McCULLOUGHS’ INTRA-FAMILY FIGHT FOR GLORY
While brothers Ivor and David McCullough both arrived at Kirkistown last weekend determined to add to their three previous Martin Donnelly Trophy victories apiece, qualifying for the Formula Ford 1600 event didn’t go well.
Instead pole went to another former winner, Noel Robinson, with Dave Parks next up.
The brothers have overcome poor starting positions before, and so it proved again, with their white Van Diemens rapidly getting to the head of the train, where they remained, with David in front of Ivor and Robinson, and Parks in their wheeltracks.
The battle at the front of the main race was a belter with McCulloughs swapping positions until Ivor outbraked himself into the hairpin near the end which gave David his fourth triumph.
Earlier, Ivor had won the opening FF1600 encounter from David.
In the first Formula Vee race,
Anthony Cross (Sheane) continued his winning streak by just 0.005s from Jack
Byrne (Sheane). Race two was held for the Emerson Fittipaldi Trophy provided more or less the same result, but this time Cross won by 0.56s.
Jim Larkham (Radical) continued his winning ways ahead of the similar car of nephew Steven in the first Roadsports race, with Niall Fitzsimmons (Prosport) in third. Steven took an unopposed win in race two, which was red flagged after Jim tangled with John Stewart’s Radical.
The Honda-powered NI Se7ens provided Graham Moore with back-to-back victories in his GMS. Paul Thompson’s Striker provided the opposition in race one, with Mark Francis’s Locost very close behind. In race two, Richard Francis (Locost) took the challenge to Moore.
Gerard O’Connell’s SHP Ford Escort romped away twice to claim GT honours. Peter Baxter’s Seat sealed his
Saloon title with a win in race one, while Peter Carvill’s Vauxhall Vectra took the honours race two.
The opening Ford Fiesta race was red flagged after three cars ended up in the gravel trap at the Hairpin.
Two emerged to fight again but the third, championship leader Derek Graham’s car, was sidelined for the rest of the event.
At the restart however, it took just four laps before
Mark Stewart found himself in the barrier at Fishermans after receiving the close attentions of Neville Anderson. Out came the red flags again, and this time officials decided that enough was enough and called a result. Subsequent discussions in park ferme led the removal of both Anderson and Stewart from the results.
For the record, Michael Graham was the winner from Conor Mulholland and Chris Doherty.
Later in the day Graham took victory again in the second race.