to Doherty who bogged himself down at the start, causing those
behind to swallow him up and leaving himself plenty of work to do. Newsome had
his race face on also and was in the lead by turn 3. Cross had got into second,
but Polley got by into the second chicane. Doherty found himself back down in 8th
place but was starting to fight back picking up positions on the run up the
back straight and penultimate corner on the opening laps. By the start on lap
three he was into third place in a 9-car train headed by Polley who was trying
his best to make a break, but such is the tow along the main straight he was
one of three abreast going into turn one.
It was yet again another Formula Vee thriller at
Bishopscourt. The northern circuits provide great entertainment every time for
those looking on. It was really anyone’s race at this point. It is all about
placing yourself in the right position at this point to have a chance in the
latter stages. The lead changed again by lap five with Newsome taking charge,
but Doherty was in flying form and up to second with a dive bomb move on Polley
into Ringawaddy corner.
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| 07-May-2023: Lee Newsome in action during the Selco.ie Formula Vee race. Bishopscourt Racing Circuit. Picture: Barry Cregg. |
With time running down on the clock Doherty made his move at
the hairpin a lap later and took the lead from Newsome. He was now in the lead
of his first national race, and he looked like had been there many times. He
absorbed the huge pressure from those behind going into turn one four abreast
at times. It was fantastic to watch and a hard one to call but Doherty held
firm and remained in the lead for the next couple of laps. Newsome fought back
at the first chicane and took the lead but on their way up the back section
towards the final chicane Polley moved across on Anthony Cross behind, putting
him on the grass which then caused him to spin back across the track and collide
with Jack Byrne.
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| 07-May-2023: Top, Jack Byrne, Below, Ronan Doherty in action during the Selco.ie Formula Vee race. Bishopscourt Racing Circuit. Picture: Barry Cregg. |
The result was a massive accident with Byrne rolling several
times and ripping his rear wheel off his car. Cross also damaged his car substantially. Thankfully both Cross and Byrne
were unhurt and it in testament to the strength of the cars and the safety
equipment drivers wear. After a few worrying minutes Byrne climbed out a bit
shaken but in one piece.
The red flags came out immediately as rescue crews and
marshals attended the scene. They clean up took a few minutes and the race had
run over enough distance to be declared a race. This gave Doherty the win from
Newsome and Polley on countback from the lap before. It may have been cut short,
but it was a deserving maiden win for Doherty who was over the moon after the
race “The race was great apart from the bad start I had, I think I was 8th
or 9th going into turn one on the first lap! I knew I had the pace
and from there I started picking them off one by one. It all bout carrying your
speed through the corners here and I managed to do that, and I’m delighted to
get the win and its my birthday on Monday too, so I’ve managed to give myself
an early birthday present.”
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