Doherty Wins The Leinster Trophy - Again

Ronan Doherty with the Leinster Trophy after the race.

If there was ever a more deserving winner of an event it would have to be county Antrim's Ronan Doherty. One year on from the heartbreak of loosing out on taking the biggest prize in Irish motor racing due to a disqualification on a technical problem with his car, he took victory in the Selco.ie Formula Vee race for the Leinster Trophy. 

Dating back to the early 1930's the who's who of Irish drivers have won the trophy over the years the likes of John Watson, John Pollock, Tommy Reid, Patsy McGarrity, Vivian Daly, Eddie Jordan, to name a only a few. It is not only prestigious for the great drivers from this land that have won it before but the history of international drivers who went on to the very top of the sport, such as Mike Hawthorn, Mauricio Gugelmin, J.J Lehto, Mika Hakkinen, and the most famous of them all Ayrton Senna.

To add your name to those is a great honor and he did it in style. Having moved to Formula Ford this season he decided to return for this weekend to the Formula Vee series to win the Leinster Trophy and prove to all he was the man to beat and lay to rest the disappointment of last year. Come the test day on Friday his times left everyone in the championship know that he had upped his strong pace from last year and qualified on pole position. 

Ronan Doherty leads the field into turn one during the Leinster Trophy race.

The forecast was for heavy rain, however by the time they lined up on the grid for the Leinster Trophy it was cloudy but dry. He already had given himself a certain confidence boost by winning the two Formula Vee races the day before.

Starting from pole position once again he {and everyone else} knew had the pace over the rest. His opposition would have to get ahead of him straight away and hope they could battle it out and not let him break away if he got out on his own. A harder task on the international track at Mondello, which is much longer and if a break is made it is harder to close down. 

Anthony Cross, Sheane, leads Tim Murray, Leastone, during the Leinster Trophy race.

Jack Byrne, Sheane, leads Jordan Kelly, Sheane, Conor Melia, Sheane, during the Leinster Trophy race.

Tim Murray who was also making a return to the series this year joined him on the front row. As the lights went out Murray was unfortunetley to eager to make a better start and jumped it. Doherty held firm his line towards turn one and held the inside line into turn one to lead the field. From there he got his head down and began to build a lead as he had done in both races on Saturday. By the end of lap one he was five car lengths ahead of Murray who had been given a ten second penalty, with Jordan Kelly and Anthony Cross behind.

Ronan Doherty, Sheane, on his way to winning the Leinster Trophy race.

Lap on lap he increased his lead leaving those behind in his wake and barring any mechanical problem he was not going to be caught. After a safety car period he once again resumed where he left off and again pulled clear. Cross was into second on the road and ahead of Murray and pulled clear of Kelly who scrapped it out for third with Jack Byrne. Doherty just reeled off the laps without any problem and crossed to take victory by a massive 11 seconds from Cross. Kelly began to drop back leaving newly crowned series champion Gavin Buckley to take his place in the battle for third. It all got very close with Byrne, Buckley and Conor Melia with a couple of corners to go. Byrne held on though and took the last podium spot.

Dave Furlong winner of the 1967 race presents Ronan Doherty with the Leinster Trophy

Ronan Doherty lifts the Leinster Trophy

Ronan Doherty gets sprayed with champagne by Anthony Cross, left, and Jack Byrne, right after winning Leinster Trophy race

Ronan Doherty celebrates after winning Leinster Trophy race

A well deserved victory and one that put the nightmare of the year before to bed.  

Speaking after the race the laid back Antrim man said; " it was a perfect weekend with pole position and the two wins yesterday and winning the Leinster Trophy today. I have to thank the lads for giving me a great car it was on rails and had great pace, I had the easy job of driving it."

Dominant Doherty Takes The Leinster Trophy

Ronan Doherty lifts the Leinster Trophy after winning the Selco.ie Formula Vee race.

