16 Year Old William Kellett stars on his Fiesta ST debut at Mondello

16 year old William Kellett, from Kells in County Meath, made his debut in Ireland’s most popular one make motor racing series, the Patch Tyre Equipment Fiesta ST championship, on Sunday.
Having raced and won in Junior Rallycross and Future Classics, William moved up to the 160bhp Fiestas  thanks to a deal with Leo Nulty Promotions and Dublin Bodyshop JH Autobody.
Despite minimal testing in his newly built Kellett Motorsport machine, William raised plenty of eyebows as he qualified eighth in the star studded 24 car field. In race one, he made an excellent start and was running sixth in the closing stages- which would have given him pole position in race two, as the top six finishers are reversed for the second grid. Multiple winner Kevin Doran wrested the place from William with two laps to run though, but the JH Autobody car still crossed the line in a hugely impressive seventh place.
In race two, conditions dried out somewhat- giving William his first taste of the ST on dry tarmac- his two previous tests having both been in wet conditions! Unfortunately, having initially run as high as fifth, he found himself bundled off the track and with severe vision issues due to mud on the windscreen, opted to ease off and ensure he finished, crossing the line in fourteenth but with the car intact!

William Kellett: “I’m pretty happy with that- the aim was to be in the top ten early in the season and we comfortably did that on our first weekend with the car. As ever,  I’d like to thank JH Autobody for their support and my Dad for building and running the car for me.”

The Fiesta ST series was introduced by Mondello Park in 2016 as a step up from the hugely successful 1.25 Zetec Fiestas. The class was a resounding success in its first season with many new drivers having joined the grid for 2017. William returns to Mondello Park on April 9th for rounds three and four of the 2017 Patch Tyre Equipment Championship.

About William Kellett:

William Kellett is a 16 year old student at St Ciaran’s Community School in Kells, County Meath. In 2015, he dominated in Junior Rallycross but travelling to the UK with his family race team meant he missed a number of rounds and ultimately, the championship, For 2016, Kellett Motorsport upgraded the Micra slightly and William moved to Future Classics. Fastest lap in his second race and a win in August at Mondello saw him receive a Driver Of The Month Award from Motorsport Ireland and also a nomination for Young Driver Of The Year.
In 2017, he competes in the 150bhp one make Fiesta Zetec Championship in the JH Autobody/Motorsport.ie car, run by Kellett Motorsport.

Images from Michael Chester.