McFall Clinches Patch Junior MINI Title as Hoey Stars with Debut Win

The Patch Tyre Equipment Junior MINI Challenge gave great entertainment over the 2023 ICCR Mondello Park season. Mondello Park, who heavily support the series, for 14-16 year old drivers, once again ran their scholarship initiative. Prospective drivers were invited to Mondello Park pre season and put through a number of ascessments, including the obvious on track test. In 2022, David Travers was the winner, and despite the best efforts of Codey Keogh, managed to take the title. This year Bobby-Joe McFall was the chosen one, with almost top marks in all of the tests and the Instructors being very complimentary about his abilities.

His prize was the use of the Mondello Park Junior MINI Challenge car, all entries and test fees at Mondello Park, as well as his tyres for the year.  This is a massive opportunity for any young driver and McFall was not about to waste it. World Champion karter Reuben Kernohan did the double, with McFall right on his rear bumper at the opening ICCR round in April but Kernohan, despite leading the Championship at that stage, didn’t appear for the rest of the year. At the second meeting in July, McFall was dominant,taking pole, two wins and two fastest laps. It was at this meeting that Logan Hoey appeared and he was hugely impressive, taking a pair of second places on his first ever race weekend. Adam McNamara and karting graduate Holly Dunnion both went well and took a podium apiece as they both got more Mondello experience.

The next outing was the high speed Kirkistown track in Northern Ireland and, on their frst ever race outside Mondello Park, the closely matched Junior drivers gave fantastic entertainment (below). McFall took two more wins, moving closer to the title but in his wake, the podium places were hard fought, as a line of slipstreaming MINIs changed places every other lap. Darcey Kilfeather and Jack Fildes were right in this pack but unfortuantely both scored a DNF over the weekend, Darcey’s car stopping in race one and Fildes being unfortunate enough to roll at Debtors when he put a wheel off while running door to door with another car. Thankfully he was fine- the car, not so much! Northern Ireland driver Kyle Irvine also joined the championship at this meeting and took an impressive P2 and fastest lap in race two!

it was back to the familiar surroundings of Mondello Park for the Leinster Trophy meeting in September. Hoey’s good form was to continue here. Having come out tops in a fantastic scrap with Holly Dunnion, who was fast earning herself a reputation for impressive racecraft, the Louth driver took off after leader McFall, setting fastest laps as he closed the gap, but untimately running out of laps. In race two, Hoey got the jump and led a race for the first time. McFall shadowed him before grabbing the lead with a perfectly timed move into Bridgestone. Hoey wasn’t done just yet though and went back at the leader through Lola corner, the pair doing down the long back straight to Lola door to door. Eventually a locked wheel from Hoey sent him into the back of McFall and both took some grass, and a little bit of gravel, before rejoining, still in first and second!  Somehow Jonathan Fildes and team had managed to build a brand new car for Jack Fildes in the two week gap since Kirkistown. The immaculate machine, sporting support from the Naas Court Hotel and Magic Bullet, was still being finished on race morning and had teething issues, but did get a finish in race two.

This left four rounds of the championship to run- but two of them were digital!  The Championship drivers were given access to the Mondello Park Virtual Race Academy to practise on the Friday of the October ICCR meeting, and again on the Saturday morning. After testing on Saturday, they returned to the Academy to use the state of the art Simulators for qualifying, heats and a final, all of which awarded the same championship points as a real race. As expected, the standard was high and when it was all done and dusted, McFall and Hoey took a win each. Irvine excelled here too, taking a pair of runner up spots. McNamara and Kilfeather were also impressive on the Sims, a skill required for any budding race driver in this day and age.

Holly Dunnion had shown great pace and, as mentioned, racecraft over the season but she felt something was up with her Energia MINI. She could stay with the leaders and battle with them until about four laps in, when the front tyres would go off and she would drop back. Despite this, she already had 7 podiums in the bag before the last round. Her car was despatched to O’Brien Motorsport for a full setup and, the smile on Holly’s face at the exclusive MINI Test day on the Friday suggested the problem had been eliminated.

When thick freezing fog descended on Mondello Park, the qualifying session for the Junior Drivers was immediately red flagged and the cars returned to the paddock. As it slowly cleared, the officials decided to allow the cars to complete the (required) three laps behind the safety car, and that the grid would form for race one in the current Championship order.

