Siltex Safety Zetecs Entertain Once Again at Mondello Leinster Trophy Meeting

With the end of the 2023 season in sight, Ireland’s biggest race championship, the Siltex Safety Fiesta Zetec championship was at Mondello Park once again for the Leinster Trophy meeting on the full International Circuit earlier this month.

David Maguire had been fastest in testing and it was his JMC/LOH Motorsport machine that claimed the all important pole position when the Zetecs took to the track for qualifying. Keith Rabbitt’s Wrapco car is never far from the sharp end when he appears so it was no surprise to see him share the front row. Sean McGovern was third from series leader Michael Barrable with Rookie star Jason O’Connell continuing to impress in fifth.  Next up were Keith Dawson and Derek Graham, with 2022 Rookie runner up Eduardo Gonzaga in eighth from Andy Kavanagh and Alan Dawson, who rounded out the top ten.

O’Connell, as is becoming the norm, topped the Rookies with Josh Brown and Lorcan McGivney his closest challengers. Mick McArdle was fourth, from the improving Chloe Kellett and Adam O’Mahony.

When the lights went out for race one, Maguire and Rabbitt moved as one. Rabbitt moved over and they were door to door as they went under the bridge. The Wrapco car sat around the outside of Turn One and appeared to have the lead on the approach to Campion Corner. Maguire wasn’t backing out though, and he repaid the compliment by sitting around the outside of the left hander, the duo heading for Turn Three still side by side. With the track still damp off line, Rabbitt got out of shape at the second apex of turn Three, allowing McGovern and Barrable through. It stayed like that for a lap and this time round it was Maguire who got a massive slide at Three. He held it beautifully though, with Barrable slicing down the inside of McGovern behind him. McGovern stayed alongside though and when he reclaimed the place into Bridgestone, Rabbitt, elbows fully out, charged past Barrable as well!  Barrable, no doubt thinking of his championship lead, tucked in behind but Keith Dawson was right behind and pushing hard to find a way by.

Up front, Maguire was having to defend as McGovern was moving about in his mirrors.   A Turn Three lunge saw him down the inside but Maguire was back down the inside at Bridgestone. McGovern made it stick and once again Rabbitt, ever the opportunist, followed him through. With Barrable busy holding off Dawson and O’Connell, the first three began to edge clear. The Turn Three lunge was fast becoming the favourite move of the day and Maguire almost retook second from Rabbitt with one, but Keith managed to carry the speed round the outside and eased back in front on the way back up the hill.

On the final lap, Rabbitt got out of shape at Lola and in a flash, Maguire was alongside and he managed to get the job done into 7A. Having been unable to get past Barrable, Keith Dawson pulled off line on the final tour and dropped back, allowing Barrable’s title rival Alan Dawson to climb to sixth- meaning he would start race two from pole position!

In race two, with the class racing for the historic Dunlop Trophy, Alan Dawson had pole, courtesy of some impressive teamwork, with Rookie champion elect Jason O’Connell alongside. Michael Barrable and Keith Rabbitt were the occupants of row two with Young Guns Maguire and McGovern on row three, followed by Keith Dawson, Derek Graham, Ian Fishbourne and Andy Kavanagh. O’Connell, as ever, was first of the Rookies, from Josh Brown and Lorcan McGivney, the duo having had a great scrap in race one.

When the lights went out, Rabbitt got a blinder from the outside of the second row, moving over and squeezing Barrable before giving poleman Dawson a bit of help as they headed under the BMW Bridge. In typically spectacular fashion, he then lunged at the leader into turn one, taking plenty of inside kerb too. Dawson contained it, but even so, by Campion Corner the Wrapco car was already up two places! On the run up from Turn Three, Barrable rebuffed an effort from Maguire, who was then tagged by McGovern. This unsettled the JMC car and Derek Graham with nowhere to go, made contact, with his Vehicle Screens car briefly heading skywards. Both spun off with Keith Dawson also rotating in avoidance.

Up front predictably, Rabbitt was on the attack with Dawson having to immediately adapt a defensive role. O’Connell was a couple of lengths back, from Barrable and Andy Kavanagh, with McGovern having fallen back slightly, under pressure from a train of cars comprising Josh Brown, Fishbourne, Kelsey Kirby, Kaleb Shanley, Garret Burke and Emma Dempsey.

A good run up Kennedy’s Rise was enough for Rabbitt to get his nose up the inside and he emerged from Lola side by side with Dawson but crucially, with the inside line for 7A. O’Connell, looking anything but the Rookie, latched onto Rabbitt’s rear bumper and followed him through. Barrable, having closed right up, also got a run at Dawson at 7B for third and eased ahead on the approach to Birrane’s bends. All this had closed the pack right up and McGovern and his Zetec Train were now all over this battle. As Rabbitt and O’Connell eased away, McGovern headed to the pitlane having been shown a mechanical defect flag, courtesy of a leaking fuel cap.

Rabbitt made no mistakes to take his second win of the year, in just four appearances, whilst a delighted O’Connell (provisionally) clinched the Rookie title with an impressive 8^th win of the year. Barrable held off Dawson to take third and increase his title lead with just two races to go. Andy Kavanagh was fifth, from Josh Browne who just came out tops in a great battle with Ian Fishbourne, as well as being second Rookie home.

Mick McArdle (above) battled his way past McGivney to take his first Rookie podium with third.

 

All this means that Barrable has increased his advantage in the title standings over Alan Dawson to 10 points (8 on dropped scores), but Dave Maguire is not completely out of the reckoning in third. McGovern is fourth but already has two zero scores so any points he scores in the season finale will be added to his total. Jason O’Connell in fifth is the final driver who could mathematically take the 2023 Siltex title, but he would need to win both races with the leaders hitting trouble too.

Providing he doesn’t hit trouble in the final round, Jason O’Connell’s stunning season means he can’t be caught in the Rookie Cup. It is far from settled in the other plavings though. Lorcan McGivney is comfortable in second, but an impressive late season run from Josh Brown sees him climb to third and he could conceivably steal second at the final meeting. Matthew Tyrrell is just two points behind in fourth and Laura Hannon is still in fifth despite missing the last two meetings. Should she not appear for the final meeting next month, Steven Cullinane, Mick Mcardle and Senan Noone could be capable of moving up – with prizes down to sixth in the series.

 

Please note that all results and by association, championship standings, remain provision pending a number of incidents being reviewed.

Images from Marc Quinlivan Photography.