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| Lee Newsome with his trophy after winning round 6 of the Selco.ie Formula Vee Championsip. Kirkistown Racing Circuit, Co. Down. Picture: Barry Cregg. |
Ashford man Lee Newsome took an impressive win at round six of the Selco.ie Formula Vee championship at Kirkistown on Saturday. It was July last year in Mondello Park when he last stood on the top step of the podium but has always been in the top ten in each race he has finished since. He always has had the pace but also cruel mechanical luck with it resulting in fewer wins that he has to him name.
As always in Formula Vee the
pace was hot and close with the first six drivers covered under the same second.
An entry of 20 cars took to the track for qualifying, but it was Dan Polley in
the LOH Motorsport car who topped the timesheet and took pole position from
current champion Anthony Cross who only qualified 0.001 of a second of new
rookie hotshot Ronan Doherty with Lee Newsome rounding out the second row.
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| Lee Newsome, Sheane, leads Anthony, Cross, Sheane, and Colm Blackburn, Leastone, on his way to winning round 6 of the Selco.ie Formula Vee Championsip. Kirkistown Racing Circuit, Co. Down. Picture: Barry Cregg. |
The weather improved from
qualifying the previous day. From wet to damp to scorching sunshine the drivers
and teams had a busy time setting up their cars as conditions changed but at
least it would stay the same for race day. As always, the fast northern circuit
which lays along the Ards Peninsula produced another classic race with a six-car
train battling out for the win.
As the lights went out Newsome
reacted the quickest and got a brilliant start passing the front row drivers going
into turn 1 to take the lead. With two long straights it is very hard for the
leader to make a break unless someone behind makes a mistake. Therefore, the
only option for the leader is to defend their lines without loosing time. Not
an easy feat and even hard to do from the very start. That was what Newsome
faced, though but he was up for the challenge.
The long straights allow those
following to benefit from the slipstream from those ahead. This also provides
great entertainment for the spectators as there are always several passing
moves per lap with trains of cars all vying for position. Newsome held firm and
no matter how hard Cross tried he couldn’t get by. Doherty was up to third but
the man on the move was Colm Blackburn who was trying every line possible, inside and outside and it was working as by lap three he was up to second. Pole
sitter Dan Polley moved back to third then to fourth and then to sixth where he
would finish.
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| Lee Newsome, Sheane, leads Anthony, Cross, Sheane, and Colm Blackburn, Leastone, on his way to winning round 6 of the Selco.ie Formula Vee Championsip. Kirkistown Racing Circuit, Co. Down. Picture: Barry Cregg. |
It was still anyone’s for the win at the halfway mark but Newsome kept his lines and kept backing those up behind him so they would trip over each other. However a dive down the inside at turn two saw Blackburn into the lead but a missed gear on the exit of the chicane saw Newsome through along with Doherty who fought it out from the hairpin to two turn where Newsome held the lead once more.
What a show the top six were
putting on. Gavin Buckley was also on the move slotting into third briefly but
once again got swallowed up by Doherty, Cross and Blackburn. Doherty was
quickest out of the chicane but having to pull out of the slipstream early was
hindering his progress as he didn’t have enough pace to get ahead by the
hairpin. The spectators weren’t complaining however as it led to cars three
abreast on the exit and down the main straight millimetres apart with each thrusting
in one another not to overstep the mark.
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| Lee Newsome, Sheane, leads Ronan Doherty, Sheane, and Colm Blackburn, Leastone, on his way to winning round 6 of the Selco.ie Formula Vee Championsip. Kirkistown Racing Circuit, Co. Down. Picture: Barry Cregg. |
As the race made its way into
the final laps Blackburn again made his outside move work moving back into
third. Doherty again got into the lead a lap later on the run down to turn one,
but Newsome got it back a corner later. Doherty wouldn’t lead again but the
rookie proved his worth once again against seasoned Formula Vee drivers. He lost another
spot to Blackburn and then to Buckley and had to watch for Cross behind.
Buckley moved into second at the
hairpin and with two laps to go it was between him and Newsome. Newsome had
opened a slight gap starting the last lap which looked like it would prove
vital at the end but Buckley close in. Both men going wheel to wheel down the
back straight towards the hairpin. Newsome held it but Buckley cut back on the
inside and it was a drag race to the line. Both men deserved it, but it was
Newsome who got to the chequered flag first but only by 0.079 of a second! It was
the same for the final position on the podium with Colm Blackburn taking third.
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| Lee Newsome, Sheane, leads Gavin Buckley, Sheane, on his way to winning round 6 of the Selco.ie Formula Vee Championsip. Kirkistown Racing Circuit, Co. Down. Picture: Barry Cregg. |
Yet again it was worth the long
trip up north as the racing gets better every time, they visit the coastal
circuit. Speaking after the race the winner was clearly pleased with his days
work.
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| Lee Newsome, celebrates after winning round 6 of the Selco.ie Formula Vee Championsip. Kirkistown Racing Circuit, Co. Down. Picture: Barry Cregg. |
“It was a typical vee race full
on slipstream no holds bar race. I got a weapon of a start from fourth to lead
into turn one. I had different drivers behind me in my mirrors each lap. I got
passed a few times but managed to get back by again and then try and hold my
line and back those behind me up as much as I could. It the most competitive year
in Formula Vee in a long time and I think 5 or 6 of us are in with a shout for
the championship. I’m delighted to get the win today. It was a shame my brother
Sean couldn’t get his car fixed in time but we will be back out in Mondello in
two weeks to get another win”.
Results:
1st Lee Newsome
2nd Gavin Buckley
3rd Colm Blackburn
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