F3 Returns to Kirkistown!

Memories will come flooding back at Kirkistown on Saturday May 30 as a grid of 500cc F3 cars will take to the start line.

The 500 Motor Racing Club of Ireland , formed in 1948 to promote affordable motor racing, took its name and inspiration from the then-new 500cc Formula 3 for small single seat racing cars powered by motor cycle engines.

Visitors to Kirkistown during this period included several names destined to appear later in Formula 1. Peter Collins, Ivor Bueb and a young Ken Tyrrell all raced 500s at the County Down venue. Entries from as far away as Switzerland have been received and to see the old cars in action once again will be something of a spectacle.

The 500cc F3s are only part of a packed programme which will also feature BOSS Ireland, Formula Ford 1600, Ford Fiestas, Roadsports and a very special Crossle Handicap race. During the lunch break the Chicane at Kirkistown will named in honour of the late

John Crossle MBE, one of the most highly respected racing constructors and a name which has featured on motor racing circuits all over the world.

While the 500cc F3 cars are likely to be the centre of attraction the battles for championship honours in the various classes will continue to rage and none more closely fought than in Formula Ford 1600.

Today this single seater racing class is regarded by many as the back bone of Irish motor racing season, so fans are in for a real treat. Drivers to watch, Jake Byrne, Adrian Pollock and Alan Davidson.

Right at the top end of the single seater power scale, the cars contesting the Boss Ireland series; given ideal conditions, fast lap times await.

Roadsports and Ford Fiestas continue to grow in numbers and while the small Ford saloons are the least powerful of the modern day racers on the Kirkistown grid, they are big in entertainment value.