If there was ever a more deserving winner of an event it would have to be county Antrim's Ronan Doherty. One year on from the heartbreak of loosing out on taking the biggest prize in Irish motor racing due to a simple mechanical failure with a lap to go, he took victory in the Selco.ie Formula Vee race for the Leinster Trophy. 

Dating back to the early 1930's the who's who of Irish drivers have won the trophy over the years the likes of John Watson, John Pollock, Tommy Reid, Patsy McGarrity, Vivian Daly, Eddie Jordan, to name a only a few. It is not only prestigious for the great drivers from this land that have won it before but the history of international drivers who went on to the very top of the sport, such as Mike Hawthorn, Mauricio Gugelmin, J.J Lehto, Mika Hakkinen, and the most famous of them all Ayrton Senna.

To add your name to those is a great honor and he did it in style. With only one race meeting in the championship this season and a couple of test days he was missed in this years championship. Come the test day on Friday his times left everyone in the championship battle glad he chose not to do a full season and also left them with some head scratching for the weekend ahead. He was just one tenth off the lap record on the new Toyo tyres brought into the class a couple of years ago which are meant to be quiet a bit slower than the Dunlop's used before. 

A tight start to the race between Ronan Doherty and Dan Polley

The forecast was mixed and the rain came Sunday morning for qualifying and race one ahead of the bigger Leinster Trophy race later in the day. Would he be as quick in the wet as the dry? He answered by taking pole by nearly a second and backing it up with a win by 1.3 seconds. A certain confidence boost not that it was ever needed, by getting the win and not getting himself into trouble.

Starting from pole position once again but this time it was dry and he knew he had the pace over the rest. His opposition would have to get ahead straight away and hope they could battle and not let him break away. A harder task on the international track at Mondello, which is much longer and if a break is made it is harder to close down. Dan Polley also making a return to the series this year joined him on the front row. As the lights went out Polley immediately moved Doherty to the right and over the white line of pitlane exit to try and gain an advantage to take the lead. Doherty held firm and was not for giving way and held the inside line into turn one to lead the field. From there he got his head down and began to build a lead. By the end of lap one he was five car lengths ahead of Polley who was falling into the clutches of Gavin Buckley and Colm Blackburn.

Gavin Buckley and Colm Blackburn battled early on aswell as Jordan Kelly and Jack Byrne

Lap on lap he increased his lead leaving those behind in his wake and barring any repeats of the year before he was not going to be caught. Blackburn retired with a mechanical problem and both Polley and Buckley scrapped it out for second and third, leaving Doherty to break away even more. He reeled off the laps and crossed to take victory by a massive 20 seconds. A margin unheard of in Formula Vee but such was his early pace and those behind battling with each other it was a done deal very early on. 

A well deserved victory and one that put the nightmare of the year before to bed. 

Speaking after the race the laid back Antrim man said; " it was a perfect weekend with pole positions and two wins. What happened last year was the main motivation to comeback again this year and to try and win it. We had the pace from the first practice session in all conditions so big thanks to my dad and all the team for making the car so good for me and all their work. I am quiet relieved to have done it and also delighted at the same time."

Dan Polley and Gavin Buckley, top, had a race long battle that provided the entertainment of the race. While Ronan Doherty was in a league of his own out front, above.

Behind the top three Jordan Kelly and Jack Byrne had their own battle but were not near the pace of the leaders, which was not like them and would have been considered winners or podium possibilities ahead of the race. Owen Kelly out in a recently bought Sheane was further behind having his own race as he gapped Kieran Hannon early on. Hannan however caught back up and they began to battle for fifth. Another great battle was for sixth behind between Eamonn Thornton back out for the second time this year and having a great run ahead of Conor Melia who everyone was delighted to see out again after his big crash at Kirkistown and Charlie Hart. Ger Byrne was also making his way up through the field and got past Paul Lewis and Andy Keogh but was too far behind to gain another place.

