Cullen Wins at Mondello - Bill Griffin Irish Stryker Championship Round 3

Victor Cullen with trophy after winning the Bill Griffin Stryker Championship race. Picture: Barry Cregg.

For the third round of the Bill Griffin Motors Irish Strykers championship drivers took to Mondello Park's national circuit. The county Kildare track is popular with he drivers as its tight and technical nature gives drivers a challenge when racing on it. 

This round would be missing it's current champion and series leader Michael Cullen so it would be a chance for his rivals to catch up on some points. None more so than his son Victor who lies second in the championship although missing qualifying would not help his cause as he would have to start from the back of the grid for race one. While Cullen was missing his car was not as it would be driven by the man who runs his car for him Kevin O'Hara of LOH Motorsport. 

Niall McFadden leads the field into turn 1 during the Bill Griffin Stryker Championship race. Picture: Barry Cregg.

As predicted O'Hara claimed pole position but as he is not registered for the championship the rest only had to worry about each other. With only half a second cover the next three drivers it shaped up to be a good battle for top points. As the lights went out for race one it was McFadden who got the better start and lead the field into turn one from O'Hara and Roger Welaratne. Cullen made a good start gaining a couple of places into turn one, but have to get through the pack quickly to have a chance to battle up the front. 

By the exit of turn three O'Hara was in the lead and already opening a gap. McFadden was in second but also fending off Welaratne, a battle that would provide the entertainment all race long. With the cars built with the same chassis and Ford 1800cc engine it provides a level playing field with drivers skill and setup making the difference. The class is seeing a growth this year with three newcomers Brendan Curran, Richie Byrne and Darragh Evans coming into the class under the guidance of former champion Jonathan Taylor. 

Top: Niall McFadden leads Des Meehan, left, and Victor Cullen, right, during the Bill Griffin Stryker Championship race. Picture: Barry Cregg.

Middle: Kevin O'Hara, during the Bill Griffin Stryker Championship race. Picture: Barry Cregg.

Bottom: Roger Walaratne leads Niall McFadden during the Bill Griffin Stryker Championship race. Picture: Barry Cregg.

After the opening laps it was clear O'Hara was not going to be caught as he pulled away and built a lead of several seconds. That said Victor Cullen began to carve his way through the field and made his up to third by lap four. Cullen was now on a charge and was up to second making light work of McFadden and Walaratne in his pursuit of the leader. 

He put in consistent times over the following laps to pull clear of the battle for third but O'Hara had broke to far away and he had to settle for second but had the consolation of taking maxium points in the championship. However the final podium spot was going down to the wire. Try as he might McFadden could not find a way past Walaratne who opened up a slight gap over the final lap to take third. 

For race two the top six positions are reversed to add an extra bit a spice for the race. Newcomers Evans and Curran would head the front row with O'Hara and Cullen back in 7th and 8th. It was Dominic Ryan from row two who got the best start and lead the field into turn one. Evans ran into brake problems early on as his front brake began to lock up on the entry into corners under braking causing him to run wide and loose time. McFadden made an ambitious move over the grass into turn one nearly colliding with Evans. 

O'Hara and Cullen made their way through to the front by the end of lap three and already had began to break away from the rest of the field. Both car immaculately turned out and driven the same. Ryan stayed within a couple of car lengths of Cullen in the early laps but then dropped back to Walaratne and McFadden and began to battle with them. With oil down from a previous race it made turns one and two interesting on the opening laps and caught some out running wide on the cement dust laid down at turn one. O'Hara was in command at the halfway mark but then began to have gear selection problems. It was intermittent but still gave him enough trouble to drop back to Cullen. 

Cullen not one to turn down an opportunity took over the lead as they turned into turn 1. O'Hara tucked in behind and tried to find a way past again at turns 3 and 4 but Cullen was wise to him. With time running out O'Hara did the switch back on the exit to turn 1 to retake the lead. Despite O'Hara's problem Cullen was driving very well and made his move on the penultimate lap on the final corner. With a better exit he got the drive on to the straight and had just enough to take the lead which he held over the final lap to take the win by 0.062 of a sec!!

