Kearney does the double as Formula Sheane newbies impress.

The Airport Cars Formula Sheane Championship has been taken over by Mondello Park this season and some of the efforts being put in by drivers and organisers alike are already beginning to show results.

Junior MINI graduate Jack Fildes was the latest newbie to try out one of the Irish built single seaters and he also races an F3 cars in BOSS Ireland the same weekend! Former MI Karting Champion Róisín Sweeney has had a tough start to her season with the engine letting go in her newly acquired car early in the season and gear linkage issues subsequently hampering her in a borrowed car in Bishopscourt. This time round she arrived with her beautifully liveried Nordic Spirit car fitted with a newly built Richard Kearney engine and was delighted to complete the Friday test day with no problems. Former double Formula Opel Champion Donal Loughrey was helping both the youngsters and, having tested the Fildes car himself, was hugely impressed at how responsive the chassis was to small setup changes.  Sweeney’s problems were not gone just yet as, just as she drove out of scrutiny on Friday evening, the clutch release bearing let go. Just as she was beginning to think she would have to watch from the sidelines yet again, Chris McCabe and Kevin Igoe came to the rescue and less than an hour later, the former karter was driving around the paddock with everything fixed again. Great work lads and no doubt David Sheane would approve!

In the absence of Enda O’Connor, who was at home after a small medical procedure, and Keith Hogg, who is rumoured to be making a comeback before the end of the season, one would have expected reigning champion Richard Kearney to be unchallenged. Sean Kiernan had other ideas though and he was very close to the Carlowman in Friday testing and was quietly confident ahead of qualifying. In the early laps, it looked like his confidence was not misplaced as, after the first two laps, only three tenths separated them, with June winner Chris McCabe right there too. Unfortunately neither would improve as Kiernan experienced a misfire, later traced to a faulty master switch and McCabe had a gearbox failure. A great lap late on from Garrett McKenna put him on the front row alongside Kearney, from McCabe and Kiernan. Roisin Sweeney was fourth for most of the session before being pipped in the closing stages and ending up fifth, from Thomas Foley in the Jordan liveried car, Mike Dermody’s Marlboro machine, Jack Fildes in the Loughrey car and Kevin Igoe.

Unfortunately McCabe, already a winner in 2026 and the first man to break the Kearney stranglehold on the top step of the podium, was unable to fix the car before the race and had to watch from the sidelines. He would be joined by Sweeney whose fuel tank had sprung a leak. A new one was en route but time ran out before cars were called to assembly, Kevin Igoe dived for the pitlane at the end of the warmup lap to sort an issue. The rest made their way to the grid under the gaze of the See It Live livestream cameras.

When the lights went out Kearney predictably made a great start to lead the pack under the Alfa Romeo bridge and down to Castrol Corner. McKenna was right with him as they rounded the first corner, with Kiernan shadowing the pair. A good start from Foley had him next up from Dermody and Fildes. As the pack rounded Campion Corner, Igoe, problem sorted, roared out of the pitlane to join the action.

With the first three still together, Fildes, with new rubber on and really getting used to his car, got a great run at Dermody out of Lola corner and sliced down the inside into 7A to take the place away. As Kiernan began to pile the pressure onto McKenna, Kearney began to ease away out front. A perfectly timed lunge into Southside got the job done but McKenna wanted the place back and was immediately on the attack, almost getting it done into Castrol! Foley was going nicely and keeping the battling pair in sight as Dermody took a few lunges at Fildes to try and reclaim his place too!

As Kiernan began to ease away from McKenna, Fildes was getting into his stride and closing down Tom Foley for fourth. If he thought Foley would be easy pickings though, he had to think again as the Jordan liveried car covered well as Fildes attacked. Having been rebuffed on a number of occasions, he finally made it stick at 7B, with Foley giving him racing room- the width of a Formula Sheane and not much more! Immediately Fildes was matching the pace of McKenna as he got the head down in search of a debut podium.

