Strong Entry for Circle K Fiesta 6 Hour Endurance Race
It’s that time of the year again. The ICCR season is over and all the championships have been decided. Suddenly, the whole paddock is looking for a Fiesta Zetec! Teams of three or four drivers team up to tackle the now famous 6 hour race, in cars complying to the Siltex Safety Fiesta Zetec Championship regulations. Team managers are tackled with strategy, driver changes, fueling stops and tyre changes and this, as much as on track pace, can make a huge difference. After various issues with inventive fueling “techniques” over the years, the organisers have specified a race specific refuelling can, as the UK Endurance series tend to do ,and also to eliminate the use of expensive race fuels, a control fuel is now specified. Happily, Circle K Ireland have come onboard and will supply the teams with a discount code for their high performance milesPLUS fuel for use during the event. They also supply the technical team with means to test and identify the fuel before, during and after the event.
A glance at the entry list shows a healthy 24 entries with over 80 drivers who will take to the track at midday on Saturday. Race of Champions is oft an overused title but in this case, the entry list is truly star studded. A quick calculation suggests that there are 30 Champions on the grid, which is pretty impressive.
Running at number one is Multiple saloon champion and current (and triple) Irish Stryker Champion Michael Cullen. He is partnered by triple Fiesta ST Champion and newly crowned SEAT Supercup Champion Dave Maguire and they have their race winning sons Victor and Dave Jnr for company!
Another team to watch should be “Mika Lakkinen Talent” comprising McLaren GT4 racer and former Fiesta ST Champion Alex Denning, Max Turley, Darragh Denning and Macau TCR winner and former Vee Star of tomorrow champion Max Hart. Pace won’t be in question. If they can stay calm and have a good strategy, they won’t be far away. Team NCH has former ITCC, SEAT Supercup and Punto Abarth Champion Erik Holstein along with fellow ITCC Champion Dave O’Brien and former Punto champion Mick Leonard. Again, no shortage of pace there, so strategy is crucial.
Paul O’Brien’s POB Racing team are experts in this race and they field two cars. The Team Barrable lineup is extremely strong with Uno and Zetec Champion Michael Barrable (above) joined by multiple champion sons Peter and Robert. All fast, they will have good strategy and backup and they have won the event before. A good bet for honours.
The second car will be piloted by two former F1 drivers, David Kennedy and the inimitable Tommy Byrne, with newly crowned MSVR Trackday Champion Nicole Drought stepping into replace Alex Dunne, who has had to head to Macau early.
The Archer Motorsports team will run Andy Kavanagh’s frontrunning milesPlus liveried car (above) and once again the class regular will be joined by hillclimb champions Billy White and Joe Courtney. Another strong lineup is the “Dynamite” team of former SEAT Supercup Champion Rod McGovern and sons Harry and Sean. All three are fast and with Morgan Dempsey on the pitwall, they won’t miss a trick. The “Le Mans” team is made up of former Mondello Porsche expert Bob Cameron, LMP3 and Porsche Supercup driver Lucca Allen, Hampus Ericsson, younger brother of Indycar driver Marcus, and Tony Gallagher.
The #32 Murray Motorsport car is definitely worth watching. the West Dublin team have had plenty of success in this event and Eoin and Niall Murray are joined by fast Fiesta exponent Ian Fishbourne – they will definitely be a factor. Team ITCC brings more fast drivers.
Paul Twomey is joined by 2024 ITCC Champion Cian Walsh (above)and Ronan Hickey. The imaginatively named Seymore Butts (!) sees Brian Sexton joined by Brent Hughes, Laura Hannon and Pat Masterson. Mondello Park have, of course, entered their team building car (below) and, after an on track shootout, it will be driven by Veester Finn Gillespie, the ever popular John “JR” Rock and Mondello mechanics Marc Mulhern and Sean Purcell, both of whom have won trophies in the car already in 2024.
Team “Barney Mafia” is made up of three experienced Zetec regulars Richie Byrne, former Rookie Champion James Byrne and Keith Lenihan. The Stryker class regulars have put together two teams with “Piston Broke” (get it?) being steered by Andy D’Alton, Kevin McGrath, Pat Bergin and Seamus Ryan, while “Plane and Simple” is Colin Marnane, James Dwyer, Lewis Leslie and former Stryker champion Greg Kelly. They always have fun and no doubt will socialise and slag each other more than most, but they won’t be slow if they can adapt to fwd quickly. 
Another fast team is that of European Clio Cup racer and former Fiesta ST Champion Jack Byrne, 2024 (and 2019) Zetec Champion William Kellett (above) and former Zetec Rookie Champion Jason O’Connell. All are experienced and crucially, fast in a Zetec, so they should be right at the sharp end too.
Wexford Youth Academy have been doing sterling work in recent years to encourage more younger drivers into the sport and their “Wexcelerators” team have been working hard in the run up to the event. They are led by 2023 Junior Rallycross Champion and 2024 Zetec Rookie Champion Toby McGuire, and he teams up with James Egan, Shane Brauders and Reece Mahony in McGuire’s regular Zetec racecar (below).
Formula Vee is represented by the “Formula Veeista” squad of Niall O’Mara, Stephen Roche, Conor Melia and Adam McNamara, while former Zetec Champion leads the “Back to the Futures” Future Classic racers of Luke and James Marmion and FC Champion Pat O’Malley. The Birrane family have always been great supporters of this event and the Murray Motorsport “Team Birrane” equipe comprises of Josh Skeens, Kate Skeens, Greg Monks and Sam Peters. Irish born US based Delta Airlines pilot Aidan Mulready was super impressive in his debut Zetec season and he is entered alongside Thomas and Declan Mulready in the “Mulready Motorsport” team.
Kelsey Kirby, above, is another rapid Zetec regular and she teams up with fellow Zetec racers Adam O’Mahony and Josh Browne in the “Midfield Madness” team, whilst the “Do Gooders” team is made up of talented Monoposto pedaller Karl O’Brien, his dad Brendan, also a single seater exponent and Thomas Callan. “Kamikaze Racecraft”(!) hopefully don’t live up to their name- their team is made up of Noel Kelliher, Alex Twomey and John O’Sullivan.
Circle K have come onboard to partner with the event and all cars will run their milesPLUS fuel as part of the technical regulations.
The race begins at midday and finishes, in the dark, at 6pm and admission to Mondello Park is free on the day!
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