McFall made a good start from pole but Hoey all but matched him and inside the opening lap was already looking for a way past. Jack Fildes, having started at the back,  was already all over Irvine for fourth as they started lap two. Right behind them Darcey Kilfeather, probably the most improved driver of the season was battling mightily with Ben O.Malley and Adam McNamara.  Fildes, very much in the style of his father Jonathan, was trying moves in the most impossible places, twice getting the nose ahead on the run to Turn Three and again onto the Esses.  On lap three he managed to scrabble round the outside into the Esses but unfortunately the pair tangled on the exit with Fildes being spun right round and Irvine losing plenty of time. Up front, it was stalemate as Hoey tracked McFall once again. Holly, pushing to close the gap, had briefly gone off at Turn Three but recovered without losing a place. Irvine and Kilfeather, who  had disposed of  McNamara, were right with her now though, and both obviously fancied getting their first podium. Up front, McFall was in the groove and he set a new lap record on his way to yet another win. Hoey wasn’t far away at the flag, with Dunnion making her eighth visit to the podium in third. Kilfeather was on a charge behind though and having got by O’Malley and McNamara, had her sights on Irvine. After a few efforts into Turn One,  she made it stick with a superb move around the outside into the Esses, to take the commentator’s Driver of the Day in the class as she took a season best fourth, all the way from the back.  Irvine was fifth ahead of the recovering Fildes, who had just come out tops of a fantastic three way scrap with O’Malley and McNamara.

When the points were totted up, McFall had done enough to take the title but, of course, there was still a race to go. His Straid Concrete/Mondello Park liveried car lined up on pole position with a very determined Logan Hoey alongside. Row two was occupied by the impressive female contigent, with Holly third and Darcy fourth. Irvine and Fildes were on row three with McNamara and O’Malley on row four. Hoey made the best start and briefly led, but McFall was onthe inside and took it back on the brakes into Turn One. Fildes had also made a cracker and was up to fourth as the pack made its way through Campion Corner for the first time. Hoey got alongside McFall on the run to Three but had to back out of it, with Dunnion getting alongside him on the exit. As they approcahed the Esses, Fildes and Kilfeather were right with the three leaders but alas, the red flags were out. O’Malley was off at Turn Three and with the car deep in the gravel, the decision was made to call a halt. At the restart, McFall led away once again with Hoey immediately having a go down the inside at the first corner. McFall hung on though, as Kilfeather and Fildes rubbed mirrors at Campion. In typical form, Holly was also on the attack and challenging for second at the Esses. Next up was Irvine ahead of the immaculate cars of Kilfeather and Fildes.

By lap three, it became apparent that the changes to Dunnion’s car had made a real difference. There was no sign of her dropping back as we had previously seen, as she shadowed the two leaders. Then it was Irvine, Fildes, Kilfeather and McNamara. When McFall went slightly wide at the Esses, Hoey was alongside in a flash. He sat around the outside on the exit and once again, had the nose ahead, but McFall was late on the brakes and took the lead back. The first three were now running as one, with Irvine safe in fourth. A few laps later, headlights ablaze, Hoey once again tried round the outside at the Esses as he bagan to pile the pressure on. Holly, no doubt revelling in the fact that there was still life in her front tyres, was right with them again. The following lap, having tried at the Esses again, Hoey sat around the outside of Southside Motor Factors Corner and the pair emerged side by side onto the straight. Into Turn One Hoey was slightly later on the brakes and scrabbled round the outside to take the lead. Dunnion, with an inspired lunge, fired it down the inside of both, emerging from the corner second, with the leader suddenly demoted to third!  A big slide, which he held well, at Turn Three, dropped McFall back a bit, while just behind, Fildes had got ahead of Irvine, and was now lapping on the pace of the leaders.  On the final lap, Hoey, having calmly turned off the leadlights once he got the lead, made no mistakes to cross the line for his first win. Holly was equally delighted with second, her best result of her season, whilst McFall, in third, had the consolation of the title and a new lap record after what was a very impressive season.

All in all, a fantastic second season for the Junior MINI Challenge, with plenty of talent and progression as the year went on. At the recent exclusive Junior MINI test at Mondello Park, there were 12 cars on track, including RSA Junior Champion Joshua Henry (below), who was incredibly fast on his first visit to the track, and will race in the class in 2024! If you are aged 14-16 and want to go motor racing in a highly subsidised and well promoted class, click HERE to find out more.

 

Please note, final championship positions below remain provisional pending the outcome of technical examinations etc.