Kearney, meanwhile, was well clear, his immaculate machine absolutely flying away from the pack. He was keen to chase Enda O’Connor’s lap record but the temperature was so high, it would be a huge ask. (something that might be revisited at the Leinster Trophy in September, when International Track specialist O’Connor also returns!) As Kearney eased off towards the end, Kiernan did the exact opposite and began pushing harder than ever! A flier of a last lap saw him close to withing 2.8 seconds of the winner, and his fastest lap was just three tenths off. Definitely one to watch for the remainder of the season. A thrilling battle was going on behind as Fildes had caught McKenna, who later cited gear  linkage problems. Fildes got a great run out of Lola on the final lap to tow up alongside into 7A but McKenna, incredibly late on the brakes, somehow managed to scrabble down the outside and hang onto the place. A slightly faster run through Nordic Spirit corner then gave Fildes the run up to Southside on the final lap. When McKenna saw him coming and covered the inside, Fildes switched to the outside. A perfectly timed switchback gave Fildes the run on the inside and the young F3 racer claimed a podium on his first ever Formula Sheane race!

McKenna was fourth ahead of Foley, Dermody and Igoe. It soon transpired that Chris McCabe unfortunately would be unable to repair his car in time for Race Two later in the afternoon. Happily though, a fuel tank had been sourced and the Nordic Spirit car of Róisín Sweeney was ready to rock.

Kearney would start from pole with McKenna alongside with Kiernan and Sweeney on row two, from Dermody, Foley, Igoe and Fildes. When the lights went out it was McKenna, with a cracking start, who led away.

Unfortunately he went a tad wide at Castrol and Kearney was through. Kiernan was third and Dermody, after a great launch was right on his tail.  Sweeney tried to sit around the outside of him at Castrol, but ceded the position at Campion, with Foley and Fildes right there too. When Sweeney had another look into Bridgestone, she got slightly out of shape and Foley, with a super run, outdragged her on the way up the hill to Lola. As they headed down to 7A, Fildes appeared to get a run at both of them but Sweeney was late on the brakes and sliced down the inside to take fourth, with Fildes following her through, hanging onto the position despite an armful of opposite lock!   Foley wasn’t done though and with a dive into Birrane’s Bends, took fifth straight back from Fildes.

At Southside Motor Factors corner, Fildes took the place back with a well timed move down the inside whilst just ahead, Sweeney got up the inside of Dermody, the pair side by side on the main straight before she made it stick on the brakes into Castrol, moving her to fourth.

Ahead of this, McKenna, linkage issue sorted was holding of a protracted attack from Kiernan, nothing separating the pair with a good gap to the rest. Fildes had a few goes at Mike Dermody before finally getting it done. As Sweeney and Fildes, running in tandem, pulled away, a great battle started with Dermody holding off Fildes and Igoe. Foley, gaining a reputation as the last of the late brakers, used his special powers once again to get ahead but Dermody fought back immediately with Igoe also looking for a gap too. Around the same time, Kiernan finally managed to get past McKenna for second

The two class newbies were setting personal bests every lap and seemed very closely matched before a grassy moment at Nordic Spirit Corner sent Róisín wide, she recovered  quickly but Fildes was through. Later the same lap she noticed the temperature soaring and pitted to have grass removed from the sidepods before rejoining at the back.

At the flag then  it was Kearney, for the double, from Kiernan, McKenna and Fildes, who had started to really charge towards the end, closing the gap to McKenna right to the end. Foley, having pulled away in the closing stages, took fifth, from Dermody, who had Igoe breathing down his neck as they crossed the line.

So Kearney increases his 2026 Championship lead but with others making great progress, things are looking bright for Formula Sheane. Enda O’Connor and possibly former Champion Keith Hogg are rumoured to be making a return for the Leinster Trophy in September. Former Le Mans team owner Greg Murphy is also expected to rejoin the grids as well as Charlie Linnane and possibly one or two others. Donal Loughrey, who was delighted with the progress made by his young charges Róisín Sweeney and Jack Fildes, is keen to keep Fildes in the car for the remainder of the year. with the benefit of some testing, it will be interesting to see how they both go!

Images from Marc Quinlivan Photography.