Richardson Does the Double in Junior MINIs!

A bumper entry of Junior MINI drivers appeared for the opening rounds of the Patch Tyre Equipment Championship last weekend at Mondello Park. There was great interest in the class over the winter and it was great to see that translate into grid numbers.

Testing had been very close and this wasn’t to change when the young drivers headed out onto the newly resurfaced Mondello National circuit for their qualifying session. Having ended 2024 on a high, Leo Richardson was keen to start 2025 the same way and it was his Mount Merrion Cars POB Racing machine which topped the timesheets when the chequered flag fell. Kyle Irvine and 2024 Mondello Junior Scholarship winner TJ Taffe have been working well together in testing, both in Mondello and Kirkistown, and it showed, as they qualified second and third respectively. Logan Hoey was next up from Martin Finnegan.  Confusion reigned during a red flag stoppage mid way through the session and some teams, not being familiar with the Parc Ferme rules, fell foul of the officials and found themselves excluded from the session, effectively meaning that some six cars would start at the back for the opening race!

The cars looked fantastic as they completed their warm up lap, weaving around to get some heat into their Nankang tyres. With the sun blazing down, they all got away well when the lights went out and charged down into Castrol Corner for the first time. Irvine got the nose ahead but Richardson was late on the brakes and it was he who led the pack out towards Turn Three. Irvine tucked in behind and he had Hoey right on his rear bumper, from Taffe and Mawhinney. Meanwhile McBrearty and Fildes, having started near the back, were already making places hand over fist. Daniel Heapes was driving beautifully in the ex Reuben Kernohan car, defying his lack of racing experience by holding off Fildes, with McBrearty also looking to get by. As Fildes eventually made it stick coming into the Esses, Richardson, having already smashed the lap record, was beginning to ease away out front. Similarly, Irvine was inching away from Hoey, who still had Taffe breathing down his neck, with Mawhinney hanging on to them too.

Having let Fildes by, Heapes wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice and was defending impressively from McBrearty. Martin Finnegan was in there too and almost relieved McBrearty of the place with a late lunge into Southside Motor Factors corner. Harry Dowling was also on a charge and had closed down this battle, snatching a place when Finnegan and McBrearty made brief contact at Castrol. (Below)

Fildes was in a determined mood and, having caught Mawhinney, grabbed the place with a dive down the inside into Castrol, subsequently easing away in pursuit of the leaders. As ever with the Junior MINIs, it was all over far too quickly and when the clock went down to zero and the chequered flag was waved, it was Richardson, after a great drive, who took victory. Having kept him honest all race long, Irvine was just 2.7 seconds behind as they crossed the line. Hoey was third, soaking up huge pressure from the charging Taffe in the closing stages. Fildes was fifth, having carved through most of the grid en route, with Mawhinney next up.  Heapes was next up, shadowed, as he had been for much of the race, by McBrearty. Leo’s brother Joe Richardson took a top ten,  a great recovery from a red flag triggering shunt in qualifying.

Leah McManus was next up, from Dean Deasy, Nathan Sweeny and Harry Phares. Keith Burke was fifteenth. He showed great pace on his first MINI Junior test but a hefty shunt on his second day out necessitated a big rebuild and the paint was practically still wet when the car landed at Mondello on the Friday so keep an eye on the karter as the season progresses. Completing the order were Alex Watkins and Ryan Donnelly, with Finnegan having retired from the action on lap 6.

As ever, it all had to be done again in Race 2 later in the afternoon and it was Richardson who lined up on pole once again when the cars left assembly.  Irvine would start alongside ahead of Hoey, who was fourth. Unfortunately for TJ Taffe, his car wouldn’t start in assembly, leaving an empty slot on row 2. Row three was Finnegan and Mawhinney, with Heapes  and Dean Deasy on row four, Dowling and Leah McManus on row five ahead of Joe Richardson and  Ryan Donnelly. Row seven was one to watch with Fildes and McBrearty keen to once again charge up through the field, and then it was Nathan Sweeny, Harry Phares, Keith Burke and Alex Watkins.

Richardson made a good start and Irvine matched him but Hoey got a flier from the second row and the three MINIs went by the grandstand door to door! Hoey was latest on the brakes and swept around the outside to snatch the lead at Castrol. By Turn Three the front three had already pulled a few lengths on the rest, led by the impressive Finnegan, with Heapes right with him.

Into Southside, Richardson took the lead back with a late lunge into Southside but Hoey got the switchback to perfection to take it back again as they came down the main straight for the first time. As the leader defended into Castrol though, he was slightly wide on the exit and Richardson got the nose alongside. He sat around the outisde of Campion Corner, with Logan giving him racing room and after running side by side towards Turn Three, Richardson eased back in front. On the approach to Southside the same lap, Heapes displaced Finnegan with a late braking lunge , with Mawhinnney following him through.

McBrearty and Fildes, having made their predicted progress, were already right with the battle and looking to get by.  As the race began to settle, Richardson got the head down and began to inch away. Irvine outbraked Hoey for second at Southside, but the Red FPS car effected the switchback to perfection for the second time and took the place back immediately.  In their wake, McBrearty, having climbed to fifth in his Stables liveried car, was all over Heapes, but neither of them were budgeting on a superb dive from Mawhinney into Southside to make up both places as they came out onto the main straight. Fildes spotted an opportunity too and got a run, ousting McBrearty on the straight and then sitting around the outside of Heapes for fifth at Campion Corner. Once again, you had to commend them all for leaving racing room – the width of a MINI and not an inch more! As McBrearty, Mawhinney and Fildes headed toward Turn Three three abreast, they tangled and the unfortunate Mawhinney found his Mondello Scholarship car spun across the bows of Fildes’ machine, eliminating him from the equation.

Irvine had another go at Hoey at Southside, this time ensuring the was no opportunity for a switchback but Hoey, showing impressive racecraft, opened the lock and ran around the outside, giving himself just enough momentum to hang on to the place. Great motor racing!

Out front, Richardson had the head down, breaking the lap record he had set in race one to take the chequered flag well ahead of the rest to do the double for POB Racing and the Stillorgan Motor Company. Hoey and Irvine had given superb entertainment all race long and , predictably there was nothing between them as the crossed the line, with Hoey just ahead. Fildes was next up all the way from the back, with McBrearty and Heapes next up! Unfortunately for Fildes, he was adjudged to have overtaken under yellows and subsequently given a two place penalty, elevating McBrearty to fourth and Heapes to an impressive fifth. Finnegan, Deasy, Dowling and McManus rounded out the top ten.

Images LNP/Cregor Elliott