Speaking after the race the Cabinteely man was delighted at taking the win. " I'm absolutely delighted to take the win in the second race and maxium points in race one. Due to unforeseen circumstances Michael couldn't be here today which is a shame but you have to be out to win it. The pace wasn't great this weekend but we can make a change before the next round to make that better. Missing qualifying didn't help but that's the way it goes. It was tough to pass with the oil on the track but we did it and I'm delighted to take the win today".

Top: Victor Cullen, left, passes Kevin O'Hara, right, during the Bill Griffin Stryker Championship race. Picture: Barry Cregg.

Middle: Race podium, Victor Cullen, centre, Niall McFadden, left, and Roger Walaratne, right, after the Bill Griffin Stryker Championship race. Picture: Barry Cregg.

Bottom: Kevin O'Hara, during the Bill Griffin Stryker Championship race. Picture: Jack Cregg.

Buckley and Byrne Share The Top Step

Jack Byrne, Sheane, leads Colm Blackburn, Leastone, and Gavin Buckley, Sheane, during the Selco.ie Formula Vee race. Picture Barry Cregg.

For rounds five and six of the Selco.ie Formula Vee championship drivers returned to Mondello Park and the summer sunshine. 21 drivers took the the track for qualifying where the pace was hot over the three classes with everyone knowing how important it is to get a good place on the grid as overtaking is hard around the national track. The top three were covered by half a second with Colm Blackburn continuing his run of form from Bishopscourt by taking pole ahead of Gavin Buckley. Jack Byrne joined in third ahead of Kieran Hannan again showing great pace and heading the 'B' championship runners. 

Blackburn got the best start and lead away with Buckley alongside on the run down to turn one. Byrne tucked in behind in third. All got through turn one cleanly, not as easy as it would seem with a large field of cars. Blackburn set out to get the head down and make a break for it but Byrne had his head down too getting passed Buckley through turn two and looked very quick. By the end of lap one the first 3 had broke away with Hannan in fourth just about hanging on but easily ahead of his nearest challenger Conor Melia who himself was showing more experienced drivers the way round. Blackburn held firm over the next couple of laps soaking up the extreme pressure applied by Byrne who was trying everything he knew to get past, trying inside and outside lines everywhere. Buckley too tried to get back ahead of Byrne but he could not get close enough. Behind Hannan, Melia and Andy Keogh had a great battle of their own just ahead of Robert Flemming, 38 and Brian Hall also had a close dice of their own. It is a testament to the rules of the championship where the cars are so evenly match that it provides good racing throughout the field. 

Top: Colm Blackburn, Leastone, leads the field into turn 1, during the Selco.ie Formula Vee race. Picture Barry Cregg.

Bottom: Colm Blackburn, Leastone, leads Jack Byrne, Sheane, and Gavin Buckley, Sheane, during the Selco.ie Formula Vee race. Picture Barry Cregg.

By the closing stages Blackburn was having to drive even more defensively but doing an excellent job but Byrne found a way past at turn three and took the lead. Buckley was still there in third not able to challenge but there to pick up the pieces if anything went wrong between the front two. Hannan and Melia were now nose to tail, the newcomer showing great pace in the latter stages. Now could Byrne make a break and take the win or could Blackburn find a way past. It was a typical Formula Vee thriller where anything could happen. Byrne held the lead for the following lap but as they started the following one they interlocked wheels on the run into turn one and they both went off into the gravel. This moved everyone up a place but as the cars were in an unsafe place the safety car had to be deployed. With the clock running down the race was finished under the safety car. A shame it ended that way but that's motor racing. Luckily the cars were not damaged and both would be back out for race two later in the day. Buckley took the win from Hannan and Conor Melia came home in third. 

Kieran Hannan, Leastone, leads Conor Melia, Sheane, during the Selco.ie Formula Vee race. Picture Barry Cregg.

Robert Flemming, Sheane, leads Eamonn Thornton, Leastone, during the Selco.ie Formula Vee race. Picture Barry Cregg.

