Ivor the Driver returns in bid for record-breaking Donnelly Trophy treble
THERE was a time not so long ago when Ivor McCullough was Ulster’s Formula Ford kingpin. Not just a multiple winner of the Northern Ireland Championship, he scaled the heights of FF1600 racing with back-to-back victories in the Brands Hatch Festival.
Then two years ago the Ballymena businessman packed away his Van Diemen and retired from the track. But tomorrow he will be back for the Martin Donnelly Trophy, the 500 Club’s traditional end-of-season shoot-out at Kirkistown.
McCullough is a two-time winner of the prestigious trophy which commemorates the father of former Lotus driver Martin Donnelly whose Formula One career was ended by an horrific accident at Jerez in 1990.
Indeed McCullough was the first winner in 2006 and successful again in 2012 and he returns in a bid to become the first driver to record three victories although he will face strong opposition from other previous winners like Noel Robinson (2009 and 2011), Alan Davidson (2014) and Kevin O’Hara (2015).
O’Hara has been one of the stand out drivers of the Kirkistown season, setting a new lap record and challenging new NI champion Niall Murray until a mountain bike accident saw him sidelined with a broken elbow and wrist. And while Murray is Raring to go: Ivor McCullough is back after a two-year break
an absentee tomorrow, O’Hara is planning to be back to join a line-up which also includes rising southern stars Jordan Dempsey and James Roe as well as the other McCullough, Ivor’s brother David.
Featuring too in the final meeting of the year, which starts with practice at 9.30am, will be Formula Vee, Roadsports, Fiesta Zetecs, where James Turkington, brother of BTCC star Colin and a former champion, will be in action plus the Legends class.
Meanwhile Kris Meeke showed encouraging form ahead of this weekend’s Rally Catalunya by setting the second fastest time during yesterday’s shakedown test. In fact, Meeke was quickest for most of the session in his Citroen C3 before being edged out by the Ford of World champion Sebastien Ogier.