Further battle throughout the field

Then sadly mechanical problems for Melia and he was blacked flagged ending his race and rookie championship challenge. A shame after all the hard work done by SM racing to get the car ready for the weekend. Thornton though pulled clear in the closing laps and was comfortably ahead of heart crossing the line. His best result and for only his second race this year it was a great achievement. By the time the chequered flag came out the pack was strung out Byrne winning his battle against Kelly followed by Owen Kelly, Hannan, Thornton and Hart. It got better for Thornton gaining one more place after the race when Hannan received a 10 second penalty for a jump start. Simon Rudd and Finn Gillespie round out the podium in the rookie class.

The rookie podium, Charlie Hart, top, Simon Rudd, middle and Finn Gillespie, bottom.

With Blackburn's DNF, his championship hopes ended so it goes to the final round in two weeks time at the fast and brilliant Kirkistown Racing Circuit between Gavin Buckley and Jack Byrne. With only 3 points separating them it's a winner takes all race. Luckily for Byrne a discovered broken rocker cover didn't end his race which kept the points gap to a minimum ahead of the finale.

The race and winners spoils went to Ronan Doherty pictured after the race with his parent Damien and Yvonne and sister Eva.

Results

Selco.ie Formula Vee Championship

1st Ronan Doherty

2nd Dan Polley

3rd Gavin Buckley

Tyredoctor.ie B Championship

1st Jordan Kelly

2nd Owen Kelly

3rd Andy Keogh

Ability IT Rookie Championship

1st Charlie Hart

2nd Simon Rudd

3rd Finn Gillespie

Blackburn Takes the 2023 Leinster Trophy

 

Colm Blackburn takes the chequered flag to win the 2023 Leinster Trophy. Mondello Park, Donore, Co. Kildare. Picture: Barry Cregg.

For motor racing fans, Mondello Park in September can only mean one thing. The Leinster Trophy Races. The biggest race meeting of the season which is celebrating its 80^th running this year, is the one that everyone wants to win, as the annual prestigious silverware is brought out by the Leinster Motor Club. All competitors want to add their name to those trophies and have them alongside the famous ones already on them. For this year the Formula Vee class was awarded the honour to compete for the Leinster Trophy. Last awarded to the class back in 2011 and won by Ray Moore, a strong grid of 27 drivers took to the grid for this year’s event.

Sadly, the heatwave the country was experiencing all week decided to end on Saturday and the mixed Irish climate returned for race day. Drivers were having to pick a setup to work over both wet and dry areas on the track after a couple of heavy downpours. Most of the track was dry but a couple of areas off the racing line were still damp which would play a role in the outcome.

Family and friends of the later Mick Merrigan ahead of the Leinster Trophy race.  Mondello Park, Donore, Co. Kildare. Picture: Barry Cregg.

As the lights went out it was pole sitter Gavin Buckley who got the best start albeit after a bit of movement on the line to lead Lee Newsome into turn one from Ronan Doherty. Using the full international track for this race there would be ample opportunities for passing manoeuvres throughout the race. Doherty was on the move and got back into second by turn three and former champion Colm Blackburn made a strong pass on current champion Anthony cross to move into fourth. An ambitious move into Birranes Bends by Doherty on the lead didn’t come off and the young rookie was lucky not to take both men out, but he did drop back to fourth. The long track tends to spread the cars out but by the end of lap one there was a train of cars together, nobody wanting to be left behind.

Blackburn looked the quickest however and was into second ending the first lap and looked to close right up to the leader Buckley. The damp conditions at turn three caught him out and he was beached in the gravel trap unable to get out and  being in an unsafe position brought out the red flags.

10-09-2023: Gavin Buckley, Sheane, leads Ronan Doherty, Sheane, Lee Newsome, Sheane, and Anthony Cross, Sheane, on his way to winning  the Leinster trophy race. ICCCR, Leinster Trophy races, Mondello Park, Donore, Co. Kildare. Picture: Barry Cregg.

