McGovern Does The Double as Zetecs Return to Mondello Park

Mondello Park was once again the venue for the third and fourth rounds of the 2025 Siltex Safety Fiesta Zetec Championship.

Once again, the budget tin tops produced the biggest grid of the ICCR race meeting. Despite a few regulars missing due to exams and family holidays, numbers were strong as they were replaced on the grid by some newbies. Tonya Fortune has plenty of rally experience but no circuit racing mileage and she lined up in her newly prepared Jordan yellow Zetec.  Mondello Park’s Finn Gillespie also joined the grid in a car that had been literally rebuilt in the days coming up to the race, even being painted in a pitlane garage on the Friday evening of the race weekend! Clio Cup Europe racer and SEAT Supercup race winner Harry McGovern was also on the list, and would certainly be at the sharp of what is fast becoming known as one of the most competitive classes in the paddock.

When the chequered flag waved to signal the end of qualifying, it was series leader Sean McGovern who topped the times, but he would be joined on the front row by his brother Harry, who had set his time on the final tour, just pipping Rob Barrable, who had Kirkistown series leader Aidan Mulready for company on the second row. Next up were the experienced duo of Alan Dawson and Andy Kavanagh. Kelsey Kirby, as is becoming the norm, was well inside the top ten in seventh and she would have former motorbike racer Marc Mulhearn alongside. Phil Lawless and a disappointed Mick Kehoe rounded out the top ten.  In the Rookie class, Mikey Moynihan was just a tenth ahead of Evan Walsh in the Mondello Scholarship car, with incredibly, Finn Gillespie in third, just another tenth back.

When the lights on the new Alfa Romeo bridge went out, Sean McGovern made no mistakes to lead the pack down to Castrol with Harry slotting in behind.  Barrable grabbed third with Mulready getting the better of Dawson on the run to turn three. Contact with Mulready and Dawson out of Three slowed Dawson and Kavanagh got alongside on the inside the Esses, the pair running door to door into Nordic Spirit, where Kavanagh found himself edged towards the greenery. All this allowed Kelsey Kirby to close on the pair and she was bringing Phil Lawless and Mick Kehoe with her. As they streamed out onto the main straight, Marc Mulhern and Christian Brennan were also on this lead train. Down at Turn Three next time round and Mick Kehoe’s immaculate Donegan Auto Services machine was off and into the gravel. Despite his loose surface experience and some pretty impressive efforts to extract it, Mick was going no further. With the car right in the firing line, the Alfa Romeo Giulia Safety Car was despatched, while it was being recovered.  Once the pack went racing again, Sean McGovern really got the head down, visibly trying as he eased away from the rest, setting fastest lap in the process. In his wake, Harry was comfortable in second, with Barrable being crowded in third by the battling pair of Dawson and Mulready.

Dawson and Lawless were next up, with a raging battle having slowed the rest slightly. Mulhearn had forged his way thorough to the head of the group, just ahead of Brennan, Kirby, Sam Doyle and Keith Lenihan. Moynihan was leading a great dice with the Rookies, under pressure from Evan Walsh, with Lola Rose Turley running in third in her newly reliveried LOH Motorsport car. As the rain began to fall, Barrable had the MB Motors car at all sorts of angles and began to haul in Harry McGovern for second. Similarly, Lawless looked comfortable on a slightly greasy track and he had joined the queue behind Dawson for fourth. At the flag though, it was in impressive win for Sean McGovern, from brother Harry, with Barrable completing the podium.  Moynihan held on for the Rookie win, being shadowed across the line by Walsh with Turley taking her first podium in third. Sean Purcell was fourth from Gillespie, Freya Burns, Garrett Phayres and Tonya Fortune.

Having crossed the line in sixth, Kavanagh would start from pole in Race Two, with Aidan Mulready alongside. The experienced duo of Dawson and Barrable were on row two, with the two McGoverns on row three, ahead of Lawless, Christian Brennan, Kelsey Kirby, Sam Doyle, Keith Lenihan and Toby Maguire. Mulready got a flyer and Kavanagh had no option but to tuck in behind as they headed down to Castrol for the first time. When Barrable had a go down the outside, Kavanagh locked up and made contact with Mulready.

