David Maguire Junior is fast making a name for himself as a tin top specialist, despite his relative lack of experience. He has already taken wins in Fiesta Zetec, SEAT Supercup Ireland and Fiesta ST and on the approach to the July ICCR Mondello meeting, sat the head of the Alloy Repair Centre title standings in his Beacon Hospital/LOH Motorport machine.
It would have been reasonable then, to assume that he would take the all important pole position for the opening race when the 160bhp machines took to the Mondello tarmac for qualifying on the Sunday morning. Indeed, he would have done, if it was not for a herculean effort from team mate Tim McQuaid, which seemed to surprise Tim as much as anyone else! Jesting aside though, Tim has been impressive since joining the series and already has a win under his belt. He works well with his LOH team and is now a genuine frontrunner. Still though, to eclipse Maguire by the guts of half a second is highly impressive stuff and so it was his BYD Galway & Lewis Motors Motors backed machine which would start race one from pole position.
Maguire would start alongside with Ross Barnes in third and Jack Conachy, continuing to impress, in fourth. Roy White was next up, from Derek Graham, who may have been regretting the decision to build his NI Zetec title winning son Michael an ST, as he was just .16 behind! Darragh McMullen was further back than normal in eighth, and next up was impressive Zetec graduate Adam O’Mahony, from Chris Jones, Trevor Farrar, Marcus Hayes and Bobby Turley. Alloy Repair Centre boss Owen Cullen was continuing to improve and he was ahead of Chris Grimes and newbie Matt Devereux.
When the lights went out, McQuaid made a cracker to lead under the Alfa-Romeo bridge and he was followed around Castrol and Campion by his team mate Maguire. Barnes was right with them as they came back into the main arena with Conachy having dropped back slightly. Down into 7A and Graham relieved Conachy of fourth with a decisive move down the inside.
He put a wheel off on the exit but still managed to hang onto the place with Roy White and McMullen right with them too. As Maguire began to look for a way round McQuaid, Graham had the head down and was easing away from Conachy as he tried to close down the lead trio. Into 7A for the second time and Maguire sliced down the inside for the lead. As he began to pull away, Graham had closed right in on Barnes’ back bumper. In their wake, White had not been able to breach Conachy’s defences and McMullen was keeping a watching brief.
As the LOH cars began to pull clear, a beautifully timed run from Graham saw him ease by Barnes to grab the final podium position. White appeared to have annexed fifth at Southside but a switchback from Conachy saw them sit door to door all the way to the exit of Campion corner, when the Dundalk driver took this place back. All this allowed McMullen to close them right up. Darragh is handy at clinching race two pole and you didn’t need to be a rocket scientist to know he was going to make a move for the all important sixth place finish at some stage! It came at Southside Motor Factors on the final lap and he drag raced White all the way to the flag. Initially the timing system had McMullen as sixth but some further investigation by the timing.ie crew showed on their photo finish camera that it was actually White who was across the line first, by the smallest of margins. Almost unnoticed, Maguire had taken yet another win, with McQuaid making it an LOH 1-2 and Derek Graham completing the podium in third.
With Conachy’s stricken car deemed to be parked in a dangerous spot, the officials despatched the Alfa-Romeo Ireland Safety car. This obviously backed everyone up and, at least initially, meant that Maguire might have to keep an eye on the mirrors, as opposed to attacking the apparently unflappable White. The pair made a break almost immediately though, with Tim McQuaid leading the chase, from McMullen, Barnes and Michael Graham, who had passed father Derek when he has a grassy excursion after the restart! Despite the best efforts of the series leader, White was not to be passed, and took the flag for an impressive win in his Arbelos machine. McQuaid completed the podiun, from Barnes, McMullen, Michael and Derek Graham, Bobby Turley, Chris Jones and Trevor Farrar. Owen cullen was next up ahead of Chris Grimes and Matt Devereux, the Sim racer completing his first ever car race.
The victory was a coming of age for the rally ace. Since joining the series, he has been one to watch in the wet, in every sense, but he has worked hard on his dry weather pace and is now a genuine frontrunner. Murray Motorsport too, were doubtless happy to return to the top step of the podium in a class in which they have historically enjoyed so much success.
All this means that Maguire has increased his lead in the title standings, but White has moved to second. He is actually on equal points with Barnes, but the reigning champion has yet to take a win in 2025. McQuaid mas moved to fourth, ahead of McMullen, Derek Graham and Trevor Farrar, with Conachy, Brendan Fitzgerald and Turley rounding out the top ten.
This weekend the Championship heads North, to the high speed Kirkistown circuit on the Ards peninsula. Maguire has tasted victory here before, in a SEAT Supercup, and no doubt will be aiming to do the same again. He will have a host of slipstreaming challengers though, not least the father and son Graham pairing, who are both former Kirkistown Champions!
Images from Marc Quinlivan Photography.
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