The Mondello Park track team pulled Blackburn from the gravel and he rejoined to grid for the restart from his original position of 5^th place. Some questioned this and felt he should have restarted at the back of the field. For now, it was lights out and a race to turn one again lead by Buckley. Doherty, Newsome and Blackburn were all behind and tucked in but by halfway round an unfortunate Eamonn Thornton got clipped by a spinning Kieran Hannon while trying to avoid him and got put into the bank and then rolled his car over a couple of times. Thankfully no injuries were sustained. He got out of the car straight away.  This brought out the red flags once again understandably.

10-09-2023: Ronan Doherty, Sheane, leads Colm Blackburn, Leastone, during  the Leinster trophy race. ICCCR, Leinster Trophy races, Mondello Park, Donore, Co. Kildare. Picture: Barry Cregg.

On the third restart it was Doherty who lead into turn one with Buckley, Blackburn and Newsome behind. The young man from Antrim in his first year of racing, who already taking the Loh Motorsport Rookie class Championship earlier in the day was out to take the biggest prize. His pace was strong and his mechanical problems from Friday testing seemed to be behind him. On the run down to turn 7 Buckley used a good exit from the previous corner to get alongside Doherty. Doherty defended on the inside but an over ambitious move by Blackburn to get by Buckley resulted in him hitting his rear wheel and spinning him around and luckily not into more people coming past.

This gave Doherty a healthy lead to build on. If those behind started to battle amongst themselves, he could become uncatchable. Blackburn still stayed in second after his collision with Buckley and set to catch Doherty. The gaps between the first three stayed the same over the next several laps until disaster struck Doherty who’s mechanical gremlins came back to force him into retirement. Such a shame for the young man who looked in complete control of the race. This let Blackburn off the hook to take the lead and barring the same misfortune the race was his as he was lapping quicker than Newsome.

Colm Blackburn leads Lee Newsome, Ronan Doherty and Anthony Cross on his way to winning the 2023 Leinster Trophy. Mondello Park, Donore, Co. Kildare. Picture: Barry Cregg.

The battle of the race for third place between Mark Reade, Tim Murray and Trevor Delaney. Reade who only lives down road from Mondello, sowing great pace after not being in the car for over a year. In the end it was Blackburn who reeled off the final laps comfortably to take the win ahead of Newsome and Reade who got the third in the end.

Colm Blackburn celebrates winning the 2023 Leinster Trophy. Mondello Park, Donore, Co. Kildare. Picture: Barry Cregg.

Punching the air as he crossed the line the man from Ballyfermot wasn’t holding back his joy at winning the Leinster Trophy.

Speaking after the race the winner was in a sate of shock at adding his name to the famous trophy. “ When I seen the message on the phone a few months back that the class was going to race for the Leinster trophy I got a shiver down my spine. Then my friend Stephen Kershaw who helps me with the car texted to say you will win that. Now I have its just mad, I’m so delighted to win it.”

Colm Blackburn celebrates with his son Jamie after winning the 2023 Leinster Trophy. Mondello Park, Donore, Co. Kildare. Picture: Barry Cregg.

Colm Blackburn reflects on his own after winning the 2023 Leinster Trophy. Mondello Park, Donore, Co. Kildare. Picture: Barry Cregg.

They joy was put on hold for over two hours as protests against him after being allowed to restart from his original position and his coming together with Gavin Buckley. The officials had to decided if these had enough grounds for action. In the end they declared the results stood and victory to Blackburn. It’s a shame for the spectators and other class members as well as Colm’s big win that the podium celebrations did not happen.

The final Formula Vee outing is in Kirkistown Racing Circuit on the last Saturday of the month. It also has another prestigious race for the Emmerson Fittipaldi trophy.

 

 Results:

Selco.ie National Championship

1st Colm Blackburn

2nd Lee Newsome

3rd Mark Reade

VW Spares B Championship

1st Mark Reade

2nd Ger Byrne

3rd Andy Keogh

LOH Motorsport Rookie Championship

1st Stephen Roche

2nd Brian Hall

Leinster Trophy - Images