MANSFIELD TAKES A RADICAL DOUBLE AT BISHOPS COURT
The County Down meeting had a heavy two-day schedule with an all-new 50-minute Open Endurance Series placing Sam Mansfield as a history maker despite trouble restarting in a mandatory pitstop.
The Radical SR8 driver, who also picked up a win in the first Boss Ireland race, had a 3.6s gap to Shane Murray’s SEAT Leon after the 40 laps. Rod Mcgovern was just 2.5s further back in another Leon to get a podium finish, highlighting the close mixed grid racing, while Neil and Ger Tohill made use of the dual driver option in fourth.
Leading into the first corner, Eamon Matheson looked like the one to beat in the Boss Ireland races but he pitted with issues. Following the endurance win Mansfield didn’t make it three wins on the day with the Dublin man pushed to the back of the grid after signalling a problem. He got going but Paul O’connell claimed the second race despite his Dallara F302 showing signs of smoke at the flag.
The Super Future Classics’ first visit had 20 cars on the grid and Timothy Duggan’s SEAT Ibiza was quickest but with a closer affair for race two, the Milford man was third, behind winner Anthony Kelly in a Honda Civic and Stephen Dunne. After 11 laps, 1.4s split the podium places. Brian Sexton (Rover 200) had the best lap time but later spun out.
The two Formula Vee wins went to Dan Polley, who punched the air with delight as he took the chequered flag marginally ahead of Colm Blackburn. The gap was 0.17s on Sunday’s opening race and even closer with 0.12s on the second. Lee Newsome watched on in third, closely in race one – the three cars side-by-side on occasions – and over nine seconds back in the later contest.
Appearing unsteady through a chicane on the opening lap of the second of three rolling start Global GT races, Conor Farrell claimed two wins with Peter Drennan getting the final shortened five-minute race victory – a reward for providing one of the closest races alongside Farrell in race two. Touching an outside kerb may have denied Drennan two top spots but fastest lap bragging rights were earned.
The 4700cc Jackie Cochrane Sunbeam Tiger was the Historic dominator. The first race, on the Saturday evening, was won by 36.5s and a more relaxed approach from the Armagh driver on day two meant it was down to 14.7s. Tommy Doherty’s Ford Capri trailed on both occasions, with Michael Doyle trying hard in a third-placed Lotus Elan.
Honda Integra racer Ulrick Burke did the double in the ITCC, as did Andrew Armstrong in the Northern Ireland Saloons with a BMW M3 – the two series together boosting race appeal. The ASK Supercars got the first drop of the flag in the two-grid race and while Alan Watkins was quickest of them all in the first, Charlie Linnane won the repeat.
Paul Thompson won NI Sevens in a heated race while Greg Kelly appeared to have an easier time in the Strykers. Owen Purcell headed both Zetec-spec Ford Fiesta races with Michael Cullen winning the Fiesta ST category first time around, with a shortened second race going to Darragh Mcmullen.