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| Kevin O'Hara with the winning trophy after victory in the Selco.ie Formula Vee race at Kirkistown. Picture: Barry Cregg. |
A cold and wet weather front greeted the Selco.ie Formula Vee championship contenders on Saturday for round three of the series. Kirkistown Racing Circuit was the venue located south of Belfast along the Ards peninsula. The popular northern track can provide some great racing with slip stream style young racing due to the long straights but this time with the wet conditions on a newly surfaced track it would be a job to stay on it at all. Testing on Friday was also wet so the crews got the setups done well in time for qualifying on Saturday morning.
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| Kevin O'Hara leads the field on his way to victory in the Selco.ie Formula Vee race at Kirkistown. Picture: Barry Cregg. |
A much welcome return to the series after a few years away even if it was for this round was Kevin O'Hara. The former winner took time out of running LOH Motorsport to get back behind the wheel of Dan Polley's car which he normally looks after for the Dubliner. Polley himself missing this round due to a clash with the British Formula Vee championship. It would be interesting to see how the rest would fair against the man from Donadea in county Kildare.
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| Colm Blackburn, left, leads Kevin O'Hara, right, during the Selco.ie Formula Vee race at Kirkistown. Picture: Barry Cregg. |
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Colm Blackburn, during the Selco.ie Formula Vee race at Kirkistown. Picture: Barry Cregg.
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As many predicted it was O'Hara who topped the time sheets in qualifying. The wet conditions would make some changes from the normal men that occupy the first couple of rows as Eamonn Thornton and Conor Melia qualified in second and third respectively and ahead of Colm Blackburn and Gavin Buckley. Great performances put in from both 'B' championship drivers.
Come race time though the clear blue skies had arrived and dried the track out completely but the kerbs and grass verges on the track sides were still wet and could easily catch someone out. As the lights went out Colm Blackburn got a brilliant start getting the jump on the men ahead of him and from row two he went straight into the lead as the went for turn one. O'Hara tried the outside line but Blackburn saw him and held it through turn two. As they exited the chicane O'Hara drew alongside as both raced towards the hairpin in a Senna v Mansell esque scenario. As they exited O'Hara cut back to the inside and took the lead.
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Kieran Hannan leads Conor Melia and Fergal Begley during the Selco.ie Formula Vee race at Kirkistown. Picture: Barry Cregg.
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Eamonn Thornton, leads Andy Keogh and Niall O'Mara during the Selco.ie Formula Vee race at Kirkistown. Picture: Barry Cregg.
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Blackburn wasn't going away and was side by side again at the end of the straight and then swapped to the inside for turn two but as much as he put O'Hara the outside O'Hara held firm and had the inside line on the exit and was back in the lead. A strong couple of moves by both men but it was fair and clean and also great to watch. O'Hara immediately set about to make a break and his quick line through the chicane saw him gap Blackburn by a car length or more. Behind the front two current champion Gavin Buckley was third with Kieran Hannan and Conor Melia behind him. All nose to tail and ready to pounce. Then disaster for Buckley as his car cut out at the hairpin and he dropped right down the field as he tried to get it to fire into life again. This gave the front two a gap as Hanann and Melia dropped back avoiding Buckley.
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Championship leader Gavin Buckley dropped points after mechanical problems during the Selco.ie Formula Vee race at Kirkistown. Picture: Barry Cregg.
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Kevin O'Hara, on his way to victory in the Selco.ie Formula Vee race at Kirkistown.Picture: Barry Cregg.
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O'Hara extended his lead but Blackburn was still trying and still in touch but was not able to close in and he was doing the same to Hanann in third. Melia too dropped back in fourth a few car lengths behind Hannan leaving the first four evenly spaced out. By halfway O'Hara was well in command and counting down the laps and barring mechanical failure it was his to loose. Behind though there were changes. Fourth place man Conor Melia had to retire with an engine problem elevating Fergal Begley for a couple of laps until front row starter Eamonn Thornton got past. Sadly too late for the Roscommon man to get a chance at a podium as the front three were well clear. Hannan was showing great pace in his first race of the year and was now right on the gearbox of Blackburn who seemed to drop off his earlier pace.
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| Kevin O'Hara, on his way to victory in the Selco.ie Formula Vee race at Kirkistown.Picture: Barry Cregg. |
Time was running out for him though, but he pressed Blackburn hard and as he got a good run out of the chicane with a lap to go a backmarker cost him time down to hairpin. He tried a move down the inside but just couldn't make it stick. Blackburn held on as they started the final lap. Hanan tried again at turn two and again on the run to the hairpin but just could not find a way by. No such worries for O'Hara who took the chequered flag with ease and added another win to the list. Blackburn took second with Hannan third.
It was a convincing win and shows the level that the rest have to reach if they want to take a win from the Kildare man. Will he be out later in the year who knows, it would be great to see him out again time will tell. He was pleased with his efforts over the weekend. " It was easier than I was expecting but it was still enjoyable though. It was pity Gavin ran into a problem as it was close at the start. It was good fun and I hope to be out again if Dan isn't around."
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| Kevin O'Hara with his brother John and the winning trophy after victory in the Selco.ie Formula Vee race at Kirkistown. Picture: Barry Cregg. |
Results:
Selco.ie National Championship:
1st Kevin O'Hara
2nd Colm Blackburn
3rd Kieran Hannan
TyreDoctor.ie 'B' Championship:
1st Conor Melia
2nd Eamonn THornton
3rd Andy Keogh
PrecisionWorks Engineering Rookie Championship:
1st Lee Flynn
2nd Brian Cowan
3rd James Lawless
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