Pre-1955 Cars Put On Some Vintage Racing!

By Donal O'Neill

All photos by Jimmy Graham.

There was a laid-back vibe at Saturday’s motor racing meeting at Kirkistown. It possibly stemmed from the presence of the pre-1955 racing cars, including the Austin Sevens. That is not to say that their drivers were anything but seriously competitive. However, there was an extremely friendly and light-hearted camaraderie among them that is rarely seen in the more modern classes.

The first race of the day was for the visiting H.R.C.A. cars. Bernard Foley, from Blackrock, got a great start in his Crosslé 42S. However, at Colonial One he had a coming together with the Sunbeam Tiger of Armagh driver, Jackie Cochrane. This resulted in his retirement and a spin for the Tiger, leaving Cochrane at the tail of the field. Dungannon driver, Gareth Thompson, took up the running in his beautiful Ginetta G10, very closely followed by Holywood driver, John Benson, in his Crosslé 37S. On lap 10, Benson got past, leading all the way to the flag. Belfast driver, Mark Russell, brought his Morgan +8 home in third place. Cochrane recovered to fourth.

Later in the day, in their second outing, Thompson took the win from Russell in second and Foley in third.

Race 2 was the first outing for the Pre-1955 cars. Many people, including this writer, expected Killinchy driver, Andy Johnson, to disappear into the distance in his 1932 2.6 Alfa Romeo. While he didn’t disappear, on lap one, he took the lead from Belfast driver, David Wylie, in his1928 2.0 Frazer Nash, and while Wylie kept relatively close, he could not mount a serious overtaking challenge. Simon Brien, from Holywood, came home in an untroubled third place, driving his silver 1954 3.4 Jaguar XK120.
For the second race, David Wylie, re-wrote that script. In his Frazer Nash, he swapped places with Johnson, on almost every lap. It was a magnificent race to watch. On the final tour, Wylie passed Johnson once again, to take the win. Simon Brien, had another untroubled run to third place.

The Formula Ford 1600s had a small field of just six cars. As expected, in both races, Ronan Doherty, from Dunloy, dominated, taking two wins. Equally, Philip Harris, from Ballynahinch, dominated the pre-90 class but the battle for third place in each race was closely fought. In the first race it was Ashley McCulla, from Lisburn, and Allan McBurney, from Donaghcloney, who swapped places constantly, with McCulla securing the place on the final lap. In the second encounter, it was Ballymena’s Henry Campbell who rose through the field to take the final podium place.

The Austin Sevens were the slowest cars racing all day but they provided an entertaining spectacle. In the first of their races, Jack Brien and Paul Armstrong had a great battle in their “Ulsters”, until lap 4, when Armstrongs car went off the boil. Angus Johnson then joined the fray in his “Ulster”, chasing Brien to the flag. Ali Carver, who had dropped back at the start in his “Alternative Ulster”, worked his way back to third at the end. The second race for these cars was a simpler affair, with the same podium result.

There were two combined races for Roadsports, GTs and Libre Saloons. In the first, Jim Larkham, from Newtownabbey, shot into the lead, closely followed by Mike Ward, from Youghal. On lap nine, Larkham’s radical stopped, leaving Ward with a clear run to the flag. Bernard Foley took his Crosslé 42S to second place, followed by John Benson in his Crosslé 37S. In the GTs, Brendan Casement, from Saintfield, took the win from Loughgall driver, John Newport, in second and Cookstown man, Matthew McCord in third. In the second race, Larkham led from start to finish, with Ward second and Foley third again. Casement won the GT class with Alexander Preston, from Loughgall, second and Newport third.

The races for the Modi-5-Cup Mazdas provided the biggest grids of the day and some of the best racing. In Race one, Dundonald driver, Craig Ewing, had a good lead by the end of lap two. However, his car developed a problem and he came into the pits to rectify it. After losing two laps, he rejoined. Meanwhile, Francis Allen, from Moira, was trying to extend his lead over Damian Moran, from Newry, by over ten seconds, to overcome a jump start penalty. He succeeded! Gregory Radcliffe, from Banbridge, came through a congested pack to claim third place. In the second race, the grid is reversed, according to finishing order from the first. Thus, Ewing was on pole and he duly disappeared into the distance. Allen had to fight his way through from ninth place to take second. Moran came from seventh to take third. The racing, mid-pack, was brilliant to watch.

New Yorker, Aidan Mulready, has dominated the Kirkistown Fiesta class this year. However, Banbridge driver, Neville Anderson, has been running him close on most occasions. Could he win this time? The answer, after a magnificent race, where the two swapped places cleanly and constantly, was yes! Anderson crossed the line a mere quarter of a second ahead of Mulready to win. Newtownabbey driver, Conor Mulholland, was third, six seconds later. In the second race, Anderson took the lead for two laps but Mulready got past on the third and was never headed again. Mulholland had an initial battle with Helensburg driver, Stephen Walker, but after getting clear, he set off after Anderson. At the finish line, he was only four seconds behind, this time.

The racing was not the only spectacle of the day. At the lunch break, a cavalcade of many different marques of vintage cars took place.

The next meeting is on Saturday 26th July and has a packed programme of races.