Speaking after the race Buckley was gracious in taking the win, " I'm grateful to get the win even though I really inherited it after the two lads took each other out. It was a great race up to then and was close the whole way but I just hadn't that last bit to get past them but that's racing!"

Gavin Buckley, winner of the Selco.ie Formula Vee race. Picture Barry Cregg.

After the tempers settled and cars dusted off they lined up on the grid later in the day for race two. Again Buckley lead the field into turn one with Buckley and Byrne behind. Buckley tried the outside line move on Blackburn but it backfired as it let Byrne through to second. Already it looked to be a carbon copy of race one earlier but it was early days and like race one anything could happen. Hannan again took up fourth place but behind Andy Keogh and Robert Flemming chased him down, with newcomer Conor Melia a few places back this time. As the race settled down into a rhythm, again the front three opened a gap to Hannan who seemed to be on his own as Keogh and Flemmming were have a great battle behind. 

Charlie Heart, Leastone, leads Eamon Thornton, Leastone, during the Selco.ie Formula Vee race. Picture Barry Cregg.

Robert Flemming, Sheane, leads Andy Keogh, Sheane, and Kieran Hannan, Leastone, during the Selco.ie Formula Vee race. Picture Barry Cregg.

 Jack Byrne, Sheane, leads Colm Blackburn, Leastone, and Gavin Buckley, Sheane, during the Selco.ie Formula Vee race. Picture Barry Cregg.

It is a compromise around Mondello if your in the lead. If you haven't the pace to pull away you have to defend but in doing so it slows you down. If your in the middle of a group you have to try and attack and pass but also not leave yourself open to be passed. That was Blackburn's problem in second and Byrne's problem in the lead. They fought hard once again neither suffering from the incident in race one. By the half way mark the top three remained the same but now there was a second group of three in a battle for four. Keogh moved up to fourth with Hannon and Flemming behind. A lap later Flemming was now up to fifth with great moved around the outside of Hannan at turn 2 and two laps later he was up another place. Unfortunately for Keogh and Hannan both retied in the following laps with mechanical problems.

Brian Hall, Sheane, leads Conor Melia, Sheane, during the Selco.ie Formula Vee race. Picture Barry Cregg.

Up front Byrne was having his work cut out in the lead as Blackburn was trying all sorts of lines trying to get by on the out of turn 3 which nearly came off and again on the inside of the esses to no joy but the outside line move at turn 1 did and into the lead he went. Another cracking Formula Vee race was unfolding as they headed towards the end of the race. Hopefully they wouldn't take each other out again. A lap later into turn one both Blackburn and Byrne went into turn one too deep allowing Buckley cut back on the inside to take the lead. 

Sadly just as this was closing in to the final stages the race was red flagged due to oil being dropped on track robbing the spectators of a last lap drama. The result was declared back two laps giving Blackburn the win but after the race he was disqualified for a rule infringement in parc ferme after the race. This gave Byrne the win to rescue his weekend.

Gavin Buckley was given second and Robert Flemming ended up in third.

Speaking after the race Byrne was surprised at getting the win;

" We had a mixed weekend having good pace but we are back in the hunt for the championship after Colm being disqualified. A bittersweet end to the weekend after what happend in race one, I got a bit out of shape going into turn one just as he moved across and we both ended up in the gravel. We had a great battle again in race two and got into the lead until I went off line after hitting the oil."

It is a result the could prove important by the end of the year with dropped rounds coming into effect as race one will be one one to drop for Byrne along with the following round, although it is one he is happy to as he will be getting marrying his fincaeé Michelle. All involved in Formula Vee wish them both many years of happiness.

Jack Byrne, after winning the Selco.ie Formula Vee race. Picture Barry Cregg.

Results:

Selco.ie Formula Vee National Championship

1st Gavin Buckley

2nd Kieran Hannan

3rd Conor Melia

Tyredoctor.ie 'B' Championship

1st Kieran Hannan

2nd Andy Keogh

3rd Robert Flemming

Ability IT Solutions Rookie Championship

1st Conor Melia

2nd Brian Hall

3rd Charlie Hart