It wasn’t heavy contact but it was enough to unsettle the rear and half spin the leader. Mulready held it well but lost momentum and by Campion Corner was back to fifth. Barrable had swept round the outside of this but somehow Harry McGovern, from row three, had got down the inside of it all and these two were side by side for the lead on the run to Turn Three. As Barrable tried to go around the outside, Dawson took the inside line and was up to second as they headed back towards the main arena.  As they crossed the line then, to complete the opening lap, it was Harry McGovern, from Dawson, Barrable, Kavanagh, Mulready and Lawless. Moynihan was again leading the Rookies, from Walsh but Gillespie, having diagnosed and replaced a cracked inlet manifold, was on a flier, up five places and holding third, already running with the Rookie leaders.

Sean McGovern had been delayed by the opening lap antics but was immediately on a charge in the MCP car, demoting Mulready to sixth at Turn Three, before homing in on the back of Mondello expert Lawless.  As Andy Kavanagh challenged Barrable for third, Sean McGovern got a run that put him alongside and briefly ahead of Lawless on the main straight. Phil went back at him on the brakes into Castrol though and took it back. Mulready wasn’t out of it either and was alongside McGovern as they emerged from Turn Three on the same lap! As McGovern defended from Dawson at Southside Motor Factors, Barrable took a run up the outside. Kavanagh didn’t need to be asked twice and slotted his milesPLUS machine up the inside, running down the main straight door to door with Barrable. He wasn’t finished there though as he fired it down the inside of Dawson into Castrol. As Dawson turned in , there was contact and unsurprisingly, Barrable took a run around the outside once again! (Hard to keep up, isn’t it?)

Sean McGovern, meanwhile, had closed right up on the lead pack in fifth and managed to get up the inside of Barrable on the exit of Southside, elevating himself to fourth, just two places behind title rival Dawson. Next lap round, a lunge at the same corner saw him move to third at the expense of Kavanagh, and right onto Dawson’s rear bumper! In his wake, Barrable sliced down the inside of Kavanagh for fourth. Into Southside again then, and Dawson took a dive down the inside of Harry McGovern for the lead. Harry had it covered but slight bumper to bumper contact sent him a little wide, and Dawson was up the inside on the exit. He finished the job down into Castrol and as Harry fought back, Sean got a run at both of them into Turn Three. Any notions Sean might have had about his brother letting him by to help his championship challenge were swiftly dismissed as Harry ran him out onto the kerbs on the exit, allowing Barrable to get alongside the title leader once again! Into Southside next time round, Harry dived down the inside for the lead. Dawson turned in and contact was made. This slowed them both and slightly delayed Barrable too so as they crossed the line, it was Sean McGovern leading, from Kavanagh, Harry McGovern and Barrable with Mulready and Dawson side by side. Dawson, obviously fired up, sat around the outside of Mulready at Castrol and was up the inside of Barrable at Campion Corner, bringing himself back to fourth as they came back towards the Esses.

One lap later and it was chequered flag time. Sean McGovern was delighted to achieve the unusual feat of doing the double in Zetecs. Andy Kavanagh drove well to take second, just ahead of Harry, followed by Dawson, Barrable and Lawless, who just pipped Mulready on the run to the line, after a last minute lunge  on Dawson at Southside had delayed him.

After the race though, a raft of exclusions meant Harry McGovern, Barrable, Kavanagh and Lawless were removed from the results, elevating the impressive Sam Doyle to fourth, from Christian Brennan, Kelsey Kirby, Keith Lenihan and Toby Maguire.

Whilst all of the attention was on the excitement up front there were cracking battles all the way down the field. Mikey Moynihan (above, right) drove well once again to take his second Rookie win of the day, with an inspired Finn Gillespie charging to second in the car everyone (myself included!) thought wouldn’t make the grid this weekend. Evan Walsh was third, keeping his title chances very much alive in the Mondello Park Scholarship car, while Lola Rose Turley was fourth, from Sean Purcell, Freya Burns and Tonya Fortune.

The Siltex Safety Fiesta Zetec Championship is back at Mondello Park on July 6th, where they will tackle the International layout before heading to Kirkistown on July 26th!

Images from LNP/Cregor Elliott