Under strong Mondello Park sunshine, Murray Motorsport’s Charlie McKillen led out the biggest Fiesta ST grid in at least five years at the opening ICCR meeting of 2026 . There were a horde of newcomers, many hailing from Donegal under the Kelly Motorsport banner, joining the class regulars.
Tim McQuaid was alongside from the “Ballybunion Bullet” Adam O’Mahony who had the impressive Michael Graham for company on row two. Row three comprised of Derek Graham and Trevor Farrar, who had reshelled his car over the winter months and was sporting a new red and yellow livery. Wayne Laverick was sixth and alongside him was Chris Jones. Oran King was next up, and first of the newbies, from class sponsor Owen Cullen. Row six was Jonathan Kirwan, then Daniel McDonald who had hurriedly bought the ex Kian O’Brien machine in the days leading up to the event, when his ITCC Integra wouldn’t play ball, Pauric McGinley, David Bartlett, Chris Grimes, Jason McGeehan, Niall Nolan and Matthew Devereux.
When the lights changed, McKillen made no mistake to lead the impressive Alloy Repair Centre ST grid down into Castrol. Living up to his nickname, O’Mahony was fast out of the traps and immediately fired it down the inside of McQuaid. He didn’t quite manage to make it stick initially, but managed to sit it out around the outside of Campion and had the inside for Turn Three, with the fast starting Derek Graham following him through. O’Mahony immediately began to give McKillen the workover, with McQuaid fourth from Farrar and Michael Graham. When O’Mahony went a touch wide at Bridgestone, he was delayed slightly out of Nordic Spirit, and Graham didn’t need a written invitation to slice down the inside into Southside. As the lead pair subsequently began to pull away, O’Mahony , who had sustained slight suspension damage in the opening laps, began to drop back, his understeer even visible to viewers on the Beacon Hospital livestream.
Farrar, meanwhile, (above) was going really well, holding off Michael Graham and having a go at O’Mahony at the same time. in their wake was a gap to Wayne Laverick, then it was Chris Jones, going nicely, ahead of a huge battle between Oran King and the much improved Owen Cullen, who was inside the top ten – on merit. As O’Mahony’s tyres, and understeer got worse, he was visibly struggling to control the car, and eventually it got the better of him, parking in the gravel at Turn three. Seamus Kelly was also going well, the rally man running eleventh from Matthew Devereux, Jonathan Kirwan, David Bartlett, Chris Grimes, Niall Nolan and Jason McGeehan.
Up front, Graham was still shadowing McKillen with McQuaid a lonely third. As the lead pair went through Campion on the penultimate lap, McKillen’s cruel luck from 2025 appeared to have popped in to say hello as his immaculate Tradebid machine slowed suddenly. It subsequently transpired that he was slowing for a yellow flag. Graham was by like a flash and it was he who took the chequered flag, from McKillen and McQuaid. Unfortunately for Graham though, he was adjudged to have overtaken under yellows and given a two place penalty, demoting him to third and elevating McKillen to the stop step of the podium.
McQuaid was third, from an impressive Farrar, with Michael Graham and Wayne Laverick rounding out the top six. Chris Jones was seventh, from Daniel McDonald, Owen Cullen, Matthew Deveraux. and Oran King.
As ever, the top six finishers in Race One were reversed to form the grid for the second race, and this meant that Wayne Laverick would start on pole position with Michael Graham alongside. Farrar and Derek Graham were on row tow, with McQuaid and MicKillen on row three. 
Down into Castrol for the first time and Graham Jnr made easy work of Laverick, outbraking him down the outside and immediately opening up a gap. McKillen was immediately in trouble though as his car went into limp mode and he had no option but to pull off onto the infield. Into Southside for the second time and Graham Snr sliced down the inside of Laverick to make it a Graham Motorsport 1-2. As Farrar tried to get by Laverick, McQuaid saw his chance and sliced by into Castrol, with a decisive manoeuvre. All this was allowing Michael Graham, driving the race of his life, to pull away from the rest. Chris Jones was running sixth, under pressure from the flying Daniel McDonald, who was making the transition from ITCC to Fiesta ST with apparent ease, then it was Owen Cullen, right with them was Matt Devereux (below), another relative newbie showing well.
Derek had the head down and it was soon apparent that Aubrey Graham had not given any team orders as he began to chase son Michael down. His luck from race one was not completely done though and he slightly over committed into Turn Three, the resultant trip through the kitty litter dropping him back into the pack. Immediately on a charge, he despatched Devereux and McDonald inside a lap before bravely sitting around the outside of Cullen to get back up to sixth. O’Mahony meanwhile, was scything his way up through the pack like the proverbial hot knife through butter. while Jonathan Kirwan and David Bartlett had also closed up on that battle, making a seven car ST train!
McQuaid was also on the move, relieving Laverick of second around the outside at Bridgestone, with Farrar trying his best to follow him through. Graham Jnr was comfortable out front, with a five second lead, as McQuaid eased away from the Laverick/Farrar battle. After a number of attempts, Farrar made the switchback stick out of Southside, moving himself up to third and at the same time, Derek Graham took fifth from Jones with a lunge at the same corner.
At the flag then, it was a delighted Michael Graham, headlights ablaze, who took the win. McQuaid was second, with Farrar third in his newly built car. Laverick was fourth from Graham and incredibly, the flying O’Mahony was right on Chris Jones’ bumper – all the way from the back of the grid.
Images from Marc Quinlivan Photography
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